Nothing So Strange To Microsoft As New Film

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is said to be perturbed by an upcoming movie that depicts his assassination.

Nothing So Strange, which premieres Jan. 13 at the Slamdance 2002 Film Festival in Park City, Utah, opens with the fictional assassination of Gates--played by professional Gates impersonator Steve Sires--at a charity event in Los Angeles. The film concerns the efforts of a citizens' activist group to uncover the truth about the killing. On the movie's official Web site (www.nothingsostrange.com), filmmaker Brian Flemming says he was inspired by the fallout from political assassinations in the 1960s, which altered the course of history.

The real Gates is reportedly none too pleased about the movie. According to reports, Microsoft has said Gates finds the movie's conceit "very disappointing." A Microsoft spokesman says the company is "disappointed that someone wanted to make a film like this.