Losing Its Edge

Is the long-discussed “Jagged Edge” sequel kaput? Martin Ransohoff, who produced the original 1985 hit thriller, and star Glenn Close think so.

Ransohoff, who had a script he liked two years ago, bowed out of the Columbia project because Close wanted a different concept. She took over, under then-president Dawn Steel. Now Close has put “II” behind her as well.

“We never got a script that was satisfactory,” she tells us. “And then they felt that too much time had gone by, and they put it in turnaround, which is perfectly fine by me. Though I think that those two characters would have made a good movie, the Robert Loggia character and myself.”

Ransohoff says he discussed the project recently with Columbia, which controls the rights.

“At this stage, they don’t seem interested in proceeding with it,” the producer reports. “It’s a shame, because I feel the title and the concept are a major asset.”

Close left open a crack in the door, referring to Paramount’s “The Two Jakes” and the 16 years that sequel appeared after “Chinatown” (1974). “Jakes,” however, has flopped badly.

“You really should do these things within a couple of years,” Ransohoff believes. “These titles are not like fine wine--they don’t improve with age.”