Freeman Turns to Crimes for Judd

September 22, 2000 -- Though in-demand star Ashley Judd opted out of the prequel to her 1997 breakout hit Kiss the Girls, she is anxious to reunite with Girls co-star Morgan Freeman — so much so that she's specifically asked the buttery-voiced actor to join her on the set of her newest film, High Crimes.

Freeman, currently starring as a hit man in Nurse Betty, said yes. According to USA Today, he and Judd portray lawyers defending Judd's husband, a military man accused of murder.

"Any team that works once would work twice — or more," Freeman said of the reteaming. Too bad, then, that Freeman had to go it alone for Along Came a Spider, another film in the Kiss the Girls franchise, written by James Patterson. Instead of Judd, the movie will star Monica Potter (Patch Adams, Con Air) as a Secret Service agent tracking serial killer "Casanova."

Along Came a Spider doesn't seem to have the $60 million potential of its predecessor — Paramount recently bumped the thriller from Sept. 29 to a 2001 release date.