Get the tomatoes ready George Lucas is firing one heck of a pre-emptive strike on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." He tells Vanity Fair, "I know the critics are going to hate it. They hate the idea that we're making another one. They've already made up their minds." Moviegoers aren't exempt, either: "The fans are all upset. 'Why did he do it like this? And why didn't he do it like this?' So you just have to stand by for the bricks and the custard pies, because they're going to come flying your way." Gee, George, give us a chance to see the darn thing!

The final reel Sean Penn has been named jury president for the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ... Diablo Cody's "Jennifer's Body" has a director: Karyn Kusama ("Aeon Flux"). ... Jeffrey Wright will reprise his role as CIA operative Felix Leiter in "Bond 22." Mathieu Amalric ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") has been cast as a villain. ... Harrison Ford is Steven Spielberg's top choice to play Andrew Johnson to Liam Neeson's Abraham Lincoln in his upcoming biopic. ... Leonard Nimoy hints that there will be three Spocks in "Star Trek": old Spock, young Spock (Zachary Quinto) and, speculation has it, very young Spock (as a baby, in scenes with mom Winona Ryder).

CYNTHIA DICKISON