GEORGE CLOONEY
The leading man gets a little heavier this fall—literally and figuratively. Clooney cowrote and directed Good Night, and Good Luck (Oct. 7), a drama about newsman Edward R. Murrow's face-off with McCarthyism; Clooney also steps in front of the camera to play journalist Fred Friendly. For his role as a CIA agent in the Middle East drama Syriana (Nov. 25) Clooney put on 30 lbs. The film is directed by Stephen Gaghan, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Traffic.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL
The busiest actor this fall? Actually it's Ralph Fiennes, with four films, but Gyllenhaal is doing pretty good with three. He stars as Gwyneth Paltrow's love interest in the big-screen version of David Auburn's Proof (Sept. 16). He has a buzz cut—and Oscar buzz—as a Marine in Jarhead (Nov. 4), based on Anthony Swofford's Iraq memoir. In Brokeback Mountain (Dec. 9), an adaptation of a short story by Annie Proulx, he plays a cowboy who ends up in the arms of Heath Ledger.

SAMUEL JACKSON
The "L" stands for law in the veteran actor's next two movies. Odd-couple comedy The Man (Sept. 9) pairs special agent Jackson—trying to solve his partner's murder—with irritating dental-supply salesman Eugene Levy. As Det. Lorenzo Council in the adaptation of Richard Price's novel Freedomland (Dec. 23), he takes his job a little more seriously, investigating the supposed abduction of a white child by a black man.

CHARLIZE THERON
Hot off her Oscar victory for last year's Monster, Theron stars in North Country (Oct. 14), an Erin Brockovich-style story about the woman who won the first major sexual harassment case in the United States. Theron gets even tougher as the titular secret agent in the sci-fi action film Aeon Flux (Dec. 2). She was sidelined during production when she hurt her back doing a stunt, but she's all better now. More good news: Frances McDormand also appears in both films.

UMA THURMAN
Anybody who saw her with John Travolta in Pulp Fiction knows Thurman can dance. Now she goes one better: dancing and singing in the big-screen rendition of the hit Broadway musical The Producers (Dec. 21), costar-ring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Before that, she stars as a just-divorced woman in the romantic comedy Prime (Oct. 28). Meryl Streep joins the cast as her psychotherapist—and the mother of her boyfriend (Bryan Greenberg). Never an ideal situation.

JENNIFER ANISTON
Her marriage may be over, but Aniston's movie career is just starting to pick up speed. Following her acclaimed dramatic turn in 2002's The Good Girl, Aniston plays a cheating executive being blackmailed by a violent criminal in Derailed (Oct. 21). She lightens up in director Rob Reiner's Rumor Has It... (Dec. 25) as a woman who might be the granddaughter of the character who inspired The Graduate's Mrs. Robinson.

NICOLAS CAGE
Filmed on location in South Africa, the Oscar winner plays an international arms dealer who has to face the consequences of his profession in Lord of War (Sept. 16). As The Weather Man (Oct. 28), Cage leaves the weapons behind (unless you count his Doppler machine) in director Gore Verbinski's first film since Pirates of the Caribbean. Playing Chicago-based meteorologist Dave Spritz, Cage auditions for a national morning-news program, potentially jeopardizing relations with his family. The film examines all of their domestic issues-but can he get along with Katie?

REESE WITHERSPOON
There's no pottery or Patrick Swayze, but Witherspoon does play a spirit haunting her apartment's new tenant Mark Ruffalo in the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven (Sept. 16). In Walk the Line (Nov. 18)—costarring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash—Witherspoon trained for five months to sing and play the Autoharp as Cash's devoted wife, June Carter.

More From This Article

Sound Familiar?
This fall the studios draw inspiration from books, theater, past movies and real events. Truman Capote lives again!

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (9/9) In a thriller based on a 1976 trial, Laura Linney plays a bedeviled lawyer defending a priest (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism.

OLIVER TWIST (9/23) Dickens's classic about a troubled but lovable orphan is directed by (this is not misprint) Roman Polanski.

CAPOTE (9/30) Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as the writer, based on Gerald Clarke's acclaimed 1988 biography.

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO (9/30) Julianne Moore plays a real jingle-writing 1950s housewife who supports 10 kids by winning a variety of contests.

IN HER SHOES (10/7) Cameron Diaz stars, courtesy of Jennifer Weiner's 2002 chick-lit favorite. also starring Toni Collette as Diaz's polar-opposite sister.

DOMINO (10/14) Keira Knightley plays Domino Harvey, a model turned bounty hunter, who died of an apparent overdose in June.

THE FOG (10/14) A remake of John Carpenter's 1980 horror flick.

KIDS IN AMERICA (10/21) Based on stories of real-life high scholars fighting for their rights.

SHOP GIRL (10/21) Clair Danes stars with Steve Martin in the big-screen version of his 2000 novella.

CHICKEN LITTLE (11/4) Zach Braff lends his voice to the computer-animated tale. Nope, the sky is still not actually falling.

THE NEW WORLD (11/9) Director Terrence Malick's epic about the 1607 colonial Jamestown John smith, wooing Pocahontas.

RENT (11/11) The musical—about a group of East village boheminas faced with homelessness and AIDS—come to the screen with most of the original Broadway cast, plus Rosario Dawson.

ZATHURA (11/11) Another adaptation from children's author Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express).

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (11/8) The latest Potter from the latest director, Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile).

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (11/18) Judi Dench in a film based on a classic piece of British literature? It can't be. also with Keira Knightley.

YOURS, MINE & OURS (11/23) Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo update the 1968 Lucille Ball family comedy.

THE ICE HARVEST (11/23) John Cusak and Billy Bob Thornton star as the bumbling embezzlers from Scott Phillips's 2000 novel.

MEMOIRS OF GEISHA (12/9) A long time coming (Steven Spielberg was first slated to direct), the 1997 novel makes it onscreen with Rob Marshell directing and Ziyi Zhang starring.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (12/9) Look out, Harry Potter. Aslan's about to roar.

KING KONG (12/14) The Lord of the Rings' Peter Jackson brings the ape back to life.

ALL THE KING'S MEN (12/16) Oscar bait with Sean Penn and Jude Law, based on the 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

FUN WITH DICK & JANE (12/21) Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni, as a criminal couple, step into the roles of originally played by George Segal and Jane Fonda.

MUNICH (12/23) Steven Spielberg examines the terrorist attacks at the 1972 Olympics.

Don't Forget About...
FLIGHTPLAN (Sept. 23) Jodie Foster's young daughter vanishes halfway through a cross-continental flight. So much for that whole friendly-skies business.

CORPSE BRIDE (Sept. 23) Johnny Depp teams up with director Tim Burton for the fifth time in this animated zombie comedy.

ELZABETHTOWN (Oct. 14) Orlando Blooms first date with flight attendant Kirsten Dunst? His father's funeral. Love ensues anyway.