A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : DOWN-HOME MOVIES : Stand by Your Producer, Babes

We’re not sure if we can call it a trend, but it looks as though Hollywood is going try to cash in on the rising popularity of country music. With country favorites like Garth Brooks riding high atop the pop music charts, displacing such established stars as Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton and Prince, it’s no wonder that movie producers and studio executives around town are scrambling to find country-music film projects.

In addition to Paramount’s recently announced purchase of Carol Heikkinen’s script, “The Thing Called Love,” a love story set in Nashville, producer Jerry Weintraub (“The Karate Kid”) is readying “Unwound,” which will star Grammy-winner George Strait. “Unwound,” named after one of Strait’s big hits, will be directed by Chris Cain (“Young Guns”) from a screenplay by Rex McGee and is set to go before the cameras in early May for Warner Bros.

According to John Davis (“Predator”), who will produce “The Thing Called Love,” country music’s time at the movies has finally arrived. “Country music has a message that people want to hear right now, and I think that’s going to translate to the movies,” says Davis, who describes “The Thing Called Love” as a cross between “Nashville” and “Fame.” “I was overwhelmed at the kind of social craze that country music has begun. It’s phenomenally popular.”

Of course, there have been other films set in the world of country music: 1980’s “Urban Cowboy,” which starred John Travolta and Debra Winger, was a huge hit, as was the film’s soundtrack album. But “Honeysuckle Rose,” which was also released in 1980 and starred Willie Nelson as a country performer, was a disaster at the box office, although Nelson was riding a wave of popularity at the time. “Willie Nelson was popular with people over 50 when that movie came out,” says Davis. “There’s a different kind of demographics now. Look at the stars of country music. Most of them are young guys and young girls.”

As for Weintraub’s “Unwound,” the producer says: “The film that I conceived is a pure country musical.”

At the moment, there are 10 songs written into the script, which is the story of a country superstar--played by Strait--who wants to get back to his roots. According to Weintraub, he’s not doing this film because of the current popularity of country music. “I’ve been working on this with George for over a year,” he says. “It’s not because of the sudden awareness in the music. I’ve had this idea for a long time.”

But where “Unwound” will be a starring vehicle for the well-known Strait, Davis says, “The Thing Called Love” will not star a country performer. “This is not a movie vehicle for Garth Brooks or Clint Black,” he says, “although I do want to use established artists for some of the music. This movie is about young people going to Nashville and finding their dreams. It’s a real human story set in an exciting venue.”