Trailer for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' offers peek at Tauriel character

Warner Bros.' Man of Steel is coming out on Friday, so it only makes sense that the distributor would release a trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to play before showings of the tentpole. The trailer for the next Hobbit released on the web today, and it promises more of the same pleasures as the first film, while also suggesting a slight darkening in tone, as the team led by Bilbo Baggins takes on Smaug, the dragon voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch (who's also the villain in this year's Star Trek Into Darkness)

The biggest surprise in the trailer is the presence of another female character, the elf warrior Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly. J.R.R. Tolkien was a man of his times, and his books are completely devoid of female characters. The absence of an entire gender feels particularly stark when you compare it to the fantasies of a modern generation--J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones. Turns out that Tauriel is actually an invention by Peter Jackson and his wife and producing partner Fran Walsh, who take liberties with Tolkien's non-gendered reference to an "elven guard."

One of the things I liked about The Hobbit was the fact that it wasn't as dark as the Lord of the Rings
series. If anything, the lightness and child-friendly feel helped
contextualize the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy by expanding the scope of Middle-earth. But that also seemed to be part of what left some viewers
cold--that and the dragged-out scenes that helped expand a single book
into three movies. The first Hobbit earned over $1 billion worldwide. The question for Smaug, which will come out this December, is if this middle child of a film can sustain the curiosity of viewers.

Time to go on a 'Business Trip' or to the 'Burlesque'?

By Sarah Sluis

With The Hangover a success, and its sequel greenlighted, one Hollywood screenwriter had the perfect pitch: the female version. Today, Variety announced that writer Stacey Hartman, who has sold some screenplays but has yet to see any of them made, will write the script Business Trip. It will follow a group of women who go on a corporate outing/conference/pitch. Of course, "anything but" ensues. The production company behind The Hangover, Benderspink, will produce, along with Universal Pictures.

I'm always itching to see female-oriented comedies that aren't centered on romance, so I'm totally on board with the plot. Plus, this would be a great chance to cast some up-and-comers in comedy, just as The Hangover cast rising faces like Zach Galifianakis alongside actors usually cast in supporting roles, like Ed Helms. Benderspink is currently producing romantic comedy Leap Year, which stars Amy Adams, so this project seems like a good way to blend the sensibilities of a "crazy night" comedy with a romantic comedy.

Another project that will star women, Burlesque, added Cher to its cast. She will play the owner of a modern burlesque club who mentors her new hire, a small-town girl (Christina Aguliera). The film will be a backstage musical, and both Cher and Aguilera will sing in their roles. Screen Gems, which mainly produces horror films and some comedies, is overseeing the project, which makes me wonder if this will be more genre/exploitation than an arty musical like Chicago or Moulin Rouge. The director, Steve Antin, is an actor who has recently transitioned to writing and directing. He directed a reality competition series about burlesque-style pop group The Pussycat Dolls, "Girlicious," so he's well-versed in filming costumed singing and dancing. Susannah Grant, who penned projects that have great female appeal, like Erin Brockovich and Ever After, revised the script. I'm uncertain about the vision of this film, especially if it's going to try to appeal to one gender over the other. Since shooting starts in November, we'll find out soon enough.

Audiences 'Obsessed' with Beyonc

By Sarah Sluis

This weekend's top draw at the box office was Obsessed, a thriller about a married man and his workplace stalker. Star Beyonc helped draw in female viewers, nudging the Sony Screen Gems picture to $28.5 million, its second-highest open after another kind of horror film, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Obsessed earned over double the gross of the runner-up, 17 Again. The Zac Efron starrer dropped 50% from last week to finish at $11.6 million.

At number three, Fighting brought in $11.4 million from the genre audience, and, despite a title ripe for mocking, earned a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Earning $8.5 million, Earth bragged the best open ever for a nature film, a boon for the new Disneynature label, which already has a follow-up, Oceans, planned for Earth Day 2010. Even with a star-studded cast, a pedigree director, and little competition, The Soloist earned a light $9.7 million. The music tale failed to hit the right note, and had little to entice audiences.

At number six, Monsters vs. Aliens continued to enjoy the long box-office ride characteristic of animated children's films, and especially 3D ones. In its fifth week of release, it earned $8.5 million while dropping just 35%, the smallest decrease of any top ten film. Compare that to third-weeker Hannah Montana: The Movie, which dropped 58% its first week, and slightly curbed its fall this week to 52%, grossing $6.3 million.

On the specialty side, Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Informers, Sundance's "designated punching bag," continued its beating, earning just $622 per theatre to bring in $300,000 at #19. On the flip side, Tyson earned $7,818 per theatre across eleven locations, an auspicious open for the documentary. This Friday, X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens alongside romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and 3D animated Battle for Terra.