Captain Travolta won't be in 'Mr. 3000'

SINGAPORE, July 20 (UPI) -- John Travolta will not star as a retired professional baseball player in the planned "Mr. 3000" movie. The Hollywood actor is too busy indulging another of his loves, flying, and isn't ready to commit to any script immediately.

Travolta is currently "starring" as an ambassador-at-large for Australian airline Qantas, and has embarked on a worldwide tour of 13 cities to promote a "get back into the skies" campaign in the wake of Sept. 11, as well as build brand awareness for the flying kangaroo.

The dubbed "Spirit of Friendship" tour started in Los Angeles on July 1, and is expected to conclude at the end of August.

Looking svelte and relaxed while on a 3-day stop in Singapore, Travolta told reporters "Mr. 3000" will not be his next movie. "I have a choice of 5 movies when I get back, but I haven't decided...This is a dream for me, going around the world in a captain's uniform...so I'm indulging. They (producers) want me to commit within the next two weeks, but I'm enjoying myself."

Travolta is flying his own ex-Qantas Boeing 707 jet, which he purchased 4 years ago and has been specially painted in its original Qantas 1960s branding for the tour.

Surprisingly, it is Travolta who approached the airline offering to become an official spokesman after spending some time at Qantas hangars in Australia while promoting his movie, "Swordfish." The aviation fanatic, who has even named his son Jett, has been flying for 33 years, using his first movie earnings to pay for flying lessons. Today, he holds 3 pilot licenses, and spends 2 months every spring to go back to school to renew them.

"My purpose is to get people excited about flying with all the airlines, as I see the industry as global," the 48-year old actor said, decked out in a blue Qantas pilot's uniform.

Travolta said flying and movie-making hold an equal share of his heart. "I don't think I could live without either...Both jobs are challenging...I view flying very extroverting, and acting is very introverting," he adds.

Travolta's next movie offering, "Basic," will hit the screens in January, the actor said. Teaming up again with Samuel L. Jackson -- both starred in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 hit "Pulp Fiction" -- Travolta plays a Drug Enforcement Agency officer investigating the mysterious disappearance of a famed U.S. Army drill instructor (Jackson) and a group of cadets.

But his relationship with Qantas will continue as he and the airline have other projects in mind.