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De Niro Needs More Analysis
Thursday, October 18, 2001 12:59 CDT

Robert De Niro has dropped plans to produce and play a phobic therapist in "Scared Guys" for director Dean Parisot ("Galaxy Quest"). Instead, he'll reprise his role as an anxiety-ridden mobster treated by a reluctant shrink in "Analyze That," a sequel to the hit 1999 comedy "Analyze This."

The Peter Steinfeld-penned Warner Bros. picture is expected to begin production in February, says Variety, and De Niro will be getting his career-best payday, near $20 million. The actor received $17.5 million for WB's upcoming "Showtime," co-starring Eddie Murphy.

In "Scared," De Niro had been expected to play against his tough-guy type as a man afraid of everything. He would have played a phobic therapist who pries himself from the apartment for the first time in years.

De Niro dropped the project partly because he wasn't crazy about a rewrite, and also because Columbia wasn't crazy about his desire to push back the comedy while he first did "Analyze That." Columbia is looking for a new A-list actor for "Scared Guys."