On September 30, 2003, FUNimation Prods, Ltd. will release the BLUE GENDER box set and will give fans the opportunity to win five animation cels from the series in a trivia promotion. By answering five trivia questions about the show, fans are entered to win one of five animation cels used in the production. All cels, valued at $250 each, come complete with multiple matching sketches.

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have announced that TIGGER MOVIE director Jun Falkenstein along with actor Will Ferrell (OLD SCHOOL, the upcoming ELF) have signed on to their animated feature CURIOUS GEORGE. Ferrell will lend his voice to the troublesome monkey’s owner, The Man in the Yellow Hat. The 2D feature is being produced by Academy Award-winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. The film is scheduled for release on November 4, 2005.

Universal's THE RUNDOWN, which may prove to be The Rock's breakout starring vehicle, scored a whopping $18.5M in its debut for the weekend ended Sept. 28, 2003. Topping the box office chart also gives Rhythm & Hues some vfx bragging rights as well. Disney's Diane Lane romancer, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, debuted in second place with $9.7M.

Gabor Csupo of the Klasky Csupo animation studio (RUGRATS and WILD THORNBERRYS) will make his feature directorial debut with GREEN MONKEYS, a live-action/computer-animated version of the comic strip about monkeys that act human, a spokesperson confirmed. GREEN MONKEYS is published by Dan's Papers and written by Betty and Michael Paraskevas. The project seems a perfect match for Klasky Csupo, since the strip resembles THORNBERRYS in its graphic style despite the proposed CGI makeover.

Upon the success of UNDERWORLD in its opening weekend at the box office, Lakeshore Entertainment and Screen Gems have quickly greenlit two additional UNDERWORLD films. Original film’s writers Danny McBride and Len Wiseman will begin writing the sequel’s screenplay immediately. Wiseman plans to return as director as well, hoping to start filming as soon as possible. The third film is tentatively set as a prequel to the first film.

STAR WARS: EPISODE III wrapped principal photography at Fox Studios Australia on Sept. 17, 2003, five days ahead of schedule, according to a Lucasfilm announcement.

"It's almost unheard of for a major motion picture to come in under-schedule," boasted producer Rick McCallum of the shoot that was originally scheduled for 12 weeks.

HOLES, the family adventure concerning an ancient family curse and kids forced to dig holes to build character, comes to DVD (Walt Disney Home Entertainment, $29.99) on Sept. 23, 2003. Starring Stanley Yelnats (Disney Channel's EVEN STEVENS), HOLES is based on the Newberry award-winning book by Louis Sachar.

Chalk up another horror dominance of the box office chart. UNDERWORLD, the vampire/werewolf flick from Screen Gems (with vfx from FrameStore CFC and Luma Pictures), debuted in the top spot for the weekend ended Sept.21, 2003 with $21.7M.

The WB's popular SUPERMAN spinoff series, SMALLVILLE, comes to DVD in THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON set (Warner Home Video, $64.92) on Sept. 23, 2003. The deluxe six-disc package offers the origins of the characters, numerous plotlines and deleted scenes and other bonus features.

Luma Pictures helped to conjure up a dark and formidable world of werewolves and vampires in providing visual effects services for Lakeshore Entertainment's new horror thriller UNDERWORLD (opening Sept. 19, 2003). A team of some 20 artists from the studio took part in the project, crafting visuals ranging from 3D matte paintings of central Budapest, to the partial transformation of a man into a werewolf, to the creation of microorganisms representing creature transformations on a cellular level.

Carlton International has struck multiple feature, TV and home entertainment deals for its children’s animated classic, THE LAST UNICORN. First, Carlton has signed a deal with movie production company Continent Film Ltd for a live-action re-make. In addition, the film has been licensed for broadcast to Roadshow Television in Australia. Video deals have been signed with NVC Felix Film in Poland and Goldvision in France and French-speaking territories.

BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT, the first computer-animated feature based on the popular LEGO franchise, arrives on DVD Sept. 16, 2003 presented by the LEGO Co., co-producer Create TV and Film, Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment ($29.99). The animation was performed by Los Angeles-based Creative Capers Entertainment and Taipei-based studio CGCG. Having already captured millions of 12-year-old boys in the U.S.

Hasbro Inc. has hired Hollywood heavyweight Lorenzo di Bonaventura to shop its classic G.I. JOE franchise around to studios as a live-action feature film, reported DAILY VARIETY. Di Bonaventura track record as an exec at Warner Bros. includes such franchises as THE MATRIX, HARRY POTTER, SCOOBY-DOO and BATMAN. Screenwriter Michael Gordon (LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN) has already been attached to pen a script.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, Robert Rodriguez's homage to Sergio Leone, topped the box office chart for the weekend ended Sept. 14, 2003. The Sony movie (with vfx by Hybride Technologies) scored with $23.4M. Ridley Scott's MATCHSTICK MEN, debuted in second (with vfx by Sony Pictures Imageworks), picking up a more modest $13M for Warner Bros. In third place, was another debut, the indie horror film CABIN FEVER (with vfx by K.N.B. EFX Group).

In a further sign of its aggressive commitment to computer animation, Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios are prepping a feature based on the laidback children's book THE IGUANA BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO LIZARDS, the trades reported and the studio confirmed. Written by Tony Johnson and illustrated by Mark Teague, IGUANA concerns two brothers in Mexico (Dom and Tom) that will try almost anything, including going vegetarian and acting like dinosaurs.

Michelle Rodriguez (GIRLFIGHT) and Alfred Molina (FRIDA) have joined the voice cast of SIAN KA'AN, the first Hispanic-themed animated feature produced within the U.S. The cast already includes opera legend Placido Domingo and comedian Cheech Marin (STILL SMOKIN’). Rodriguez will lend her voice to the fiery secretary of the celestial prime minister of extinct species. Molina will voice the title character and lead villain Ka'an.

Warner Bros. has announced that Christian Bale (EQUILIBRIUM, AMERICAN PSYCHO) has been cast as Bruce Wayne in Warner Bros.’ upcoming BATMAN movie. MEMENTO director Christopher Nolan will direct the next installment in the popular franchise, which will be produced by Emma Thomas. The movie is written by David Goyer, along with Nolan, and will follow the early career of the Caped Crusader.

Nolan said, “What I see in Christian is the ultimate embodiment of Bruce Wayne. He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for.”

MILLENNIUM ACTRESS, the first film to be released under Go Fish Pictures, DreamWorks’ new distribution arm, opened Sept. 12, 2003 in a limited run. The Japanese production by MAD HOUSE (PERFECT BLUE, VAMPIRE HUNTER D and METROPOLIS) reunites director Satoshi Kon and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai, who first collaborated together on Kon’s award-winning debut feature PERFECT BLUE. Taro Maki (TENCHI FOREVER) served as the exec producer. Susumu Hirasawa composed the score, and Takeshi Honda was the editor and director of animation.

The WALT DISNEY TREASURES collectible DVD series continues with WAVE 3 on Dec. 2, 2003. The four new, separate, two-disc sets (Walt Disney Home Entertainment, $32.99 each) include: WALT DISNEY ON THE FRONT LINES (featuring exclusive declassified material from World War II-themed productions); MICKEY MOUSE IN LIVING COLOR (VOLUME TWO); THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD; and WALT DISNEY’S TOMORROWLAND. Each volume is fully restored and introduced by historian Leonard Maltin.

Universal Home Video has announced that the October 28, 2003 DVD release of THE HULK will feature the Xbox demo version of THE HULK game. The DVD will contain one playable level.

The film follows the origin of The Hulk when gammarays transform scientist Bruce Banner into the raging green beast. With visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic and directed by Ang Lee (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON), the film stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas and Nick Nolte.