nless you've been living under a rock, you know the latest television franchise to make the leap to the big screen is the '70s action/comedy, Charlie's Angels. The heavenly bodies of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu make up the celestial crime-fighting trio with Bill Murray taking on the role of their faithful lieutenant Bosley and John Forsythe reprising his role as the ever vocally present but never seen Charlie. Rounding out the supporting cast are Sam Rockwell, Crispin Glover, Kelly Lynch and Tim Curry along with special appearances by L.L. Cool J., Matt LeBlanc, Barrymore's former flame Luke Wilson and her current fiancée, MTV funnyman Tom Green.

  Several years in the making, the path to production was well... a
little hellish. Though only three writers are credited, no fewer than ten and as many as twenty writers are rumored to have worked on the script. Complicating things further, though Barrymore and Diaz signed on months before, the third Angel wasn't cast until mere weeks before the start of filming. Thandie Newton (Beloved, M.I.:2) was to have worn halo number three but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Other actresses considered for the part include Angelina Jolie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), Jennifer Lopez, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Hollywood's latest "It" girl Penelope Cruz. In the eleventh hour, the role went to Lucy Liu, known for her work on TV's Ally McBeal.
  Finding the right director to bring this pop culture classic to the big screen was also a challenge. Barrymore championed the hiring of first time director Joseph McGinty Nichol, aka McG, who previously had only music videos and television commercials to his credit. Barrymore had known McG for several years and was confident he was the man for the job. The studio, however, needed convincing. After an impressive three-hour meeting at Sony Pictures during which McG enthusiastically acted out his ideas scene by scene and shot by shot, he landed the job. Even with all the key players in place, filming was no easy task. The physically demanding schedule was grueling and rumors of tension on the set plagued the production, including a much-publicized spat between Liu and co-star Bill Murray. Early buzz on the film predicted a box office flop, but that buzz recently turned positive as trailers for Angels have drawn thunderous applause in theaters and advance screenings have tested extremely well.
  Staying true to the theme of female empowerment and armed with an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry, high
performance vehicles and martial arts techniques, you can expect Charlie's beauties to kick some serious