 Martin Scorsese (qv) set up a deal with 20th Century Fox to write  the screenplay with Jay Cocks (qv). Fox attached a budget of $32  million to the project. Before anything came of it, however, Fox  head Joe Roth told Scorsese that he would be first in line to see  the picture, he just couldnt finance it. Universal then stepped in,  although they were not prepared to spend any more than $30 million.  Finally Mark Canton (qv) of Columbia 