THE BUZZ: New Line is developing Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy into the company's next Lord of the Rings, and they are investing $150 million in the cause (their biggest expenditure since LotR). The studio has just optioned the other two books, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, and hired Hossein Amini to adapt both works.

Originally set to be adapted and directed by Chris Weitz, Anand Tucker stepped in when Weitz bailed due to New Line's demands to strip the project of its references to God and the Catholic church (which was delicately labeled as "technical challenges" in the industry's trades). But then? Tucker's visions didn't mesh with New Line's, so Weitz came back aboard. Of course that drama didn't gain as much attention as the casting of newlywed Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter, the mother figure to the orphaned Lyra Belacqua, who will be played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards.

Big hugs for everyone involved with getting the movie's official site online early, and for offering behind-the-scenes footage since the pre-production stage. It's all part of an admirable campaign that began gathering serious momentum at Comic-Con, where the film sort of became the end-of-the-year release to beat. And can we just say how excited we are for the royale reunion of Golden co-stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green?

The Plot: A father (Cusack) takes his two girls on a road trip to Florida, a vacation in which he hopes to find a way to let them know that their mom isn't coming back from her military assignment in Iraq.

THE BUZZ: How much would you pay to be bummed out even more about the war in Iraq? Harvey Weinstein paid several million for this Sundance award-winner, the feature debut of writer-director James Strouse (he wrote Lonesome Jim for Steve Buscemi, just so you know). Cusack, who produced Grace, is convincing in his statements that tell how this story reflects the American public's feeling of defeat and loss, but we're suggesting that he should become active in the marketing of the film, which many have called not sad or funny enough to resonate with non-captive audiences.

The Plot: An escort (Harrelson) who caters to Washington D.C.'s society ladies becomes involved in a murder case in order to protect his closet client (Thomas) and her husband from the ensuing investigation.

THE BUZZ: While it's not drumming up as much attention as the last project he was involved in, Paul Schrader's latest is such a curiosity, it's destined to be one of those films that catches major year-end momentum ... or dissipate quickly like ... oh, I don't know ... The Painted Veil or Hollywoodland. All that glamor, wasted. We hope not. Anyway, if you're wondering how the film's title factors into all of this, it was a term used to describe uber-confidant Jerry Zipkin, who was closed to Nancy Reagan and Betsy Bloomingdale, among others.

The Plot: Robert Neville (Smith) finds himself the only healthy survivor of a biological attack, as his fellow New Yorkers have become zombies. By day, Neville hunts the undead who walk the streets; by night, he barricades himself in his home against the mob gathered outside.

THE BUZZ: When it comes to kicking some serious alien, robot or (in this case) vampire butt, Smith has more than proven himself to be Hollywood's alpha and omega man. He'll likely add a tinge more humanity to a role made famous by Charlton Heston (and once envisioned for a pre-gubernatorial Arnold Schwarzenegger), and as long as he doesn't listen to his own songs while he lays waste to the undead, we don't expect The Last Man on Earth to be terribly lonely this Christmas.

The Plot: After having spent over two decades in the U.S., Amir returns to present-day Afghanistan to see what has become of Hassan, his best friend from childhood and from whom he was separated after the Soviet invasion of their country.

THE BUZZ: Hollywood's had hopes for this Afghan tale from newbie novelist Khaled Hosseini ever since it topped the New York Times best-seller list two years ago. Despite some backlash it's been given the thumbs up from scores of book clubs, college profs and first lady Laura Bush. With the hard-working Forster guiding the kite, expect critics to swoon. Will it attract an audience, however? It's increasingly hard to tell if the general public is able to differentiate between the all the heavy Middle Eastern dramas coming out -- or, in the case of The Kingdom, if people have any interest in them. Meanwhile, we wonder what it would have been like if Forster swapped his project for Michael Winterbottom's.

The Plot: A spin-off of the cartoon series about a trio of chipmunks brothers, their musical inclinations, and their life with their adoptive human guardian.

THE BUZZ: Garfield Deux saboteur Tim Hill is back to torture parents with another classic cartoon-turned-family-feature; this time, he puts down the funny pages and turns to the curiously fey creatures who call Ross Bagdasarian daddy. Note to Bill Murray: I think the voice role for "Dale" is still up for grabs!

The Plot: Tracking down the missing pages of John Wilkes Booth's diary is the first step in treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates's plan to uncover a worldwide conspiracy.

THE BUZZ: The subtitle makes it sound like a lost Harry Potter adventure, but this is another round of Da Vinci Code lite all the way. What's most surprising about the first movie's runaway success is how no one associated with it cashed in on their fortune. That's why the gang has returned for a follow-up ... perhaps even Sean Bean? Yes, that will require some major suspension of disbelief, but how feasible is it to have a man unearth two major treasures in a single lifetime?

The Plot: A widow (Swank) discovers love letters written by her recently deceased husband (Butler) that are meant to help her begin the next chapter of her life.

THE BUZZ: This is sort of like Catch and Release, except with fewer secrets and more Oscars. Wonder if Hil left a bunch of letters for Chad?

The Plot: Enigmatic Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks) and his CIA allies orchestrate that agency's most successful covert op: the arming of the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan during their war with the Soviet Union.

THE BUZZ: Charlie is a movie that can't be beat.... if this was 1998! Charlie is a perfect example of the "certain kind of blockbuster" Kenneth Turan recently wrote a book about: a big-budget Hollywood movie that's supposed to provide actual sustenance, not just slicked-up thrills. And they're a dying breed. And as such, we never thought we'd see the day when we were calling Roberts and Hanks "old school," but we can't help detecting tiniest whiff of mustiness off this project, despite the au courant topic. Nichols has yet to lose his edge, however, as he follows up the seething brilliance that was Closer. Hey, did someone say "reshoots"?

The Plot: A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.

THE BUZZ: Walden Media caused an initial stir when they, along with Columbia Pictures, announced this project's first release date, exactly one week before Walt Disney was set to unleash Prince Caspian (also a Walden production). Disney huffed, then pushed the second Narnia installment to summer 2008 (there's one way to quietly deal with your script and other production issues), leaving the battle of the holiday box office wide open. While the series of books may not be as well known as the Narnia legend, we imagine all the filmmakers need to do is render one amazing look at their Loch Ness Monster to start building their buzz.

Update: Who knew this would be packaged as a broad family comedy? That trailer is straight saccharine. To the Narnia fans upset by the release date switcheroo: A campaign of disinterest could be most powerful here.

The Plot: Warring alien and predator races descend on a small town, where unsuspecting residents must band together for any chance of survival.

THE BUZZ: Brothers/visual effects wizards Colin and Greg Strause first made their mark with The Day After Tomorrow, but they became fanboy favorites with their work on 300, where the exemplified the kind of craftsmanship that brings execs calling with directorial offers. Do we need this film? Perhaps not, but we're convinced these brothers are destined to make us forget all about the artless affair that was AvP. But what's with this "predalien" hybrid (see photos here), and why does this sound like Feast without a sense of humor or the presence of Henry Rollins? And why not bring Sanaa Lathan back?

The Plot: A look at life in Iran during the Islamic revolution from the perspective of a young and precocious girl.

THE BUZZ: Marjane Satrapi partnered with fellow comics artist Vincent Paronnaud to adapt her graphic novel/autobiography, which won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival -- although it's already more famous for being denounced by the Iranian government and subsequently banned from the Bangkok Film Festival. Secretly, all we want to do is party with this English-language voice cast, which includes Sean Penn, Iggy Pop, and Simon Abkarian.

Update: The film just trumped La Vie en rose as France's official submission for the Best Foreign Picture Oscar, and insiders, with apologies to the beloved Ratatouille, are saying this is the one that should win the award..

The Plot: In south London, a scheming young woman (Atwell) looks to financially captialize on the rivalry she's created between two Cockney brothers (Farrell and McGregor), who each turn to crime in order to prove their commitment to her.

THE BUZZ: This whole self-imposed exile in Europe that Woody Allen created seems to be working for him, because even the dittering romantic comedy Scoop outperformed all of Allen's recent made-in-USA films. Though he's taking a break from working with Scarlett Johansson (she will appear in his next project, however), Allen is revisting the romantic drama/thriller that made his first pairing with SJ such a success. And if you're up on your Greek mythology, you pretty much know the course the film will take.