News: Robert De Niro

De Niro’s concentration on comedy in recent years has been depressing for fans of his earlier work, so this week’s The Good Shepherd – which he directed as well as cameos in – has been something of a relief even if it isn’t as good as it should have been. Thankfully, with loads of films in the pipeline, quite a few are set to involve straight acting for a change.

Next up is an adaptation of the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel Stardust, with a supremely impressive cast that includes the likes of Peter O’Toole, Ian McKellen, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer and Clare Danes. Then there’s New Orleans, a thriller about police corruption, with De Niro investigating with the help of his new partner, played by rapper 50 Cent, before hooking up with the rather more talented George Clooney for the crime drama 36.

Then it’s back to comedy for Hollywood expose What Just Happened?, based on the book by Heat and Fight Club producer Art Linson (who also wrote the screenplay), with De Niro playing a film producer having a tough time getting funding, with co-stars including the likes of Bruce Willis, Sean Penn and John Turturro. After that it’s more drama, starring alongside his erstwhile Taxi Driver co-star Jodie Foster for her latest directorial effort, Sugarland, about two lawyers fighting to end the exploitation of migrant sugar labourers.

Then more drama – and a return to familiar territory – for The Winter of Frankie Machine, with De Niro playing a retired mob hit man, lured back into his former profession for one last hit. Finally, he’s set to star as the husband of Meryl Streep female President of the United States in the political comedy First Man, which sounds promising – as does the computer game version of Heat, assuming De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer all sign on to do voice duties, as they’re currently only in negotiations.

News: Heather Graham

Though once firmly an A-lister after her Austin Powers and Boogie Nights escapades, Graham hasn’t been seen much in the way of cinematic success in recent years, with this week’s Bobby being her highest-profile film since 2001’s disappointing From Hell. Still, judging by her upcoming movies, this looks like it could be entirely deliberate, as she seems to prefer her indy flicks these days – with Bobby itself, despite the insanely impressive cast, also being independently produced.

Assuming any of these get released on this side of the Atlantic, Graham will next be seen in romantic comedy Gray Matters, depressing-sounding drama Adrift in Manhattan, gritty LA-set thriller Broken, and 1960s-set family drama A West Texas Children’s Story, where she’ll play the high-profile-sounding character “Cassie’s Aunt”, with fellow former A-listers Val Kilmer and Matthew Modine in the leads.

News: Val Kilmer

Kilmer’s concerted attempts for a career revival is nothing short of startling, with this week’s Deja Vu being just one of the six films he’s been in during 2006. Most intriguing was sadly a direct-to-DVD live recording of a stage show in which he was appearing – as Moses – in The Ten Commandments: The Musical. He’s also been in Polish Western (yes, really) Summer Love, yet to get a UK release, as yet unreleased British gangster flick Played, and US mob drama 10th & Wolf (also unreleased). His career boom hasn’t been going too well so far, in other words…

He’s not been put off just yet, though, with a whole bunch more in the pipeline, from 1960s-set family drama A West Texas Children’s Story, surrealist rejected orphan revenge tale Coin Locker Babies and animated fantasy adventure Delgo (alongside the voices of the late Anne Bancroft, as well as other near-legends like Burt Reynolds and Eric Idle).

Most promising, however, are likely to be Alpha Numeric, a gangster drama in which Kilmer will star alongside Winona Ryder and Dennis Hopper, and The Dirt – assuming the rumours of his casting are true – which promises to be the story of rock group Mötley Crüe’s rise to fame. Kilmer is supposedly playing Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, alongside Chrstopher Walken as – get this – Ozzy Osbourne. Now that really WOULD rock…