Many of you may be familiar with the famous Irish drinking toast that ends: “Before the devil knows you’re dead.” But you may not know that there are two movies currently in production with the title. One, a thriller, set to be released in 2007, stars Seymour Hoffman, Albert Finney, and Ethan Hawke, and is directed by Sidney Lumet, the other starring James Gandolfini, James Mulroney, and Michele Hicks is a gritty crime drama. Neither of these is to be confused with the 2005 movie, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead that starred Amanda Peet, Christian Slater, Sean Astin, and Patricia Arquette. Only one of these, the Gandolfini movie is based on Michael Ledwidge’s best selling book with the same title about a cop on the run. Confusing. Sure. Synchronicity? I don’t think so. Writers know that titles aren’t subject to copyright so it isn’t uncommon to find books, and movies with the same name. Invisible Man by H.G. Wells and Ralph Ellison, Plan of Attack, by Bob Woodard and also by Dale Brown, The Island, by Peter Benchley, Gary Paulson, and others. In movies, well, where do you start? There are over 118 movies for instance that start with Once Upon a Time in the title. Titles come and go when movies are in production, Die Hard 4 became Die Hard: Reset, The gorey Eaters of the Dead became The 13th Warrior. Movies sometimes changes names several times. Steven Soderbergh’s ill-fated follow up the Sex Lies, and Vidotape, titled, How to Survive a Hotel Room Fire was changed to The Art of Negotiating a Turn following the events of 9/11. The low budget film with David Duchovny and Julia Roberts finally ended up as Full Frontal.