Source: Redford to visit Penn soon

The actor-director has signed a letter of intent to open a theater here. Actor-director-producer Robert Redford, whose nascent movie-theater chain Sundance Cinemas is in late-stage negotiations with the University to open a site on campus, will visit Penn late next week or early the following week, according to a person with knowledge of the trip. The purpose of Redford's visit was not immediately available, and the plans could change, the source said. The most likely reasons for the visit are a second inspection of the proposed site in the Hamilton Village shopping center at 40th and Walnut streets, or a press conference officially announcing that a deal has been signed. The visit is shrouded in secrecy. Creative Artists Agency in California and the office of New York-based publicist Lois Smith, who both represent Redford, declined to either confirm or deny Redford's impending visit, as did officials at Boston-based General Cinemas, Redford's partner in the chain. University spokesperson Ken Wildes and Tom Lussenhop, Penn's top real estate official, also refused to comment. In July, Sundance Cinemas signed a non-binding letter of intent with the University to bring a theater to Penn. The movie chain and the University are still negotiating the lease, but Lussenhop said earlier this month that he "fully expects" Sundance to come to campus. The theater would be among the first for the company, which grew out of Redford's popular Sundance Institute and is dedicated to screening independent, foreign and specialty films. The institute also operates the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, a well-known launching pad for independent filmmakers. The chain has yet to construct any theaters. University administrators hope that the first one will open on Penn's campus. Redford, 61, is one of Hollywood's most revered and influential figures. His stellar resume includes roles in The Sting, All the President's Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as an Oscar-winning turn as director of 1980's Ordinary People. He visited campus about five months ago to scout the site. According to Wildes, Redford is "very interested in the University's efforts at revitalizing West Philadelphia." The Sundance Cinemas will primarily occupy the space in the Hamilton Village shopping center where United Artists Eric 3 operated until 1994, Lussenhop has said. In addition, a "major element" of the theater will occupy the corner of the shopping center at 40th and Walnut streets where Burger King currently operates, Lussenhop said earlier in the month. The movie theater will have multiple screening rooms, a bar and a food program, according to Lussenhop. Administrators hope the addition of the movie theater, as well as the construction of a specialty food market and parking garage on the northwest corner of 40th and Walnut streets, will make 40th Street a vibrant attraction for all University City residents.

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