In ancient Rome, victorious generals were rewarded with a triumphal procession throughout the streets of the capital at the head of defeated armies and captured slaves.

Carts and chariots laden with war-booty and exotic animals from far-flung lands followed in his wake. All the while, to keep the general humble amid the adulation, a slave whispered in his ear, “All glory is fleeting.”

In modern Hollywood, movie stars attend premieres and awards shows laden with gift baskets containing Palm Pilots, designer watches, gift certificates for day spas, iPods and digital cameras, all while sporting loaned Harry Winston diamonds and payments from designers to wear their clothes. Agents, managers, publicists and personal assistants whisper in their ears, “ ‘Get Carter’ is testing through the roof in Davenport. It’s your best work since ‘Rhinestone’.”

So it’s no wonder that when a star is out of the public eye for a year or more people begin to wonder. Well, wonder no more, as once again we preview the projects of those “missing in action” – the stars who failed to make a major motion picture appearance last year.

As the size of this feature attests, sitting out a single year almost never means a star is out of the game.

Apropos of “Get Carter”, Sylvester Stallone has been off domestic screens since 2001’s “Driven.” His film “D-Tox” (also known as “Eye See You”) was delayed and ultimately sent straight to video. He has two films awaiting distribution.

“Avenging Angelo” is a romantic comedy-actioner about a woman who, after her Mafia-boss father is murdered, sets out with her father’s former bodyguard to find the killer. Martyn Burke (“Gross Anatomy”) directed from a screenplay by Will Aldis and Steve Mackall. Stallone stars with Anthony Quinn (“A Walk in the Clouds”), Andy Garcia (“The Man from Elysian Fields”), Madeleine Stowe (“We Were Soldiers”), Billy Gardell and Harry Van Gorkum (One Night at McCools”). Warner Bros. has yet to set a release date.

"Shade” is a thriller about three poker hustlers who become the prey of the gangster they cheated. Damian Nieman makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. Stallone stars as the gangster, nicknamed “The Dean.” Thandie Newton (“The Truth About Charlie”), Gabriel Byrne (“Ghost Ship,” “Spider”), Stuart Townsend (“Queen of the Damned”), Jaime Foxx (“Ali”) and Melanie Griffith (“Cecil B. Demented”) co-star. It has no domestic distributor.

Fast-talking Chris Tucker hasn’t been seen since 2001’s “Rush Hour 2,” and he apparently hasn’t been able to talk Hollywood into starting any of the projects he’s been associated with, such as “Mr. President” or “The Birth of the Pink Panther.” He is expected to start filming “Rush Hour 3” with Jackie Chan and director Brett Ratner (“Red Dragon”) as soon as Ratner finishes post-production on “Superman.” Expect the New Line release sometime in 2004.

Keanu Reeves may have been offscreen, but he was certainly busy. Hard at work on the back-to-back productions of “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” he had no other projects in the works until well after they had wrapped.

A sequel to the 1999 sci-fi action blockbuster, “Reloaded” rejoins Neo six months after learning to “fly.” He continues the fight alongside Morpheus and Trinity as more and more humans are alerted to the true nature of their existence. Returnees from part one include writer-directors Andy & Larry Wachowski (“Bound”), as well as actors Reeves, Laurence Fishburne (“Once in the Life,” “Biker Boyz”), Carrie-Anne Moss (“Memento”) and Hugo Weaving (“Russian Doll”). Newcomers to the series include Jada Pinkett Smith (“Ali”), Monica Bellucci (“The Brotherhood of the Wolf”), Nona Gaye (“Ali”), Harold Perrineau (“Woman on Top”), Daniel Bernhardt (“Blood Sport II: The Next Kumite”), Matt McColm (“Space Cowboys”), Harry J. Lennix (“Collateral Damage”), Stuart Wells (“Billy Elliot”), Lambert Wilson (“Jefferson in Paris”), Ray Jones Jr. (“Devil’s Advocate”), Christine Anu (“Moulin Rouge!”), Lachy Hulme (“Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course”) and Collin Chou. Warner Bros. reboots the franchise May 15.

The third part of the series uploads Nov. 7.

An Untitled Romantic Comedy puts Reeves in the midst of a romantic triangle with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Reeves will play a doctor who attends to a man after he suffers a heart attack at the home of his much-younger girlfriend’s mother (Keaton). Both men find themselves falling in love with the mother. Nancy Meyers (“What Women Want”) is set to direct from her own screenplay. Sony has yet to set a release date.

Hugh Jackman’s been spending some of his year off filming “X-Men 2.” The sci-fi actioner, a sequel to the 2000 blockbuster, revisits the amnesic mutant Logan, who is drawn closer to his past when an escaped Erik “Magneto” Lensherr tries to help X-Men leader Charles Xavier halt a plot to wipe out the planet’s mutants. Returnees from part one include director Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “Apt Pupil”) and screenwriter David Hayter (“The Scorpion King”), as well as actors Jackman as Logan, Patrick Stewart (“Star Trek: Nemesis”) as Xavier, Ian McKellen (the “Lord of the Rings” series) as Magneto, Famke Janssen (“I Spy”) as Dr. Jean “Marvel Girl” Grey, James Marsden (“Sugar & Spice”) as Scott “Cyclops” Summers, Halle Berry (“Die Another Day”) as Ororo “Storm” Munroe, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (“Femme Fatale”) and Bruce Davison (“High Crimes”) as Mystique, Shawn Ashmore (“Strike”) as Bobby “Iceman” Drake, and Anna Paquin (“25th Hour”) as Marie “Rogue” D’Ancanto. Newcomers to the series include Alan Cumming (“Spy Kids 2,” Nicholas Nickleby”) as Kurt “Nightcrawler” Wagner, Katie Stuart (“Masterminds”) as Katherine “Shadowcat” Pryde, Brian Cox (“Adaptation,” “25th Hour”) as Stryker, Aaron Stanford (“Tadpole”) as Pyro, and Kelly Hu (“Scorpion King,” “Cradle 2 the Grave”) as Deathstrike. Fox makes it a double May 2.

Jackman takes on another well-known character in “Van Helsing” The horror thriller, set in the late 19th century, follows the famed monster-hunting doctor as he travels to Eastern Europe to destroy Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s monster. Stephen Sommers (“The Mummy” franchise) directs from his own screenplay. Schuler Hensley (“Someone Like You”) co-stars as Frankenstein’s monster with ballet dancer Will Kemp as Velkan and model Josie Maran as Marie. Universal leads the torchlight parade May 21, 2004.

Jim Carrey hasn’t been in movie theatres since he was in a movie theatre in 2001’s box office disappointment “The Majestic.” He hopes to return to omnipotence in “Bruce Almighty,” a comedy about an unlucky man who curses God – only to have God appear, make the man all-powerful and issue this challenge: do a better job with the universe over the next 24 hours, or see the world return to chaos. Directed by Tom Shadyac (“Patch Adams,” “Dragonfly”) from a screenplay by Steve Oedekerk (“Kung Pow: Enter the Fist,” “Jimmy Neutron”), Steven Koren (“A Night at the Roxbury,” “Superstar”) and Mark O’Keefe (TV’s “Newsradio”), the film co-stars Jennifer Aniston (“The Good Girl”), Morgan Freeman (“The Sum of All Fears”), Emilio Rivera (“Friday After Next”) and Lisa Ann Walter (“The Parent Trap”). Universal decrees that it shall debut May 23.

In the meantime, Carrey will be filming “Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events” (also known as “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Lemony Snicket”). Based on the wildly popular book series by Daniel Handler, it’s about the comic adventures of three orphans who are taken in by Count Olaf, a relative who is trying to separate the children from an undisclosed fortune. Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black II”) is directing from a screenplay by Handler. Filming was set to start December 2002. Paramount plans to release it Dec. 19, 2003.

Then it’s on to the latest work from the prolific pen of Charlie Kaufman. “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind” is a comedy about a man (Carrey) who undergoes a procedure to erase memories of his ex-girlfriend – but begins to regret the erasure when he’s left with only memories of their earlier, happy days. Michel Gondry (“Adaptation”) is set to direct from a screenplay by Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich,” “Human Nature,” “Adaptation,” “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”). Focus has yet to set a release date.

Johnny Depp has been in theatres in the documentary “Lost in La Mancha” about the disasters that befell the abortive production of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.” Director Terry Gilliam still hopes to revive the comic fantasy about a contemporary advertising executive who finds himself in 17th-century Spain, where he is mistaken for Don Quixote’s sidekick Sancho Panza. The screenplay is by “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” screenwriter Tony Grisoni. Depp, Jean Rochefort (“Ridicule”) and Depp’s girlfriend Vanessa Paradis (“The Girl on the Bridge”) may still star.

In the meantime, it’s the pirates’ life for Depp. “The Pirates Of The Caribbean” is an action-adventure, set in the 17th century, about a mannerly yet bloodthirsty pirate who teams with a governor’s daughter to prevent a ship of treacherous pirates from reversing an ancient curse that leaves them stuck between life and death. It’s loosely based on the Disneyland ride. Gore Verbinski (“The Ring”) directs from a screenplay by Terry Russio & Ted Elliot (“Shrek”). Geoffrey Rush (“The Banger Sisters”), Orlando Bloom (the “Lord of the Rings” series), Keira Knightley (“Star Wars: The Phantom Menace”) and Isaac C. Singleton Jr. (“Planet of the Apes”) star. Buena Vista says you must be at least this tall for the 2003 release.

Not based on any theme park ride is “Neverland,” the true story of how J.M. Barrie was inspired to write “Peter Pan” by the kids next door, whose father had left them and whose mother was dying. It’s based on the play “The Man Who Was Peter Pan” by Alan Knee. Marc Forster (“Monster’s Ball”) directs from a screenplay by David Magee and Allan Knee. Depp’s co-stars include Kate Winslet (“Enigma,” “The Life of David Gale”), Julie Christie (“No Such Thing”), Dustin Hoffman (“Moonlight Mile”) and Radha Mitchell (“Pitch Black”). Miramax is dreaming of a release this summer.

“Once Upon A Time In Mexico” finds Depp in the sequel to “El Mariachi” and “Desperado,” this time about a drug lord planning to assassinate Mexico’s president, and the men who try to stop him. Returnees from two previous “Mariachi” sagas include writer-director Robert Rodriguez (the “Spy Kids” series). Returnees from “Desperado” include Antonio Banderas (“Frida”), Salma Hayek (“Frida”), Cheech Marin (the “Spy Kids” series), and Danny Trejo (the “Spy Kids” series). Newcomers to the franchise include Mickey Rourke (“The Pledge”), Willem Dafoe (“Auto Focus”), Eva Mendes (“All About the Benjamins”), Rodolfo De Alexandre (“Medicine Man”), Pedro Armendáriz Jr. (“Original Sin”), Julio Oscar Mechoso (“Pumpkin”), Marco Leonardi (“Texas Rangers”) and pop star Enrique Iglesias. Sony breaks out the guitars this autumn.

No stranger to Roman ritual, “Gladiator” star Russell Crowe has been busy tabloiding around the world since “A Beautiful Mind” debuted in December 2001. He gets back to work next on “Master And Commander.” The action adventure, set on the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars, follows the exploits of two friends, surgeon-masterspy Stephen Maturin and Captain Jack Aubrey of the British Royal Navy, who sail the world chasing down a French super-frigate called the Acheron. It’s based on the best-selling 1970 novel by Patrick O’Brian (and its 19 sequels). Peter Weir (“Green Card,” “The Truman Show”) directs from a screenplay by Weir (“Green Card”), Larry Ferguson (“Rollerball”) and John Collee. Crowe stars as Aubrey, Paul Bettany (“Gangster No. 1”) as Maturin. Billy Boyd (the “Lord of the Rings” series) co-stars. Fox lets it out of port June 6.

Crowe then comes ashore in “Tripoli.” The historical epic, based on true events and set in early 19th century Saharan Africa, follows U.S. diplomat William Eaton, who helped the rightful ruler of Tripoli regain his throne and overthrow the kingdom’s oppressive ruler (thereby inspiring a line in the Marine Corps hymn). Ridley Scott (“Hannibal,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Matchstick Men”) is set to direct from a screenplay by William Monahan. Beastly summer weather has forced a delay in shooting until fall. Crowe has yet to settle on a variety of interim projects. Fox is keeping a date open for the epic.

John Travolta took 2002 off except for an “Austin Powers” cameo. Now he’s ready to get back to “Basic.” The thriller, set at a basic-training camp, is about an investigation into a murder that occurred during a devastating hurricane. John McTiernan (“The Thomas Crown Affair,” “Rollerball”) directs from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt (“Darkness Falls”) and Cathy Robin. Samuel L. Jackson (“Formula 51”), Connie Nielsen (“One Hour Photo”), Brian Van Holt (“Black Hawk Down”), Giovanni Ribisi (“Heaven”), Dash Mihok (“The Perfect Storm”), Roselyn Sanchez (“Rush Hour 2”), Taye Diggs (“Chicago”), Harry Connick Jr. (“Hope Floats”), Tim Daly (“The Object of My Affection”) and Cristian de la Fuente (“John Carpenter’s Vampires”) co-star. Sony laces up the boots April 18.

Off screen since 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Ben Stiller has a 6-pack of films in process.

“Duplex” is a comedy, set in New York, about a yuppie couple who realize the only thing keeping them from their dream apartment is the little old tenant currently residing there. Danny DeVito (“Matilda,” “Death to Smoochy”) directs from a screenplay by Larry Doyle (TV’s “The Simpsons”). Stiller and Drew Barrymore (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”) co-star as the couple. Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein (“Death to Smoochy,” “Jump”), Justin Theroux (“Mulholland Drive”), James Remar (“What Lies Beneath”), Amber Valletta (“Max Keeble’s Big Move”), Tim Maculan (TV’s “Six Feet Under”), Swoosie Kurtz (“The Rules of Attraction”) and Robert Wisdom (“Storytelling”) co-star. Miramax puts it in the classifieds March 14.

“Envy” finds Stiller in a comedy about the jealousy one man feels when his longtime friend and neighbor suddenly becomes rich from selling an invention. Barry Levinson (“Bandits,” “An Everlasting Piece”) directs from a screenplay by Steve Adams. Jack Black (“Orange County”), Christopher Walken (“Catch Me if You Can”), Amy Poehler (“Wet Hot American Summer”) and Rachel Weisz (“About a Boy”) star. DreamWorks covets a 2003 release date.

It doesn’t have a title, but it does have Ben Stiller. “Untitled John Hamburg” is a romantic comedy about a risk-averse married man – he analyzes risk for a living – whose life is turned upside down when he gets involved in a dangerous romance with another woman. Jennifer Aniston (“Bruce Almighty”) stars as that other woman. Debra Messing (“The Mothman Prophecies”) plays Stiller’s unfaithful wife. Philip Seymour Hoffman (“25th Hour”), Hank Azaria (“America’s Sweethearts”) and Alec Baldwin (“The Adventures of Pluto Nash”) co-star. Universal dares to release it Oct. 10.

Stiller reteams up with his pal and frequent co-star Owen Wilson (“I Spy,” “Shanghai Knights”) for “Starsky and Hutch.” The feature film version of the 1970s cop show about two unconventional detectives – and their red Ford Torino with the big white stripe and cool wheels – also stars rapper-actor Snoop Dogg (“Bones”) as their stylish informant Huggy Bear.

“Meet The Fockers” finds Stiller reprising his role as Gaylord Focker in this sequel to the 2000 comedy blockbuster “Meet the Parents.” Other returnees from part one are expected to include director Jay Roach (“Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”), screenwriter Jim Herzfeld (“Meet the Deedles”), and actors Robert De Niro (“Analyze That”), Teri Polo (“Domestic Disturbance”) and Blythe Danner (“The Invisible Circus”). Newcomers to the series include screenwriters Chris & Paul Weitz (“About A Boy”). Universal says it’s coming, but won’t say when.

New Line has yet to set a date for “Run Ronnie Run!” The comedy is about a man who becomes famous after he is shown getting arrested numerous times on police-themed reality TV shows. Troy Miller (“Jack Frost”) directed from a screenplay by Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, B.J. Porter, Scott Aukerman and Brian Posehn (all writers from HBO’s “Mr. Show”). Stiller’s co-stars include David Cross (“Men in Black II”), Bob Odenkirk (“The Independent”), Brian Posehn (“The Wedding Singer”), Jack Black (“Envy”), David Koechner (“Whatever It Takes”), Nikki Cox (“The Nutty Professor II”), David Duchovny (“Full Frontal”), R. Lee Ermay (“Megiddo: The Omega Code 2”), Dave Foley (“Monkeybone”), Andy Richter (“Big Trouble”), Laura Kightlinger (“Shallow Hal”), and M.C. Gainey (“The Country Bears”).

Kevin Spacey was another of the myriad of actors whose work in 2002 consisted solely of a cameo in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” He takes on the title role in “The Life Of David Gale,” about which more can be read in this month's preview.

Meg Ryan had her own tabloid-y year (see “Crowe, Russell”) following the Christmas 2001 release of the romantic comedy “Kate & Leopold.” Next, she cuts against the grain of her accustomed twinkly persona in “Against The Ropes.” The drama, based on a true story, is about a Jewish woman from Detroit who becomes a boxing manager, guides several major careers and eventually becomes commissioner of the International Female Boxing Association. Actor Charles S. Dutton (“Country Bears”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Cheryl Edwards (“Save the Last Dance”). Ryan’s co-stars include Dutton, Omar Epps (“Big Trouble”), Tony Shalhoub (“Men in Black II”), Kerry Washington (“Bad Company”), Tim Daly and Joe Cortese (“American History X”). Paramount rings the bell March 14.

Ryan follows that up with the equally against-type “In The Cut.” The erotic thriller follows an NYU professor who grows suspicious of her new lover, a cop investigating a murder in her neighborhood. It’s based on the novel by Susannah Moore. Jane Campion (“Portrait of a Lady,” “Holy Smoke”) directed from her own screenplay. Sharing the screen with Ryan are Mark Ruffalo (“A View From the Top”) Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Road to Perdition”), Kevin Bacon (“Trapped”) and Ellizzette Duvall (“Two Weeks Notice,” “Gangs of New York”). Sony plans a 2003 release.

In the last year or two Sharon Stone braved Komodo dragons and brain aneurysms, but now faces “The Devil’s Throat.” The drama is about a couple who move their family away from the city to reside in a spacious country farmhouse, only to find that the previous owner has returned from prison and desperately wants his abode back. Mike Figgis (“The Loss of Sexual Innocence,” “Miss Julie,” “Timecode”) directs from a screenplay by Richard Jefferies (“Blood Tide”). Stone’s co-stars include Dennis Quaid (“Far From Heaven”), Stephen Dorff (“feardotcom”), Juliette Lewis (“Enough,” “Old School”) and Christopher Plummer (“Ararat,” “Nicholas Nickleby”). Buena Vista has yet to set a move-in date.

Missing since 2000’s “Finding Forrester,” Sean Connery comes back in a big way in “The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” The sci-fi action thriller, set in 1898 England, follows a group of diverse literary heroes commissioned by Queen Victoria to stop an evildoer from conquering the world. It’s loosely based on the comic book series created by Alan Moore (“From Hell”). Steve Norrington (“Blade”) directs from a screenplay by Alex Ayres and comic book writer James Robinson (“Starman,” “Hawkman”). Connery stars as adventurer Alan Quatermain, Peta Wilson (TV’s “La Femme Nikita”) as vampire slayer Mina Harker, Jason Flemyng (“Mean Machine”) as scientist Henry Jekyll, Naseeruddin Shah (“Monsoon Wedding”) as submarine captain Nemo, Max Ryan (“Kiss of the Dragon”) as Dante Inferno, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge!”) as the Fantom, Stuart Townsend (“Queen of the Damned”) as Dorian Gray and Shane West (“A Walk to Remember”) as Tom Sawyer. Fox has penned July 11 for the release.

Last seen in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Gene Hackman turns up next in “The Runaway Jury.” The legal thriller, set in New Orleans, is about a juror and his girlfriend, who manipulate their peers as they decide a landmark gun lobby case. It’s based on the novel by John Grisham (“A Time To Kill,” “The Rainmaker”). Gary Fleder (“Don’t Say a Word,” “Imposter”) directed from a screenplay by Brian Koppelman & David Levien (“Rounders,” “Knockaround Guys”). John Cusack (“Serendipity,” “Max”), Rachel Weisz (“Envy”), Dustin Hoffman (“Moonlight Mile”), Melora Walters (“Magnolia”), Bruce McGill (“The Sum of All Fears”), Jennifer Beals (“Roger Dodger”) and Jeremy Piven (“Black Hawk Down”) co-star. Fox plans to make its case sometime in 2003.

Penélope Cruz had a small role in the long-delayed and little-seen “Waking Up in Reno” in 2002, but has otherwise been invisible (except in the tabloids) since 2001’s “Vanilla Sky.” She gets back to work in “Masked & Anonymous.” The drama, set in a nation torn by civil war, is about a washed-up musician who prepares for his last benefit concert. It’s based on the unpublished short story “Los Vientos del Destino” by Enrique Morales. Larry Charles (TV’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov. Bob Dylan (“Hearts of Fire”), Angela Bassett (“Sunshine State”), Jessica Lange (M.I.A. herself since 1999’s “Titus”), Luke Wilson (“The Royal Tenenbaums”), John Goodman (“Storytelling”), Jeff Bridges (“K-Pax”), Giovanni Ribisi (“Heaven”), Val Kilmer (“The Salton Sea”) and Ed Harris (“The Hours”) star. The film is seeking domestic distribution.

In “Don’t Tempt Me” a brain injury leads to a battle (over the soul of a boxer) between an angel (from a Heaven which resembles Paris at its most beautiful) and a waitress (from a Hell that looks like a red prison in which everyone must speak English). Agustin Diaz Yanes (“No One Will Speak of Us When We Are Dead”) directs from his own screenplay. Cruz stars as the waitress, Victoria Abril (“Jimmy Hollywood”) the angel and Demian Bichir (“Solo”) the boxer. Fanny Ardant (“8 Women”), Javier Bardem (“Before Night Falls,” “The Dancer Upstairs”), Gael Garcia Bernal (“The Crime of Father Amaro”) and Gemma Jones (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) co-star. First Look Pictures prays for a 2003 release for the English-, Spanish-, Latin- and French-language film.

Benicio Del Toro has managed to stay out of sight since January 2001’s “The Pledge.” He’s been tracked down for “The Hunted,” about which more can be read in this month's preview.

He follows with “21 Grams” from the “Amores Perros” team of director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. It’s a crime drama about a woman, her faithless lover and an ex-con. Del Toro is reunited with his “Pledge” director Sean Penn. Naomi Watts (“The Ring”) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (“My Wife is an Actress”) co-star. Focus is weighing a 2003 release.

Off the big screen since 2000’s “102 Dalmatians” Glenn Close has busied herself with television projects, but being Glenn Close, she’s not going to be ignored. Indeed, she appears next in Woody Allen’s “Anything Else.” Allen reportedly plays a character in love with a woman less than half his age (And no, we’re not talking about Glenn Close). Co-stars include Jason Biggs (“American Pie 2”), Stockard Channing (“Life or Something Like It”), Danny DeVito (“Death to Smoochy”), Jimmy Fallon (“Almost Famous”), singer Diana Krall (“At First Sight”) and Christina Ricci (“Pumpkin”) as the young woman. DreamWorks plans a spring 2003 release.

If Close plays Allen’s wife, that would be grounds for “Le Divorce.” It’s a comic romantic drama based on the novel by Diane Johnson. James Ivory (“The Golden Bowl”) directed from a screenplay by Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (“The Golden Bowl”). Close’s co-stars include Kate Hudson (“The Four Feathers”), Naomi Watts (“21 Grams”), Stockard Channing (“Anything Else”) as Mother, Sam Waterston (“The Proprietor”) as Father, as well as Matthew Modine (“Any Given Sunday”), Leslie Caron (“Chocolat”), Thierry Lhermitte (“The Closet”), Bebe Neuwirth (“Tadpole”), Romain Duris (“CQ”), Stephen Fry (“Gosford Park”), Jean-Marc Barr (“Dancer in the Dark”), and Catherine Samie (“Jefferson in Paris”). Fox Searchlight divides the assets in the second quarter of 2003.

“The Safety Of Objects” is a drama about four suburban families based on a collection of short stories by A.M. Homes (“The End of Alice”). Rose Troche (“Go Fish,” “Bedrooms and Hallways”) directs from her own screenplay. Close co-stars with Patricia Clarkson (“The Pledge,” “All the Real Girls”), Dermot Mulroney (“About Schmidt”), Timothy Olyphant (“Rock Star”), Mary Kay Place (“Sweet Home Alabama”), Moira Kelly (“Dangerous Beauty”), Jessica Campbell (“Election”), Joshua Jackson (“Gossip”), Robert Klein (“Two Weeks Notice”), Alex House (TV’s “Out of Sync”), Sam Jennings (“A Price Above Rubies”) and Sally Christianson. IFC plays it safe with a limited March 7 release.

Michael Douglas has kept a high profile in the last year, but entirely offscreen. He’s seen next in “A Few Good Years,” about which more can be learned this month's preview.

Douglas then hitches up to “Till Death Do Us Part,” a remake of the 1979 Peter Falk/Alan Arkin comedy “The In-Laws.” It’s about a father-of-the-bride podiatrist (Albert Brooks) who finds himself recruited by the father-of-the-groom CIA agent (Douglas) to help with a dangerous South American mission. Andy Fleming (“The Craft,” “Dick”) directed from a screenplay by Nat Maudlin (“The Preacher’s Wife,” “Doctor Dolittle”) and Ed Solomon (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Levity”). Co-stars include Ryan Reynolds (“National Lampoon’s Van Wilder”), Candice Bergen (“Sweet Home Alabama”) and Lindsay Sloane (“Bring it On”). The Warner Bros. film, sometimes called “The Wedding Party” throws the rice May 23.

Annette Bening has been absent from the movie theatres since 2000’s “What Planet Are You From?” That pretty much says it all. She returns in “Open Range,” a western drama about four nomadic cattle herders who team up to rid a remote town of a malicious rancher. Kevin Costner (“Dances With Wolves,” “The Postman”) directs from a screenplay by Craig Storper. Bening’s co-stars include Costner (“Dragonfly”), Robert Duvall (“A Shot at Glory”), Diego Luna (“Frida”), Abraham Benrubi (“The Man Who Wasn’t There”) and Michael Gambon (“Charlotte Gray”). Buena Vista is holding open a 2003 release.