HOLLYWOOD -- Now that "JFK," Oliver Stone's take on the Kennedy assassination, is on its way to theater next month, what's left for socially conscious filmmakers looking for conspiracies to unravel? Now there's the "October Surprise" -- the dark tale of political intrigue that suggests President Bush and the late William Casey were involved in a plot to delay the release of U.S. hostages held in Iran until after the 1980 presidential election. The controversial subject has already spawned books and could be headed for the big screen.

In addition to Columbia Pictures and Jon Peters' acquisition this week of former National Security Council specialist Gary Sick's just-published "October Surprise, America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan," writer-director Andy Davis ("Above the Law") is developing an "October Surprise" project to possibly star Steven Seagal. In addition, Stone is reportedly developing a "Surprise" film.