Since TomKat’s taller half announced that she wouldn’t be returning to romance Christian Bale in Bat-sequel The Dark Knight, there’s been a big vacuum in the bit of the script marked “love interest” – but the rumour mill now has a potential replacement: Maggie Gyllenhaal. Yup, the star of Secretary and the forthcoming Sherrybaby is said to be stepping in to Holmes’ DA/object of desire role, which will no doubt see her being briefly feisty (to satisfy the feminists) before getting menaced by some villain and becoming a bit wobbly at the knees before being swept off her feet by a guy dressed in rubber. Batman, probably, rather than a random fetishist. If it’s true, Gyllenhaal’s a good choice – a bit more credible as a hotshot lawyer than Holmes, and she’ll be right at home with the faintly 1940s costumes. It’ll still be a pointless role though.

 

No, not the most twee headline ever, it’s the title of Michael Keaton’s next film, The Merry Gentleman, an indie drama which will mark his directorial debut. Keaton is set to star alongside newcomer Keith Kupferer, with filming due to start in Chicago for about six weeks on March 6. There are no plot details yet, so we’re just going to guess – we’re saying it’s about a really depressed person (it is, after all, an indie) who meets other loners and becomes slightly less depressed by the end of the film. But hopefully we’re wrong.

 

Director George Tillman Jr, last seen at the helm of 2000’s Men Of Honor wherein Robert De Niro taught Cuba Gooding Jr how to shout a lot and be tough, or something, is set to tackle something a bit lighter for his return to the megaphone. He’s signed on for The Siege of Fulton Avenue, about a house party following a high school graduation that turns into a stand-off with police when the kids refuse to go home quietly and continue to party harder. Based on a true story, the situation apparently “becomes a defining moment for the teenagers inside as they struggle to deal with their fears of growing up”. Presumably the words “in prison” should be added to the end of that sentence.

 

As if the prospect of seeing Ghost Rider in cinemas this weekend wasn’t enough for excitable US punters, they have an additional bonus with the news that the Grind House and Resident Evil: Extinction trailers will be shown alongside the feature. That’s good news for us too, because it also means that they’ll be up online, and in fact the Grind House trailer is due online later tonight. Look out for it on Yahoo Movies tonight.