Movie News in Bite-Sized Form

'Dark Knight' Leads Box Office to Record Tally in 2008
Buoyed by a strong holiday season and, of course, the $528M gross of 'The Dark Knight,' the domestic box office raked in a record $9.78 billion in 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter -- a full 2% increase over last year. (Jan. 5)

Warner Bros.

Branagh Will Have Acting Role in 'Thor'
Kenneth Branagh won't just be directing the upcoming adaptation of the Marvel comic 'Thor'; the respected British thespian will also tackle a supporting acting role in the film, IESB.net reports. Paramount is still in search of an actor to portray the blond-maned, hammer-wielding Norse hero. (Jan. 5)

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'Batman' Actor Pat Hingle Dies at 84
Longtime stage, film and TV actor Pat Hingle died of cancer on Saturday at the age of 84. He appeared in such landmark films as 'On the Waterfront' and 'Norma Rae,' but is perhaps best know for playing Commissioner Gordon in four 'Batman' films in the 1990s. Get the full story from PopEater. (Jan. 5)

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National Society of Film Critics Names 'Bashir' Best Pic
The Israeli animated documentary 'Waltz With Bashir' has edged out 'Wall-E' and 'Happy-Go-Lucky' to win the National Society of Film Critics' Best Picture prize, Variety reports. Sean Penn ('Milk') and Sally Hawkins ('Happy-Go-Lucky') took home top acting awards. (Jan. 5)

Sony Classics

'Inglourious Basterds' Gets a Glorious Release Date
Quentin Tarantino's eagerly anticipated and not-so-correctly spelled WWII epic 'Inglourious Basterds' will hit theaters on Aug. 21, 2009, Variety reports. The flick stars Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a band of Jewish-American soldiers charged with scalping (yes, scalping) Nazis in occupied France. (Jan. 2)

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'Indy 4' Leads Overseas Box Office to New Record
Major Hollywood studios defied the odds -- and tough economic times -- to rake in a record $9.9 billion in ticket receipts at the foreign box office in 2008, up 4 percent from last year's $9.5 billion. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' led the way with a $469.5 million international gross. (Jan. 2)

Paramount

Jackman Out of 'Cleo,' in for 'Guardians'
Hugh Jackman has removed himself from discussions to star opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in Steven Soderbergh's 3-D live-action musical 'Cleo,' about the love affair between Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Variety reports. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph claims that Jackman is set to lend his voice to '300' director Zack Snyder's animated feature 'Guardians of Ga'Hoole.' (Jan. 2)

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'Terminator,' 'Deliverance' Join Film Registry
With the eagerly anticipated prequel 'Terminator Salvation' just six months shy of release, the sci-fi classic that started it all is receiving one of film's highest honors. Variety reports that 'Terminator' is one of 25 movies selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in its National Film Registry. Other inductees include 'Deliverance,' 'The Asphalt Jungle,' 'Sergeant York' and 'In Cold Blood.' (Dec. 31)

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Fox-Warner Bros. 'Watchmen' Feud Rages On
Zack Snyder's stylish rendering of the popular graphic novel 'Watchmen' is expected to be the first major blockbuster of 2009, despite an ongoing legal battle between Warner Bros., the film's distributor, and Fox, which is claiming copyright infringement. In the latest news, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox is fighting for a delay to the March 6 release date. The studios will meet in court on January 20. (Dec. 30)

Warner Bros.

Disney Dumps 'Narnia' Franchise
Once, Disney envisioned 'Chronicles of Narnia' as a seven-part series to rival 'Harry Potter.' But after the disappointing box office of this summer's 'Prince Caspian,' the Hollywood Reporter and other outlets report that the studio has declined to co-finance 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' scheduled to be the third film in the franchise. Walden Media, which owns the film rights to the C.S. Lewis books, will shop the project to other studios, hoping to remain on track for 2010 release. (Dec. 29)

Disney