Stars Will Get Small in the Big Picture

Wesley Snipes and Richard Dreyfuss will help bring star power to the 1998-99 made-for-TV movie season, though in very different roles.

Snipes will again be working up a sweat in the action movie “Futuresport.” Dreyfuss, meanwhile, exhibits brain over brawn in “Einstein,” a biographical drama about the great scientist.

Other highlights will include “Mama Flora’s Family,” a four-hour movie from the memory of Alex Haley; “Rear Window,” which finds Christopher Reeve playing the lead role made famous by James Stewart in the Alfred Hitchcock classic; and “American Tragedy,” a dramatic look at the O.J. Simpson case that combines the respected talents of writer Norman Mailer and director Barry Levinson.

NBC will play a key role in bringing a literary flavor to the upcoming TV season. The peacock network will offer new movie adaptations of “Crime and Punishment,” “Wuthering Heights” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

Here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting projects (many of which had not been given air dates at press time):

ACTION

“Futuresport”: In this futuristic thriller, the fate of the world is determined by the outcome of a single game of Futuresport, a high-tech sport using Hover-boards and roller-blades. Wesley Snipes, Dean Cain and Vanessa L. Williams star. Oct. 1. ABC.

“The Long Ride for Justice”: Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Travis Tritt star in a western in which a retired outlaw is gunned down and his old friends join his son to avenge his death. TBA. CBS.

“Roger Corman Presents Galactic Odyssey”: When the earth is destroyed in the year 2020, a diverse group of civilians awaken aboard a spaceship headed for a new world. They soon discover that their mission is to repopulate the new planet. November. The Movie Channel.

BIOGRAPHY

“Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within”: In 1985, a veteran CIA bureaucrat begins to sell information to the KGB to pay off debts. Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth Pena star. November. Showtime.

“Einstein”: Richard Dreyfuss portrays the most famous scientist of the 20th century. This film looks at Einstein’s life, including his days as a struggling student and his reluctant participation in the decision to build and use the first atomic bomb. TBA. NBC.

“Getty”: Greed, power, love and betrayal are themes covered in this two-parter about the millionaire Jean Paul Getty and his family. TBA. NBC.

“Houdini”: Johnathon Schaech and Stacy Edwards star in this film about the legendary escape artist. Dec. 6. TNT.

“The Jacqueline Susann Story”: Michele Lee plays the author of the classic and then-controversial 1966 novel “Valley of the Dolls.” Dec. 9. USA.

“Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story”: Based on the best-selling book by author Christopher Ogden, the film tells the eventful story of the former U.S. ambassador to France. Ann-Margret stars. Oct. 12. Lifetime.

“The Temptations”: This four-hour movie tells the dramatic story of the beloved Motown vocal group. Nov. 1-2. NBC.

“Walter Winchell”: Paul Mazursky directs this biopic about the revered and feared gossip columnist portrayed by Stanley Tucci. Nov. 21. HBO.

DRAMA

“About Sarah”: The story of a family that undergoes an inspiring transformation when faced with a decision about caring for a member who is mentally retarded. Stars Kellie Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Marion Ross and Diane Baker. Oct. 4. CBS.

“American Tragedy”: An exploration of the behind-the-scenes strategies in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. The public and very private machinations of key players are revealed as individuals jockey for position. TBA. ABC.

“Beauty”: A contemporary retelling of the story “Beauty and the Beast.” A woman (Janine Turner) falls in love with a writer (Jamey Sheridan) whose appearance is marred by a disfiguring ailment. Oct. 25. CBS.

“Brothers”: A drama about two brothers growing up in a close-knit Italian family in New York. Written by Nick Pileggi (“Casino,” “GoodFellas”). Martin Scorsese and Barbara De Fina are executive producers. April. ABC.

“Cab to Canada”: Maureen O’Hara plays a seventysomething woman who takes a spontaneous 3,000-mile cab trip to Canada. Along the way, she and the cab driver learn about each other and the things that make life worth living. Nov. 29. CBS.

“Crime and Punishment”: The classic Russian novel about morality, ethics and consequences is brought to television. Oct. 11. NBC.

“Forever Love”: Country music star Reba McEntire plays a woman who wakes from a 20-year-long coma to begin her life over again. Sept. 27. CBS.

“Legalese”: A high-profile murder case throws two lawyers--one a seasoned pro and the other an idealistic rookie--into the media spotlight. Stars James Garner, Kathleen Turner and Gina Gershon. Oct. 4. TNT.

“Mama Flora’s Family”: This four-hour project picks up where Alex Haley’s “Roots” saga left off. The drama spans a half-century and explores the challenges faced by matriarch Mama Flora and her family in the middle of the 20th century. Starring Cicely Tyson, Queen Latifah, Blair Underwood and Mario Van Peebles. Nov. 15 and Nov. 17. CBS.

“Monday After the Miracle”: The true story of Helen Keller (Moira Kelly), now a grown woman, and her loving teacher, “miracle worker” Annie Sullivan (Roma Downey). Their relationship is threatened when Annie marries. The two must choose between the love of a man and a woman or the bond they have with one another. Nov. 8. CBS.

“Oprah Winfrey Presents: David and Lisa”: A drama about two teens who fall in love while living at a school for disturbed youth. A ‘90s update of the Frank and Eleanor Perry film, “David and Lisa.” Sidney Poitier, Lukas Haas and Brittany Murphy star. Nov. 1. ABC.

“Our Lives”: The civil rights movement is viewed through the eyes of Coretta Scott King, Myrlie Evers and Betty Shabazz. The three women were married to Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X, respectively. TBA. NBC.

“Riddler’s Moon”: Struggling Indiana farmers face a devastating drought until a disabled teenager, experiencing mysterious visions of bountiful cornfields, finds a way to escape the devastation. TBA. UPN.

“Seasons of Love”: A two-part movie about a farmer and his wife who settle on a parcel of untilled Midwestern farmland in 1866. During the next 50 years their family weathers numerous hardships affecting each member in dramatic ways. Peter Strauss and Rachel Ward star. TBA. CBS.

“Shot Through the Heart”: Two best friends in war-torn Sarajevo are separated by civil war. Inspired by the true story of former teammates on a professional Yugoslavian shooting team. Oct. 4. HBO.

“A Soldier’s Sweetheart”: A film that chronicles the transformation of a young woman transported to a Vietnam war zone by her medic boyfriend. November. Showtime.

“Twist of Terror”: The narrator of this film decides it’s safer to remain in his house than to venture outside. He tells three stories that prove the world is a crazy and scary place to live. Oct. 17. The Movie Channel.

“What We Did That Night”: The lives of three successful men are abruptly changed after a college fraternity brother demands a reunion in which they are forced to relive a horrendous prank. TBA. ABC.

“A Will of Their Own”: A five-hour movie spanning 100 years and five generations of American women. The epic begins in 1894, when a 19-year-old immigrant woman sails from Europe to become the housemaid for a wealthy American doctor. Lea Thompson and Ellen Burstyn star. Oct. 18-19. NBC.

“Wuthering Heights”: A new dramatic version of Emily Bronte’s timeless tale of passion and betrayal in 18th century England. TBA. NBC.

FAMILY

“Alice in Wonderland”: Lewis Carroll’s enduring and fantastic tale is given a new adaptation. Martin Short and Miranda Richardson star. TBA. NBC.

“The Island on Bird Street”: A Jewish boy struggles to survive in war-torn Poland while trying to avoid Nazis. Sept. 27. Showtime.

“Noah’s Ark”: The biblical story is told with warmth and humor; four hours. TBA. NBC.

“Stranger in Town”: In this suspense-thriller for the entire family, a 13-year-old boy begins to suspect that a stranger who befriends his mother is not who he initially appears to be. Oct. 18. Showtime.

“Zenon--Girl of the 21st Century”: The story of a mischievous 13-year-old girl who has lived all her life in a space station with her family. December. Disney Channel.

SUSPENSE

“Columbo: Ashes to Ashes”: Lt. Columbo investigates the disappearance of a Hollywood gossip reporter. Peter Falk once again stars as the wily detective. Oct. 8. ABC.

“The Fury Within”: A series of unexplained and frightening events haunt a troubled family in this drama of the paranormal. Oct. 28. USA.

“I Married a Monster”: A groom is possessed by a monster intent on procreating its dying race through humans. Oct. 8. UPN.

“Max Q”: After an accident damages the space shuttle Endeavor, the endangered crew and Houston’s Mission Control join forces to resolve the problem before time runs out. Nov. 19. ABC.

“Rear Window”: Christopher Reeve stars in this update of the Cornell Woolrich short story of the same title, which also inspired the Alfred Hitchcock film. In this version, Reeve portrays a paralyzed man who believes he has witnessed a murder from his apartment window. He seeks to discover the truth and finds himself involved in a game of cat and mouse with the murderer. Nov. 22. ABC.

“Wes Craven’s Don’t Look Down”: The creator of such horror-film favorites as “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” returns with another dark tale. This one is set among a group of fast-track college students. Oct. 29. ABC.