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THE DARK IS RISING, the name of the movie from Fox Walden based on the second of Susan Cooper's five fantasy books is now titled, THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING.

Writer John Hodge (TRAINSPOTTING) is doing the adaptation, the director is David L. Cunningham (THE PATH TO 9/11) and Marc Platt is producer. The Fox Filmed Ent. feature opens Oct. 5, 2007.

DreamWorks Animation and Paramount will release the fourth installment in the lucrative SHREK franchise on May 21, 2010, reports VARIETY.

There will be a fifth SHREK as well, DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg said during an earnings call earlier this week,

SHREK THE THIRD grossed more than $320 million at the domestic box office and nearly $400 million overseas since premiering this summer.

Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez will write and direct an untitled comedy thriller about a young woman who is sent to the past to prevent World War III, under Salma Hayek and partner Jose Tamez's new MGM-based production shingle Ventanazul, reports VARIETY.

Ventanazul is scouting hot young talent from Mexico, Chile and the U.S. for this and its other first few projects.

Japan's Media Development Research Institute announced that the Japanese anime market grew to 241.5 billion yen (about $2.026 billion) in 2006, reports ANIME NEWS NETWORK. This is the highest level since the institute started surveying in 1990, and represents the third year of continuous growth.

The Walt Disney Co. reports an improved profits of $1.2 billion, a 4.7% gain, on revenues of $9 billion, for the third quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2007, a 6.7% rise on the same period last year. The company credited strong TV program sales and higher theme park attendance for the gain.

Operating income in its Media Networks group jumped 23% to $1.358 billion.