DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 71

VAN HELSINGSome pictures from the set of director Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsingmonster movie have been released, showing stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men) andKate Beckinsale (Underworld). (see right)

The movie has the infamous vampire-hunter Van Helsing summoned to adistant Eastern European country on a quest to vanquish evil – namelyDracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster!

ALIEN 5’Bloody Disgusting’ reports that following the success of the Alienre-release in cinemas this Halloween, ‘Fox’ are now seriouslyconsidering making a fifth and final Alien movie. Rumour has it thatSigourney Weaver has already agreed to star if her character is killedat the end of the movie – for good this time! BATMAN 5’Sky News’ reports that Clint Eastwood is being wooed by directorChristopher Nolan (Memento) to star as Gotham City’s mayor in the fifthBatman movie. Clint is apparently happy with the offer as it would allowhim “to show a lighter side to my character in my later years.”

So, if all goes to plan, Batman 5 could have an impressively talentedcast: Christian Bale and Michael Caine confirmed as Batman and Alfred,with John Malkovich and Christopher Ecclestone as potential villains.

BROTHERS GRIMMThe first picture of Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Revolutions) has beenreleased. (see right) The movie concerns The Brothers Grimm -reinterpreted as travelling con artists who perform bogus exorcisms andpretend to protect people from enchanted creatures until they encountera real magical curse in a haunted forest. Bellucci will portray theforest’s ruler, a woman who has found eternal life but not eternalbeauty. She turns to the forest in order to procure the young virginswhose blood she needs to stay youthful. KING KONGAt The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King premiere in Wellington,New Zealand, director Peter Jackson talked about his next big project,King Kong, which he is currently writing with Fran Walsh and PhilippaBoyens.

Actress Naomi Watts (The Ring) is already tipped to star as female leadAnn Darrow, and there are growing rumours that a number of Lord Of TheRings actors could land roles. But Jackson has now said that: “we don’treally know who’s going to be in King Kong yet. Whether it’s King Kongor films in the next 10 or 20 years, I’m hoping that I’m going to be andI’m actually fully intending to try to work with all these people againbecause they’ve just been so fantastic.”

Jackson has confirmed that he will spend much of January working onpre-production for King Kong, and hopefully start shooting in August2004.

Jackson said: “I’m interested in [King] Kong being quite stylised andthe jungles of Skull Island I want to be very over-the-top, like ajungle from hell. I imagine we are going to be more successful pullingthat off in the studio or in a back lot than we are trying to find abeech forest in the South Island. There would be some location shootingfor scenes on beaches or in boats, “but I’m not imagining a hugeamount.”

In related news, Lord Of The Rings executive producer Mark Ordeskyhinted that there could be a movie based on J.R.R Tolkien’s earliernovel The Hobbit, saying: “there could be a movie about The Hobbit.Enough said.”

Jackson himself said that ‘New Line Cinema’ hasn’t spoken to him aboutdirecting The Hobbit because of difficulties acquiring the rights to thebook, but that “but certainly if they want to talk to me about it I’d bekeen. It would be wonderful to complete the set of films.”

CATWOMANHalle Berry’s catsuit (actually an aborted version) caused a lot ofpanic amongst fans of Catwoman when it was released on the ‘net a fewweeks ago. But now some better images from the movie are filteringthrough, including this one (see right). CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORYDirector Tim Burton talked to the ‘Chicago Sun-Times’ about his upcomingCharlie & The Chocolate Factory movie, in which Johnny Depp will playWilly Wonka.

In the interview Burton revealed his thoughts on the original moviestarring Gene Wilder, saying: “Well, I don’t want to crush people’schildhood dreams, but the original film is sappy. It’s sappy when itshouldn’t be sappy and it’s weird. Let’s just say it’s not one of mypersonal favourites. I’d rate Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang much higher.”

“I responded to the children’s book because it respected that childrencan be adults, and I think adults forget that. There can be darkness andsort of foreboding. Very sinister things are very much a part ofchildhood. I like that sort of humour and emotion put together.”

And why choose Depp as Wonka? “I just like working with him. He’s alwayssurprising and fun.”

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

• 1. The Cat in the Hat ($24.4m)
• 2. The Haunted Mansion ($24.2m)
• 3. Elf ($21.6m)
• 4. Gothika ($12.8m)
• 5. Bad Santa ($12.2m)
• 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ($12.0m)
• 7. The Missing ($10.6m)
• 8. Timeline ($8.4m)
• 9. Love Actually ($8.2m)
• 10. Brother Bear ($4.8m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

• 1. Love Actually (£4.66m)
• 2. Elf (£4.53m)
• 3. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (£1.84m)
• 4. The Matrix Revolutions (£0.63m)
• 5. Finding Nemo (£0.49m)
• 6. Kal Ho Naa Ho (£0.43m)
• 7. Seabiscuit (£0.14m)
• 8. Kill Bill: Vol.1 (£0.126m)
• 9. Intermission (£0.120m)
• 10. Spin the Bottle (£0.09m)

Note that these are UK release dates.