Lawyer seeks testimony of `Alpha Dog' director

Friday, August 5th 2005, 11:52 am

By: News On 6

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) _ Lawyers defending ex-fugitive Jesse James Hollywood against charges of murdering a 15-year-old boy have subpoenaed the director of an upcoming Bruce Willis film about the crime.

``Alpha Dog,'' starring Willis and Justin Timberlake, is based on the August 2000 slaying, though the names and the setting have been changed.

Defense lawyer James Blatt wants director Nick Cassavetes to testify because prosecutors have consulted on the movie, which he says could hurt Hollywood's chances of a fair trial. He also requested that prosecutors provide a detailed list of what they shared with the filmmakers.

``We want to know just what, if anything, was given to the motion picture company for the purposes of making this film,'' Blatt said Wednesday.

A hearing on the motion is scheduled Aug. 12, when Cassavetes could testify, Blatt said.

Prosecutors allegedly cooperated with filmmakers when Hollywood was a fugitive. Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen refused to comment, but said he would respond in his own court filing.

Hollywood, 25, is accused of orchestrating a plot to kidnap and kill Nick Markowitz because of bad blood with Markowitz's half brother, who allegedly owed Hollywood a drug debt.

The teen was shot and buried in a shallow grave in Los Padres National Forest.

Four people were convicted in the case, but Hollywood fled. He was arrested in March in Brazil and returned to California.