He's no Michael Jordan, but Brendan Fraser (THE MUMMY, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE) has signed on to be the live-action star in Warner Bros. Pictures new live-action/animation feature film LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION (what… no SPACE JAM II?). Production is scheduled to begin on July 29, 2002, in southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, with animation production at the Warner Bros. Animation facilities in Sherman Oaks, California.

The CIA thriller THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, came in at number one again this weekend, earning $18.7M for a two-week total of $61.7M. The Ya-Ya's battled the Clones to take second, as chick-flick THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD earned $16.3M in its debut weekend and STAR WARS: EPISODE II, with visual effects by ILM, dropped to third with $13.8M and a four-week cume of $254.9M.

Vinton Studios has created a computer animated short that will screen at the opening of the SIGGRAPH 2002 Animation Theater. WASHED UP stars a scruffy looking beach bum who is shown getting spruced up for his trip to Texas for SIGGRAPH 2002. He puts on his cowboy hat and boots, and even a Texas star embossed pocket protector. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that he is actually stranded on a desert island and in his haste has forgotten the most important part of his outfit -- his pants.

Comic book and outer space heroes lost to a CIA operative in this weekend's box office, with action-thriller THE SUM OF ALL FEARS taking the top box office spot. Based on a novel by Tom Clancy with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, the film took in $31.2M. SUM's number one debut added up to second place for STAR WARS: EPISODE II, with the attacking clones earning $20.6M this weekend, representing nearly a 60% drop from last weekend's 3-day box office. Ouch. This gives the space saga, with visual effects by ILM, $232M after three weeks in theaters.

Twentieth Century Fox has announced February 14, 2003 as the new release date for DAREDEVIL, the next comics-to-film epic. Moving the debut from January to February to take advantage of opening over the four-day (U.S.) Presidents' Day holiday, the studio can only be hoping to grab the record-breaking box office that other comics-inspired superhero (SPIDER-MAN) has been spinning over the past few weeks. DAREDEVIL stars Ben Affleck in the title role, a blind vigilante with ultra-heightened other senses and incredible acrobatic abilities.

DreamWorks' SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON couldn't win the holiday box office race, but it came in a respectable fourth. Facing up to the challenge of STAR WARS: EPISODE II "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" second weekend and the tenacious hold of SPIDER-MAN, SPIRIT trotted into fourth place with $23M and generally good reviews, meaning this might be one traditionally-animated pony you can bet on for a solid summer box office.

After debuting on Thursday, May 16th with the highest weekday box office ever, STAR WARS: EPISODE TWO "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" has already grossed $110.1M, becoming the second fastest film, behind SPIDER-MAN, to cross the $100M mark.

The eagerly anticipated second act of George Lucas' space drama, STAR WARS: EPISODE II "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" has debuted with the highest weekday box office ever. Posting better opening day receipts than its predecessor EPISODE I, which debuted with $28.5M, EPISODE II opened in theaters at midnight on Thursday, May 16 and racked up a record-breaking $30.1M for the day. Although SPIDER-MAN still holds the one-day opening record with $39.3M, it opened on a Friday, which is considered a weekend day.

Marvel's comic book superhero spun yet another record, along with massive box office receipts as SPIDER-MAN dominated the number one spot for the second weekend in a row. The film, with visual effects by Sony Imageworks, earned $72M in its second frame for a total gross of $223.6M, making it the fastest film ever to reach the $200M mark. SPIDER-MAN crossed $200M on Saturday May 11th, 9 days after it was released. This beats the previous record held by STAR WARS: EPISODE I which took 13 days to earn $200M.

Composer James Venable will be going into the studio this month to score Cartoon Network's first feature THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE, which opens July 3, 2002. The film, directed by Craig McCracken, is based on the television series that chronicles the adventures of girl superheroes. The score incorporates both orchestral and electronic compositions. Venable is best known for scoring THE POWERPUFF GIRLS television series on the Cartoon Network, which also features a blend of traditional orchestral sound and non-orchestral techno.