MOVIES - April 7, 1993

Upper Bracket: Joe Eszterhas reportedly was to receive about $3 million for his script to last year’s sexual thriller “Basic Instinct.” Now Hollywood is talking about the possibility of his toppling that record sum for a screenplay by agreeing to write “Gangland” for a reported figure as high as $3.4 million. The film, based on the story of John Gotti and the Gambino organized crime family, is to be produced by Jon Peters for Columbia Pictures, the studio confirmed Tuesday. But a source close to the project disputed the Eszterhas fee, saying it was only in the $2-million range--still very high by screenplay standards.