ROBBINS OR THORNTON AS LBJ? : MEANWHILE.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

?6

Rob Reiner will direct the film version of the Robert Caro tome ``Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson'' - but not for a while. That's the word from producer Fred Zollo, who had hoped to have ``Johnson'' in production by this time, but now explains that Reiner will be making another movie first. If Zollo gets his way, it will be either Tim Robbins or Billy Bob Thornton playing the title role in the drama focusing on LBJ at age 40, when, as the filmmaker puts it, ``He stole the 1948 Senate election and within three years was the country's second most powerful man - some would say the most powerful - as the Senate majority leader.''

Zollo and director Mark Rydell have been in Boston this week, huddling with playwright David Mamet over Mamet's Meyer Lansky project that Rydell will helm for HBO. ``Ironically,'' says Zollo, ``Mark played Lansky in the movie `Havana,' and actually knew the mobster - he dated Lansky's daughter.'' Fred describes the biopic as ``quite possibly HBO's most ambitious ever. It will cover Lansky from his birth to his death - and he managed to lead a very long life.'' Right now they're trying to decide, he says, ``if we should get someone like Sean Penn and age him as the story goes along, or have more than one Lansky - maybe as many as five.''

Love ... exciting and new

Leslie Nielsen, due to wrap the big-screen ``Mr. Magoo'' next week, has been busy perusing drafts of the script for the big-screen ``Love Boat'' between camera calls. Director Savage Steve Holland also has been conferring with Nielsen about the project, in which Leslie is expected to star as the ``Boat'' captain, though nothing's been signed as yet. The movie ship is unlikely to leave port until early next year. Busy Nielsen's due to begin work on ``Wrongfully Accused'' in mid-August, and by the time he's done, it'll be about time to begin promoting ``Magoo.''

Philatelic flair

So nice that the U.S. Postal Service is honoring some of Hollywood's brightest lights with stamps. It gives us another reason to have a fabulous premiere. Yes, come July 31, the post office is issuing its Humphrey Bogart commemorative stamp - and there'll be a big to-do to go with it at Mann's Chinese. Lauren Bacall and the Bogart offspring will be on hand for the festivities, which will involve the closing of Hollywood Boulevard, sweetheart.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1)

Leslie Nielsen@

May board ``Love Boat''

(2)

Rob Reiner@

Directing Johnson bio