In this issue

X3 casting news
Willams talks Star Wars: Episode III music
Animatrix to screen in Australiz, New Zealand, and Japan
Tidbits and Rumors
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X3 Casting news

Halle Berry is out, and director Bryan Singer remains noncommittal about returning to helm a third X-Men movie, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cindy Pearlman reported. "It depends on the circumstances," Singer told Pearlman. "I know I love this cast, and I love the experiences I have on these movies. I feel great affection and proprietorship when it comes to this franchise, so I would probably want to be involved in a third film."

As for Oscar winner Berry, Pearlman said she has dropped out. But Singer hedged his bets. "You know, it depends," he said. "I think a lot depends on the evolution of her character, Storm."

Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) insisted that he'd love to return, but wouldn't commit to it, Pearlman said. Meanwhile, E! Online columnist Anderson Jones reported that a third X-Men film is already a lock, and that X2 stars Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Alan Cumming and ex-footballer Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) are signed up for the next movie.
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Willams talks Star Wars: Episode III music

Star Wars composer John Williams told CNN.com to expect echoes of the music from the first film in the upcoming prequel Episode III, which wraps up the saga. Williams said he hopes to use hints of some of the musical themes from Episode IV: A New Hope to link the three prequel movies with the original trilogy.

"I think working backwards, some musical hints like that will be appropriate," Williams told the site. "I am looking forward to bringing all those thematic fragments together in the final episode of Star Wars and to pick up what opportunities it'll have for new material, also to sort of round out a whole corpus of musical themes that are all interrelated and connected." Episode III is set to begin production this year, with a 2005 release date.
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Animatrix to screen in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan

All nine Animatrix short films, set in Larry and Andy Wachowski's Matrix universe, will get a theatrical release in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, a Warner Brothers spokesperson confirmed for SCI FI Wire. The animated short films will hit theaters in Oz and New Zealand on May 9 and in Japan on May 16.

There are no plans for all of the films to be released theatrically in North America, although one, The Final Flight of the Osiris, has already screened in theaters attached to prints of Dreamcatcher. Warner will release The Animatrix on VHS and DVD on June 3. Four of the shorts are also available on the official Web site.

The Animatrix series was conceived by the Wachowskis, who also wrote four of the nine episodes, including Osiris, which acts as a prelude to the upcoming sequel film The Matrix Reloaded. Reloaded opens May 15.

(Reference this thread for Australia showings)
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Tidbits and Rumors

JoBlo's Movie Emporium reported that Twin Peaks writer Mark Frost has been hired to pen a new draft of a proposed Fantastic Four movie, based on the venerable Marvel Comics series.
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Moviehole reported a rumor that Nicole Kidman will have a cameo role in Terry Gilliam's upcoming fantasy film Brothers Grimm. Entertainment Tonight, meanwhile, reported that George Clooney will cameo in the upcoming Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers has grossed $910 million worldwide, placing the movie in fifth place among the all-time highest-grossing movies, Variety reported. Towers now places behind Titanic ($1.8 billion), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ($976 million), Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace ($926 million) and Jurassic Park ($920 million).