Richard Farnsworth (“The Grey Fox”) joins James...

Richard Farnsworth (“The Grey Fox”) joins James Caan and Kathy Bates in “Misery,” Rob Reiner’s film based on Stephen King’s novel. He plays Buster, a sheriff who nearly uncovers the kidnapping of a best-selling romance novelist by a woman fan. Shooting begins next month in northern Nevada. . . .

Horror-film vet Roddy McDowall and Christopher Atkins (“Fatal Charm”) star in “Nemesis,” for Quest Prods. in Orlando, Fla., early next year. Hugh Park and Tom Logan co-direct this horror flick about a professor and several med students who play a kind of Dungeons and Dragons game in the lab building. What they don’t know is that a lab experiment involving a dangerous monkey has gone seriously awry and the creature is stalking them. . . .

A few months ago, four teen-age actors--Brian Evans (soon to appear in New Line’s “Jack in the Box”), David Mendenhall (“Over the Top”), Peter Billingsley (“A Christmas Story”) and Ahmet Zappa, the 15-year-old son of Frank Zappa--joined forces in Dreamer Entertainment to write their own scripts and create their own projects. The first to go before the cameras is “Horrorscope,” a horror film for Intercontinental Releasing starring Louis Gossett Jr., Rosana DeSoto (“Family Business”), Evans and Zappa. Mendenhall and Evans, who will produce, are having discussions with Howard Deutch (“Pretty in Pink”) about directing. Shooting will begin by May. . . .

Corey Feldman (“Dream a Little Dream”) not only stars in Roger Corman’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School Forever,” but will write and perform his own music. Writing and directing the film is Deborah Brock, who has a background in improv theater. . . . Also for Corman, “General Hospital” hunk Jack Wagner will star opposite Tracy Scoggins (“Dynasty,” “The Colbys”) in “Midnight Black,” which begins production in Argentina on Jan. 12. Directed by Hector Olivera, the film is an erotic thriller about a down-and-out American musician living in Buenos Aires who meets a former lover and gets involved in murder. . . .

Geoffrey Edwards, son of Blake Edwards, will make his feature directorial debut with “Kaanga,” from a script he wrote with Sam Bernard (“3:15,” “RAD”). Based on a 1930s comic book character created by Jerry Iger (who also created “Sheena” and “Wonderboy”), the film traces the hapless exploits of an ape-man living in the Amazon who sometimes misses the vines that Tarzan always grabs. Lee Caplin produces in association with Blake Edwards and Tony Adams, the film’s executive producers. Previously, Geoffrey Edwards had made many rock videos. The film will be shot, probably in Mexico, later this year. . . .

Corey Haim will star in “Prayer of the Roller Boys,” a futuristic gang movie directed by Rick King. The film will be produced by the theatrical division of Japan’s Gaga Communications Inc. . . . Dan Shor (the “Cagney & Lacey” regular who played Billy the Kid in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) has joined the cast of “Solar Crisis,” currently shooting. . . . Russ Tamblyn (“Twin Peaks”) and Brinke Stevens (Alex Cox’s “Naked Force”) will star in “Battleground Zero,” a sci-fi’er for Fred Olen Ray’s American Independent Prods.

For the record--Donald Petrie directed Dana Carvey in Imagine Film’s “Opportunity Knocks,” not “Beverly Hills Ninja” as was reported in last week’s Cinefile. No director has been set for “Ninja.”