BRETT RATNER - RATNER'S CASH WOES?

Moviemaker BRETT RATNER is demanding a $10 million (GBP5 million) fee to direct a movie after "running low" on money, according to reports. The director made a reported $ 7 million (GBP3.5million) for his work on Rush Hour 3 movie. But a source tells New York gossip column PageSix, "Brett got $7 million upfront for the movie, but if it had done as well as Rush Hour 2, he would have gotten another $10 million off the back end. "He got $5 million (GBP2.5 million) to direct The X-Men: The Last Stand but didn't see anything on the back end because it barely broke even. He's now trying to command a fee of $10 million upfront to direct a movie which is out of range for a lot of projects. His cash is running a bit low." But a representative for Ratner refuted the claims, adding, "That is ridiculous. Brett has a two-picture deal with Imagine and a third at New Line."