Hollywood high rollers bet ‘Kong’ will be ‘King’
Hollywood high rollers are betting that “Kong” will be “King” at the box office during the fall film season. No doubt maximum excitement surrounds director Peter Jackson’s digital remake of “King Kong,” but plenty of other films will also be roaring on screens between now and Dec. 25.
A freedom fighter will return in “The Legend of Zorro” with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones; a couple’s affair will turn deadly in “Derailed” with Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen; a Marine Corps recruit will experience the horror of war in “Jarhead” with Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal;
In addition, a family epic will arrive with “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” with Tilda Swinton; the cast of a Broadway show will make beautiful music in “Rent” with Rosario Dawson and Taye Diggs; a teenage wizard will discover romance in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” with Daniel Radcliffe; a theatrical smash will hit via “The Producers” starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick; and a lethal anime hero will emerge in “Aeon Flux” with Charlize Theron.
Here’s a look at the motion pictures coming soon to a theater near you (with all dates subject to change) during the fall film season:
Sept. 9
– “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” with Laura Linney (“You Can Count on Me”) and Campbell Scott (“Dying Young”) in a fact-based tale, rated PG-13, about a 19-year-old college girl who the Catholic church said was possessed by the devil.
– “The Man,” with Samuel L. Jackson (“Coach Carter”) and Eugene Levy (“Bringing Down the House”) in a PG-13 comedy about an undercover federal agent who forces a meek dental supply salesman to work with him in a dangerous Detroit sting operation to catch some killers.
– “An Unfinished Life,” with Jennifer Lopez (“Monster-in-Law”), Robert Redford (“The Horse Whisperer”) and Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) in a PG-13 melodrama about a single mother who goes to live with her estranged father-in-law, a retired Wyoming rancher who blames the woman for the accidental death of his son a decade ago.
Sept. 16
– “Alien Love Triangle,” with Kenneth Branagh (“Hamlet”), Courteney Cox Arquette (TV’s “Friends”) and Heather Graham (“Boogie Nights”) in a sci-fi comedy about a man who learns that his wife is a male extraterrestrial and will soon be headed back to outer space.
– “Just Like Heaven,” with Reese Witherspoon (“Sweet Home Alabama”) and Mark Ruffalo (“13 Going on 30”) in a supernatural romantic comedy about a man who falls in love with the spirit of a comatose woman.
– “The Libertine,” with Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) in a tale about a 17th-century poet whose obsession with sex shocks the royal family.
– “Lord of War,” with Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) in a melodrama about a former resident of the Ukraine who moves to America and becomes an arms dealer who ignores the thousands of deaths caused by his weapons business.
– “Proof,” with Gwyneth Paltrow (“Sylvia”), Anthony Hopkins (“Hannibal”) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Donnie Darko”) in an adaptation of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a daughter emotionally devastated by the death of her father, a brilliant but mentally troubled mathematician.
– “The Thing About My Folks,” with Paul Reiser (TV’s “Mad About You”), Peter Falk (TV’s “Columbo”) and Olympia Dukakis (“Moonstruck”) in a slice-of-life tale about a middle-aged son comforting his father when his mother decides to leave after more than four decades of marriage.
Sept. 23
– “Cry Wolf,” with rocker-turned-actor Jon Bon Jovi (“Vampires: Los Muertos”) in a thriller about some high school kids who spread an Internet rumor that a serial killer is on the loose. Soon after bodies start piling up.
– “Flightplan,” with Jodie Foster (“The Silence of the Lambs”) in a thriller about a mother whose daughter disappears on a jumbo jet during a lengthy flight.
– “A History of Violence,” with Viggo Mortensen (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) in director David Cronenberg’s adaptation of the graphic novel about a former criminal who tries to hide from the past by working in a remote town and finds his family in danger when old enemies discover his whereabouts.
– “Roll Bounce,” with rapper-turned-actor Bow Wow in a 1970s’-set comedy drama about a roller-boogie enthusiast emotionally connecting with his widowed father.
– “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride,” with the voices of Johnny Depp (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and Helena Bonham Carter (“Fight Club”) in a stop-motion animation project – a la “The Nightmare Before Christmas” – about a young man who mistakenly becomes engaged to a young woman’s skeletal ghost.
Sept. 30
– “Capote,” with Philip Seymour Hoffman (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”) in a biography of writer Truman Capote during the time he was creating “In Cold Blood,” his acclaimed nonfiction novel about two murderers.
– “Everything Is Illuminated,” with Elijah Wood (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) in a heartfelt drama about a young Jewish man who travels to the Ukraine to find a woman he believes helped his grandfather to escape from the Nazis and make it to America.
– “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” with Shia LaBeouf (“Holes”) in a fact-based tale about how a 20-year-old nonprofessional golfer won the 1913 U.S. Open.
– “Into the Blue,” with Jessica Alba (“Fantastic Four”) and Paul Walker (“The Fast and the Furious”) in a thriller about a diver stalked by a drug lord after she finds a sunken airplane full of cocaine.
– “MirrorMask,” with Stephanie Leonidas in a tale written by Neil Gaiman (“Sandman” graphic novel series) about a young girl trapped in a fantasy world.
– “Oliver Twist,” with Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi”) in director Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about orphan boys seeking food, shelter and love.
– “Serenity,” with the cast of Joss Weldon’s TV fantasy series “Firefly,” which the Fox Network cancelled after a few episodes, in a big-screen version that has the characters challenging powerful oppressors in a galaxy far, far away.
Oct. 7
– “Good Night, and Good Luck,” with David Strathairn (“Limbo”) in a drama showing how CBS’ newsman Edward R. Murrow challenged hateful Senator Joe McCarthy during the witch-hunt known as the Red Scare.
– “A Good Woman,” with Helen Hunt (“As Good As It Gets”) and Scarlett Johansson (“The Island”) in a romantic comedy about a mature woman who’s wrongly suspected of trying to seduce the husband of a young lady.
– “The Gospel,” with Clifton Powell (“Ray”) in a drama about a singer who loses his faith and years later must return home to save his father’s church from being taken over by a money-driven outsider.
– “In Her Shoes,” with Cameron Diaz (“There’s Something About Mary”) and Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”) in director Curtis Hanson’s charming adaptation of Jennifer Weiner’s novel about two very different sisters whose love/hate relationship forms the most important aspect of their lives.
– “Two for the Money,” with Matthew McConaughey (“Sahara”) and Al Pacino (“Scarface”) in a melodrama about an injured former college football star teaming up with a bookie who specializes in sports gambling.
– “Waiting…,” with Ryan Reynolds (“Blade: Trinity”) and Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) in a comedy concerning food servers who get even with mean-spirited restaurant customers.
– “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” with the voices of Helena Bonham Carter (“Planet of the Apes”) and Ralph Fiennes (“The Constant Gardener”) in a full-length Claymation movie in which the title characters start a humane pest-control business that turns deadly thanks to some unwanted tampering.
Oct. 14
– “Domino,” with Keira Knightley (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) in a fact-based action thriller about a former model who becomes a bounty hunter.
– “Elizabethtown,” with Orlando Bloom (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) and Kirsten Dunst (“Spider-Man”) in director Cameron Crowe’s comedy drama about a struggling young businessman who connects romantically with a flight attendant en route to his father’s funeral.
– “The Fog,” with Selma Blair (“Hellboy”) in a remake of director John Carpenter’s ghost story about the spirits of decaying pirates seeking human lives in a California coastal town.
– “Nine Lives,” with Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds”) and Glenn Close (TV’s “The Shield”) as a daughter and mother in an ensemble picture about relationship dynamics.
– “North Country,” with Charlize Theron (“Monster”) and Frances McDormand (“Fargo”) in a drama about a woman who works as a miner and files a sexual harassment suit due to her mistreatment.
– “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio,” with Julianne Moore (“The Hours”) in a fact-based story about a 1950s housewife who earned money to support her 10 children by writing advertising jingles.
– “Where the Truth Lies,” with Kevin Bacon (“Apollo 13”) and Colin Firth (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) as nightclub performers whose partnership shatters when the body of a dead woman is discovered in their hotel room.
Oct. 21
– “Derailed,” with Jennifer Aniston (TV’s “Friends”) and Clive Owen (“Sin City”) in a romantic thriller about two married people who begin an affair and then find themselves being blackmailed by dangerous criminals.
– “Doom,” with The Rock (“Walking Tall”) in a violent tale that’s adapted from the action-packed video game and set at a Mars space station where a deadly demonic force is unleashed during secret experiments.
– “Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story,” with Kurt Russell (“Sky High”) and Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds”) in a family tale about a horse trainer who teaches his young daughter how to ride as a jockey after she helps an injured racehorse to recover.
– “Stay,” with Ewan McGregor (“The Island”), Naomi Watts (“The Ring”) and Ryan Gosling (“The Notebook”) in a psychological thriller about a psychiatrist who suffers mental problems after treating a suicidal patient.
Oct. 28
– “The Legend of Zorro,” with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones returning in a sequel that has the sword-wielding vigilante putting his mask back on after a villain (Rufus Sewell of “Dark City”) plots to ruin California’s chances for statehood.
– “Prime,” with Meryl Streep (HBO’s “Angels in America”) and Uma Thurman (“Kill Bill, Vol. 1”) in a melodrama about a therapist treating her son’s troubled girlfriend.
– “Saw II,” with Donnie Wahlberg (“The Sixth Sense”) in a sequel in which the killer from the original traps victims in a house filled with deadly traps.
– “Shopgirl,” with Steve Martin (“Father of the Bride”), Claire Danes (“Terminator 3”) and Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore”) in a drama about a retail salesgirl who becomes involved with a wealthy divorced man. Martin also wrote the script, which is based on his best-selling novella.
– “The Weather Man,” with Nicolas Cage (“National Treasure”) and Hope Davis (“About Schmidt”) in director Gore Verbinski’s comedy drama about a Chicago weather forecaster going through middle-age craziness and losing emotional connections to all those who are important to him.
Nov. 4
– “Chicken Little,” with the voices of Zach Braff (“Garden State”) and Joan Cusack (“Working Girl”) in a computer-generated Walt Disney picture about a tiny creature whose paranoid reactions to ordinary events cause a panic in his town.
– “The Family Stone,” with Sarah Jessica Parker (HBO’s “Sex and the City”) and Luke Wilson (“Rushmore”) in a romantic comedy about a guy who brings his rigid girlfriend to his family’s home for Christmas with plans to get engaged.
– “Jarhead,” with Jamie Foxx (“Ray”) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“The Day After Tomorrow”) in a military drama that follows some Marine Corps volunteers from their basic training into frontlines combat during the Gulf War.
– “The Matador,” with Pierce Brosnan (“GoldenEye”) and Greg Kinnear (“As Good As It Gets”) in a thriller about a veteran hit man who decides to reveal his trade secrets to a young shooter.
– “The White Countess,” with Ralph Fiennes (“Schindler’s List”) and Natasha Richardson (“Asylum”) in a drama about a Russian woman who becomes a prostitute in Shanghai to support her family and captures the romantic interest of a blind diplomat.
Nov. 9
– “The New World,” with Colin Farrell (“Alexander”) and Christian Bale (“Batman Begins”) in an adventure epic, directed by Terrence Malick (“The Thin Red Line”), about the relationship between settler John Smith and Indian princess Pocahontas.
Nov. 11
– “Bee Season,” with Richard Gere (“Chicago”) and Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient”) in a story of a little girl who credits her success as a spelling-bee champion to Jewish mysticism.
– “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” with hip-hop artist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”) in an urban drama about an orphaned street kid who must sell drugs to survive and eventually develops his artistic skills as a rapper.
– “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” with Robert Downey Jr. (“Gothika”) and Val Kilmer (“Spartan”) in an action comedy about a former thief who seeks to break into the movies by learning some tricks from a gay private eye.
– “Zathura,” with Tim Robbins (“War of the Worlds”) in a family film, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, about a children’s game that suddenly becomes real.
Nov. 18
– “Breakfast on Pluto,” with Cillian Murphy (“Batman Begins”) in a tale about an orphan who runs away from the small Irish town where he was raised to become a London drag queen.
– “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Robbie Coltrane returning in a new installment of the J.K. Rowling book series in which the title character deals with romantic twinges, fixed tournaments and deadly dragons.
– “Pride & Prejudice,” with Keira Knightley (“King Arthur”) in a new version of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel about romance and the class system.
– “Walk the Line,” with Joaquin Phoenix (“Signs”) and Reese Witherspoon (“Legally Blonde”) in a musical biography about the relationship between Johnny Cash and June Carter.
– “Wolf Creek,” with John Jarratt in a low-budget Australian chiller about some friends being stalked by a madman during an ill-fated trip through the outback.
Nov. 23
– “Ice Harvest,” with John Cusack (“Must Love Dogs”), Billy Bob Thornton (“Bad News Bears”) and Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”) in a dark thriller about a sleazy lawyer who swindles a crime boss out of money and then faces his violent wrath.
– “Rent,” with Rosario Dawson (“Alexander”) and Taye Diggs (“How Stella Got Her Groove Back”) in an adaptation of the late Jonathan Larson’s musical about life, love and relationships in Greenwich Village during the 1990s.
– “Syriana,” with George Clooney (“Ocean’s Twelve”) and Matt Damon (“The Bourne Supremacy”) in a political thriller about a CIA operative who investigates terrorism around the world and then sees his warnings about imminent dangers discarded due to politics and budget cuts.
– “Yours, Mine & Ours,” with Dennis Quaid (“The Day After Tomorrow”) and Rene Russo (“Lethal Weapon 3”) in a remake of the 1968 comedy about two single parents who decide to wed and then discover that the 18 children they have between them are plotting to sabotage the marriage.
Dec. 2
– “Aeon Flux,” with Charlize Theron (“Reindeer Games”) in a futuristic thriller based on the Japanese manga about an underground operative who declares war on the leaders of a totalitarian regime.
Dec. 9
– “Brokeback Mountain,” with Heath Ledger (“The Lords of Dogtown”) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“October Sky”) in director Ang Lee’s gay romance about two ranch hands who fall for each other while herding sheep through the mountains.
– “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” with Tilda Swinton (“Constantine”) in the highly anticipated adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ classics about some children entering a strange fantasy world.
– “Memoirs of a Geisha,” with Ziyi Zhang (“The House of Flying Daggers”) and Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai”) in a drama, directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”), about a young woman whose love for a businessman causes her to become his geisha.
Dec. 14
– “King Kong,” with Naomi Watts (“The Ring”), Jack Black (“School of Rock”) and Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”) in director Peter Jackson’s megabudget digital remake of the great-ape classic.
Dec. 16
– “All the King’s Men,” with Sean Penn (“Mystic River”), Jude Law (“Alfie”) and Kate Winslet (“Titanic”) in a remake of the 1949 film about a politician using any means necessary to win an election.
Dec. 21
– “Fun With Dick and Jane,” with Jim Carrey (“Bruce Almighty”) and Tea Leoni (“Bad Boys”) in a remake of the 1977 comedy about a successful couple who become bank robbers after losing their jobs.
– “The Producers,” with Broadway favorites Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick joined by Uma Thurman (“Pulp Fiction”) and Will Ferrell (“Old School”) in the highly anticipated screen adaptation of Mel Brooks’ musical smash that was based on his movie of the same name with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.
Dec. 23
– “Munich,” with Clive Owen (“Sin City”) in director Steven Spielberg’s drama about Israeli operatives dispatched to terminate the Palestinians responsible for the 1972 Olympics massacre.
Dec. 25
– “Casanova,” with Heath Ledger (“Ned Kelly”) and Sienna Miller (“Alfie”) in director Lasse Hallstrom’s lighthearted look at the famous lover.
– “Match Point,” with Scarlett Johansson (“Lost in Translation”) in a Woody Allen drama about two couples linked by a tennis pro and romantically drawn to each other.
– “Rumor Has It,” with Kevin Costner (“The Upside of Anger”), Jennifer Aniston (“Bruce Almighty”) and Shirley MacLaine (“Bewitched”) in a comedy drama about a man who has sexual relations with women from the same family.
References cited for this report include Premiere, Boxoffice magazine, the Film Journal International, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Movie Marketplace and the Internet Movie Database.