Hobbled 'Hobbit' Peter Jackson to the rescue? After the sudden departure from "The Hobbit" of Guillermo del Toro, he says he'd consider directing the long-delayed film himself. Jackson met with studio representatives last week to begin the search for a new director, but said he wouldn't rule himself out. "If that's what I have to do to protect Warner Bros.' investment, then obviously that's one angle I will explore," he said. Jackson, however, has signed contracts for two other films that would take precedence. So, look for "The Hobbit" in, oh, 2017.
The final reel James McAvoy will be young Prof. Charles Xavier in the prequel "X-Men: First Class," directed by Matthew Vaughn ("Kick-Ass") and scheduled for release next summer. ... Jasons Bateman and Sudeikis play men planning to murder each other's superiors (Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell) in "Horrible Bosses." ... Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeremy Renner and Reese Witherspoon star in Paul Thomas Anderson's ("There Will Be Blood") period film about the founding of a Scientology-like religion. ... Paul Rudd is "My Idiot Brother," about an idealistic guy who affects the lives of his three ambitious sisters.
CYNTHIA DICKISON
