ALIEN VS PREDATOR

HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Cuaron told 'The Associated Press' that some themes in the third film are similar to how the cast is growing into their teens: "Harry goes through a journey where he realizes that demons aren't just things that go bump in the night, but also can be painful emotions, worries about family, friends, the future, the monsters that lie within. And that's a classic teenage issue."

Cuaron added that he's also trying to make the film more contemporary with the characters wearing modern clothes under their school cloaks, following the intent of author J.K. Rowling.

Meanwhile, Mike Newell told 'The Sunday Mail' about his upcoming fourth movie, saying: "I think of myself as being really lucky. I'm going to make the most expensive film there has ever been. These things are not like ordinary films they are world events. I have millions of 10-year-olds who must not be disappointed. Making Harry Potter is like being President of Brazil. It is a colossal undertaking."

Newell added that finding an 8-foot tall Frenchwoman to play Hagrid's love interest, Madame Maxime, is giving him a major headache. "We are casting right now. I've been in Paris, looking for giant women and French schoolgirls."

THE HOBBIT

'New Line' co-chairman, Bob Shaye, has said "there's a reasonable possibility that we can negotiate an arrangement."

So, until this happens The Hobbit on the big-screen remains a cherished fan's wish. Interestingly, 'New Line' also has the rights to produce original prequels and sequels to The Lord Of The Rings - not based on any of J.R.R Tolkien's novels!

SON OF THE MASK

THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Well, it appears actor Sean Astin (Lord Of The Rings' Sam) is hoping he can persuade the studio to let him take control. Astin directed the short-movie The Long & Short Of It for The Two Towers' DVD, and would plan to have George Clooney as Reed Richards and Orlando Bloom as The Human Torch.

Van Helsing - Trailer 1

A music biopic?
No, that's Van Halen, stupid. Van Helsing's the infamous vampire slayer from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Ah, Peter Cushing territory.
Correct. But for contemporary audiences, Cushing's debonair blood-sucker dispatcher has been updated in the guise of Hugh Jackman's hard-assed version.

Hugh Jackman of Wolverine mullet-chops infamy?
Yes, the X-Men star is hoping to branch out from his Wolverine role by playing a similarly hard-edged character. Well, it's a step-up from donning tights in Kate & Leopold, anyway! Van Helsing should, at the very least, establish Jackman as one of THE action stars of the future.

So who's behind Van Helsing and what's it all about?
Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, who recently updated Universal's The Mummy in 1999, Van Helsing should be a horror nerd's wet dream. The movie has Stoker's hero sent to Eastern Europe to defeat Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster.

Wowzers! That's quite a line-up!
For pure entertainment value, this should be unbeatable. The trailer is full to the brim with CGI effects (some very good, some okay), and the general style seems to be a cross between Hammer Horror and the House Of The Dead video-game. The production values looks very high and there are some spine-tingling shots of a shadowy werewolf transformation, some super-fanged vampire babes, and a stagecoach set-piece.

Sounds like good fun! When's it out?
7 May in the U.S. Probably sometime later that month for the UK.

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

• 1. Along Came Polly ($32.4m)
• 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($12.4m)
• 3. Big Fish ($12.3m)
• 4. Cheaper by the Dozen ($11.8m)
• 5. Torque ($11.4m)
• 6. Cold Mountain ($7.9m)
• 7. Something's Gotta Give ($6.7m)
• 8. My Baby's Daddy ($4.4m)
• 9. Calendar Girls ($3.8m)
• 10. The Last Samurai ($3.7m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

• 1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (£2.37m) (£51.87m grossed to date)
• 2. The Last Samurai (£2.04m)
• 3. Lost In Translation (£1.05m)
• 4. Paycheck (£0.92m)
• 5. Peter Pan (2003) (£0.76m)
• 6. Love Actually (£0.58m)
• 7. Runaway Jury (£0.588m)
• 8. Cold Mountain (£0.583m)
• 9. Stuck on You (£0.42m)
• 10. The Girl With A Pearl Earring (£0.38m)