It looks like things are moving ahead with the title fiasco on New Line Cinema's third installment of the Austin Powers franchise. During the recent premiere of the studio's hostage drama John Q, a publicist used the title License to Shag. Whether this is just a name being tossed around for the moment, or a potential working title for the upcoming release is yet to be determined. For now, the film is simply going by the name The Next Installment of Austin Powers.

Another Hitchcock remake in the works

The next Alfred Hitchcock classic to get the big screen retooling appears to be Strangers on a Train, the director's thriller from 1951. The screenwriter of Kevin Costner's film Dragonfly, David Seltzer, has said that he has already completed the new script for Warner Bros., and while no actors or directors are solidly attached to the project (names like David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh have already been bandied about for months), it is being developed as a big film for two A-list stars.

Jude Law may step into the shoes of the famous detective

Londoner Jude Law looks to be one of the top choices to play Sherlock Holmes in the long under development Sherlock Holmes and the Vengeance of Dracula, which appears to be gaining momentum with the renewed interest lately in Victorian-era thrillers (The Hughes Brothers' From Hell (2001) came out to decent success this past year, and other studios are working on remakes of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story, titled Diary of a Young London Physician, and the upper-crust action adventure The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Chris Columbus was one of the directors slated to tackle this new Holmes mystery, but after the huge success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and Warner Brothers' interest in making six more films in the series, it looks as thought his plate will be full for the next several years, at least. Interestingly, Law is also attached to star in Diary of a Young London Physician, and it will be interesting to see if this new adventure, blending the gothic horror of Dracula with the brilliant wit of Conan-Doyle's most famous detective, will eventually get off the ground and into production.

Robert Zemeckis to take on The Polar Express

One of the best loved children's classic books, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, is finally headed to the big screen under the guidance of director Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away (2000), What Lies Beneath (2000)). Tom Hanks has also been named as being attached to this new project in the past, so hopefully that same duo who told the captivating story of one man's life alone on an island for four years can reteam for this venture. The film will be heavy effects driven, much in the same vein of movies like Jumanji (1995), also based on a children's book.

Kristanna Loken cast as the new Terminator terror

The next big action film featuring Arnold's famous android has just added a new nemesis for him to face. Young actress Kristanna Loken, who has starred in television shows like Sliders, and Star Trek: Voyager, is set to square off against Schwarzenegger's T-800 as a new, ion-based Terminator who can manipulate other machines at will. The production for T3 is scheduled to take place entirely in Los Angeles, under the direction of U-571 helmer Jonathan Mostow, and is expected to be ready in time for release in the summer of 2003.

Guest and company to return in another hard-hitting mockumentary

"This one goes up to eleven..."

Christopher Guest (best known for his role as lead guitarist and owner of the famous "one louder" amp in Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap (1984)) will reteam with co-writer Eugene Levy and the rest of the team from recent mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000) for a new film - also done documentary style. The new project concerns an old 60's folk band reuniting after having disappeared in obscurity thirty years ago to put on a new concert at Carnegie Hall to honor a famous folk manager. In a move similar to his Spinal Tap roots, the new film will have original folk music written for the film and the actors will play their own music. Production is expected to begin sometime during the spring.

Paramount gears up for Lara Croft's next adventure

It looks as though Paramount is doing it's best to fulfill actress Angelina Jolie's desire to do a sequel to Tomb Raider (2001) only if the script is better than the first movie. The debut of Lara Croft's on screen adventures did well at the box office, but was generally panned by critics as being one of the worst films of 2001. The studio is getting ready to begin work on the next installment by having two high profile writers pen different versions of the sequel, and then take the superior script from there. England's Pinewood Studios have already been secured for shooting of Tomb Raider 2 after production on the next James Bond film is completed there, although a director and crew have yet to be hired on.

He'll be back...and back...and back...

One of the busier Hollywood A-list stars these days is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is currently doing the rounds promoting his new action flick Collateral Damage. According to the man himself, several big name sequels are getting ready to head into production - most notably the long awaited Terminator 3 project. The original cast members have signed on for the third installment in the franchise, with Arnie once again playing the cyborg assassin (with the rumor mill circulating that his character will swap sides between good and evil several times through the story due to a malfunction). The big question is - what happens after that? Sources claim that both True Lies 2 and another film in the Conan series will be in the works, with both scripts apparently written and waiting to happen. Of all the upcoming projects, Schwarzenegger recently annouced that one of these movies may not actually happen - he still has some stamina, but in the end, he's only human!

Boys Don't Cry director to tackle science fiction classic

Kimberly Peirce, the director who brought Hilary Swank to Oscar gold in her film Boys Don't Cry, is set to bring Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End to the big screen. The project follows in the vein of a long-expected classic that has been read by fans for 50 years like Peter Jackson's recent Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hollywood Reporter has said that no one has been brought on board to write the film as of yet (a screenplay was written once already by Clarke himself), but expect more news soon as this high-profile project moves forward!

Austin Powers may lose its next title

"All I wanted was a freakin' rotating title, okay...?"

Seems as though the third (and reportedly final) installment of the Austin Powers series has run into a major hiccup. New Line has recently been ordered to pull all of their promotional materials for the upcoming Austin Powers in Goldmember because of legal troubles in securing the rights to the name. MGM, who owns the rights to the James Bond franchise, has expressed anger over the use of characters and imagery from their Bond films Goldfinger (1964) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) in the story and posters for the new Powers adventure. The MPAA has ruled (for now) that New Line cannot use the title Goldmember - which is a crucial decision as it is also the name of a major character in the film and much of the scenes and storyline revolve around him. Round one has definitely gone to MGM - stay tuned to see what happens next in this interesting battle of super spies!

Madonna, Powers, and....Bond??

"Another spy for the Material Girl?"

The popular magazine US Weekly has reported that, in a quirky twist of fate, Madonna (who recorded the theme song for the second Austin Powers film, The Spy Who Shagged Me) may be up for doing the theme song for the next James Bond film. The story also reports that she may very well be making a cameo in the film as well. In more news involving the third Powers film, formerly titled Goldmember, there have been rumors circulating that the singer may go back and record another new song for this next installment. This would make it all the more ironic in not only recording music for the new Bond and his greatest spoof/tribute Powers, but performing the music for projects done by both MGM and New Line - two studios who are not exactly happy with one another at the moment.

Director Soderbergh considers The Informant

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Traffic (2000), Ocean's Eleven (2001)) will develop a project based on the book The Informant: A True Story through his Section Eight banner and possibly direct. Warner Bros. recently purchased the rights to the book for a high six figure deal, a story about executive Mark Whitacre who worked with the FBI for over two years to bring a case of price-fixing against Archer Daniels Midland (which eventually pled guilty in 1996). Soderbergh is currently working on a remake of the science fiction film Solaris.

Connery in a League of his own

Legendary actor Sean Connery will be returning to the big screen action in the adventure The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, based on the series of graphic novels by Alan Moore (From Hell (2001)). The story is sort of a Victorian era superhero film, as Queen Victoria secretly assembles the greatest heroes of her time, including Captain Nemo, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll, and explorer Allan Quartermain, to fight an evil villain who threatens the world. Connery has apparently signed on to play Quartermain, a role that was greeted with tepid enthusiasm in the 80's in the films King Solomon's Mines and Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold, starring Richard Chamberlain. Filming on the project begins in June in Prague, Iceland and Morocco.

Daredevil continues casting

Hollywood's hottest new project, the comic book adaptation Daredevil, continues to push forward with more casting news. In addition to Ben Affleck landing the lead role and Michael Clarke Duncan also being cast, it seems that writer/director/actor Jon Favreau (Made (2001), Swingers (1996)) is up for the part of Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock's (Daredevil's) law partner and best friend. The Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin is also rumored to have auditioned for the part. Daredevil is expected to begin shooting in the next few months under the direction of Mark Steven Johnson (Simon Birch (1998)).

Hudson getting Le Divorced?

No, don't get your hopes up, all you Almost Famous fans. Spunky actress Kate Hudson is still happily married to Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, but she may be heading to Paris in the near future. Fox Searchlight and producer Merchant Ivory are currently in the works on a film entitled Le Divorce, based on a novel by Diane Johnson, which is slated to go into production in France in September. Actors Hudson and Naomi Watts are currently in talks to star in the film, which follows the story of two Americans in Paris - one an ex-patriot and her stepsister who is visiting, after one of them drops out of film school. Hudson will next be seen in Shekhar Kapur's (Elizabeth (1998)) new film Four Feathers (2002).

Superman Lives....again?

Angels helmer to bring back the Man of Steel?

The latest rumblings on the ever on again/off again Superman project has just picked up some new life. Warner Brothers (whose last installment of the series came out 15 years ago) has now confirmed that Charlie's Angels director McG is on board to helm the new adventure. The new Superman film has continually tried to return to the big screen, but has encountered obstacles at every turn. First, Dogma writer/director Kevin Smith was hired on to write a draft of the script that then director Tim Burton flatly rejected. Burton was highly sought after to direct the new version of the film, with Nicolas Cage ready to put on the tights and do battle with the evil Brainiac (Kevin Spacey). That project eventually fell through, and all of the actors went their separate ways. But Warners has also made it known that they are essentially giving McG carte blanche to envision the project however he feels it's appropriate to do. While this opens up a whole world of opportunity, it's also news enough to make die hard Superman fans squirm in their seats.

Director Guillermo Del Toro looks to The Wind in the Willows

Filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, noted for his dark, gothic approach to filmmaking, has surprised many by announcing his interest in creating a live action/CG animated version of The Wind in the Willows, which has been done before by both Disney and former Monty Python member Terry Jones, in a British version which came to be known in America under it's Mouse House moniker, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996). While that version was essentially cut together badly and released under the terrible name for American audiences, Del Toro's version will aim more to bring the feeling of Kenneth Grahame's literary classic to life. The director recently released the creepy film The Devil's Backbone and his next installment of the Blade series hits theaters March 22nd.

Edward Burns gains Confidence

Actor Edward Burns' next project will be the crime thriller Confidence, which is preparing to go into production in April under the direction of James Foley (The Corruptor (1999), The Chamber (1996)). The story is about a con man (Burns) who unwittingly swindles money from a guy with connections to the mob. When he offers to do a job in order to repay the debt, the con artist tries to keep one step ahead of the men he's trying to make it up to. Burns will next appear with Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood in the drama Ash Wednesday.

Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly may see CG life

The classic sci-fi novel from Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly, has been picked up by Warner Bros. for a six figure deal to bring the trippy classic to the big screen under Steven Soderbergh's (Traffic (2000), Erin Brockovich (2000)) Section Eight production company. At this stage, the plan is to approach the film as a CG animated movie, instead of a live action flick. The project has been looked at, and passed on, before - most notably by visual filmmaker Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys (1996), Brazil (1995)), who many thought had the surreal chops to pull Scanner off, but who ultimately couldn't get his mind around his work on a screenplay that would do justice to the story.

Sheen to join Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can

Actor Martin Sheen, currently enjoying huge success on NBC's The West Wing, has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg's next adventure, Catch Me If You Can. Leonardo Di Caprio has already been signed on for the lead in the true story of fugitive Frank Abagnale Jr., who eluded the FBI for years before finally getting caught, and who since went on to work for the Bureau. Abagnale posed as many identities before he was captured, including a doctor and an airline pilot, all before he turned 18. He was the most successful bank robber in United States' history, and was the youngest man ever to be put on the FBI's ten most wanted list. Dreamworks is producing the picture, based on Abagnale's book, which will also star Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken.