MOVIES - Nov. 10, 1992

Not Your Basic Deal: “Basic Instinct” screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and producer Robert Evans have signed a deal with newly installed Paramount Pictures motion picture chief Sherry Lansing to write and produce “Jade,” described by the studio as an unusual love triangle story. Lansing, who only last week took over the studio reins from Brandon Tartikoff, confirmed the pact on Monday, but would not comment on the financial terms that reportedly are considerable. The trade paper Daily Variety reported that, based on a two-page script treatment, Eszterhas will eventually receive $1.5 million if the movie is made, while another $1 million would go to other parties who have been involved, including the former Weintraub Entertainment, which initiated the project in 1988 and paid $500,000 to Eszterhas at the time.