News: Cate Blanchett

Having picked up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for this week’s Notes on a Scandal (alongside many other nominations for more minor awards shows), next up, in early March, will be the much-anticipated Steven Soderbergh look at the chaos and confusion of Berlin in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, The Good German, with George Clooney and Tobey Maguire filling out the leads.

Then Blanchett will go back further in time to take on the role of Queen Elizabeth I once again for The Golden Age – a sequel to 1997’s Elizabeth that reunites much of the same cast and crew to look at the queen’s reign a few years down the line, and her relationship with Clive Owen’s Sir Walter Raleigh. Another to look forward to is the experimental Todd Haynes look at the life and work of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There, where different actors – including Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger – will play different aspects of the musician. It’ll be decidedly odd, but could well prove odd in a good way, based on Haynes’ past outings.

Finally – and sadly potentially her last film for a while, as she has recently announced plans to go back to her native Australia to run a theatre – is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for director David Fincher. Based on an F Scott Fitzgerald story, it revolves around the relationship between a 30-year-old woman and a man (to be played by Brad Pitt) who, at the age of 50, begins to grow younger again. After what he managed to pull with Fight Club, it’s just possible Fincher could pull that off…

News: Brad Pitt

It seems Pitt can do no wrong these days. He’s got away with the divorce to become one half of yet another Hollywood golden couple, and now has a kid to go with it. But ignoring the tedious tabloid angle, his cinematic outings have been pretty impressive of late and all. After this week’s hotly Oscar-tipped Babel, he’s got an insane number of very pormising movies in the works, from The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button, alongside his Babel co-star Cate Blanchett and directed by his old Fight Club and Seven buddy David Fincher, to the much-anticipated western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, where Pitt will play the legendary gunslinger James, complete with ‘tasche and stetson.

Then, of course, there’s Ocean’s Thirteen – which will see all the usual suspected added to by Al Pacino, and which all involved have promised will be much, much better than the really rather dire Ocean’s Twelve, before he goes from frivolous to serious and political for Dirty Tricks, set in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, and State of Play, based on the tip-top BBC political drama that aired back in 2003. He’ll be taking on the John Simm role as a crusadingjournalist trying to uncover a major scandal – although it’s somewhat likely that the action will relocate from Westminster to Washington.

Then there’s a bit more frivolity with Chad Schmidt – where Pitt will play both himself and the title character. Why? Because it’s set in 1980s Hollywood, just as Pit’s rise to fame began, and the Chad Schmidt of the title is a Brad Pitt lookalike – who rather resents his doppelganger’s success.

But keep your eye on Pitt in the run-up to the 2009 Oscars – he could be worth a flutter for Dallas Buyer’s Club, due next year, where he’ll play an AIDS victim in the late 1980s forced to experiment with black market drugs in the hope of finding a cure. If they play it right – which looks likely as they’ve got Monsters Ball director Marc Forster in to direct – it could well be one for the awards.

News: Cate Blanchett

As you should expect from Blanchett by now, she picks her films carefully, so every one of the five she’s got in the works after this week’s Babel are likely to be corkers in their own way. Next to hit UK cinemas is Notes on a Scandal, adapted from the Booker Prize-nominated Zoe Heller novel of obsession, lust and blackmail revolving around two teachers – the other of which is played by Dame Judi Dench. Both actresses have already gained award nominations for their performances, so keep an eye out for it around mid February. Next up, in early March, will be the much-anticipated Steven Soderbergh look at the chaos and confusion of Berlin in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, The Good German, with George Clooney and Tobey MacGuire filling out the leads.

Then Blanchett will go back further in time to take on the role of Queen Elizabeth I once again for The Golden Age – a sequel to 1997’s Elizabeth that reunites much of the same cast and crew to look at the queen’s reign a few years down the line, and her relationship with Clive Owen’s Sir Walter Raleigh. Another to look forward to is the experimental Todd Haynes look at the life and work of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There, where different actors – including Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger – will play different aspects of the musician. It’ll be decidedly odd, but could well prove odd in a good way, based on Haynes’ past outings.

Finally – and sadly potentially her last film for a while, as she has recently announced plans to go back to her native Australia to run a theatre – is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for director David Fincher. Based on an F Scott Fitzgerald story, it revolves around the relationship between a 30-year-old woman and a man who, at the age of 50, begins to grow younger again. After what he managed to pull with Fight Club, it’s just possible Fincher could pull that off…

News: Mark Ruffalo

The steady career rise of this versatile character actor continues with his supporting part in All the King’s Men, and should only rocket after appearing near the top of the billing alongside Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal in Seven director David Fincher’s new serial killer flick Zodiac, out in the UK in March 2007. Next he’ll appear alongside Anna Paquin and Matt Damon in the emotionally-charged bus accident aftermath flick Margaret, and then with Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino in another character-centred piece based around a road accident, Reservation Road. (Well, it worked for last year’s Oscar-winning Crash, so why not, eh?) It’s only a matter of time before he gets his first full-on lead role – not bad for someone who claims to have had to audition more than 800 times over a ten year period before he finally landed his first film role…