Seven years after Superman Returns debuted disappointingly, the series reboot has opened faster than a speeding bullet

The winner

How long should a franchise lie fallow before it can be rebooted successfully? With its premier comic-book property, Warner Bros allowed an eight-year gap between Batman and Robin and Batman Begins, although it's worth remembering that grosses for the Christopher Nolan trilogy only reached spectacular levels with The Dark Knight, three years later; the sequel made £49.1m, as opposed to just £16.6m for Batman Begins. Sony did pretty well with The Amazing Spider-Man only five years after Spider-Man 3, whereas Universal didn't create much excitement with Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk, five years after Ang Lee's less-than-fully achieved Hulk.

Seven years after Superman Returns underwhelmed audiences with a total of £16.4m in the UK and Ireland, the pricey Man of Steel always looked likely to improve on that total. With Nolan on board as producer,...

Sixteen years ago today, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion hit theaters. It’s hard to believe it was so long ago… But now we get to revisit Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino and the rest of the cast, which also included Janeane Garofalo, but more surprisingly, Kristen Bauer (!) and Justin Theroux (!!).

Lisa Kudrow (Michele Weinberger)

The former Friends actress has starred in a slew of shows and films. Kudrow currently stars in Web Therapy as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who works with patients over the internet.

Mira Sorvino (Romy White)

Sorvino has popped up here and there, including a 2000 film version of The Great Gatsby and Mimic. The latter resulted in a compound excreted by the sunburst diving beetle being named after her (“mirasorvone”).

Up Next: Alan Cumming, Jennifer Aniston’s fiance and more.

Now that "The Great Gatsby" has moved out of the busy holiday season, you have more time to focus on any of the other seven major releases coming out during December. Like "This Is 40," Judd Apatow's comedy-drama about growing older with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprising their characters from "Knocked Up."

The second full-length trailer for "This Is 40" debuted on Tuesday, and while it dispenses with the original's "We Are Young" music cue, the clip still looks fun(.), poignant and perfectly James L. Brooks-ian: That is Albert Brooks -- he of Brooks' classic "Broadcast News" among a dozen other classics -- as Rudd's onscreen father, providing the biggest laugh in the "This Is 40" trailer (and perhaps of the entire year). As per usual for Apatow, the cast of "This Is 40" is impeccable. Rudd, Mann and Brooks are joined by a cavalcade of famous faces,...

Stills from David Cronenberg's psychiatrist love triangle tale A Dangerous Method, magazine photo scans from the anticipated sequel Scream 4, and the first shot of the power battery in The Green Lantern.

The first photos of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law on the set of Sherlock Holmes 2, Javier Bardem and Barry Pepper in priest smocks shooting Terrence Malick's next untitled project, and Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner on the set of the fourth Mission: Impossible.

Posters for The Green Hornet, The Fighter, Mars Needs Moms, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

"Australian director Baz Luhrmann and his writing partner Craig Pearce are in New York "work shopping" the script for a possible new adaptation of "The Great Gatsby". Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Rebecca Hall have read for Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Daisy, respectively..." (full details)

"Darren Aronofsky and 20th Century Fox are planning to shoot...

Love is still in the cards for offbeat folk singer/massage therapist Phoebe Buffay from NBC's powerhouse comedy Friends. Paul Rudd, who appeared in nine episodes of the Warner Bros. TV series this season, playing Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) boyfriend Mike, has signed on to return for the last two episodes this season and to recur on the show's 18-episode final season in the fall. The deal for Rudd, whose character is currently on a break from Phoebe, is to co-star in five episodes next season with an option for another five. Rudd's credits include the features The Object of My Affection, in which he starred opposite Friends star Jennifer Aniston, The Cider House Rules, The Chateau and A&E's 2001 remake of The Great Gatsby. The actor will next be seen in the feature The Shape of Things, set for release in May. He is repped by WMA and the Firm.

Thora Birch and Juliette Lewis have teamed up to star as sisters in the indie thriller Silence Becomes You for writer-director Stephanie Sinclaire. Toby Stephens, who starred as the villain Gustav Graves in MGM's Die Another Day, has been cast as the man who comes between them. Shooting on the project is under way in Ireland. It follows the story of two sisters -- bound together by more than blood -- who bring home a man on a dare only to see the situation spiral out of control. Sinclaire is also producing alongside Dragonfly Films' Karl Richards and Brian Freeston along with Sun Gateway Entertainment. Jack Cardiff, a veteran British cinematographer, will serve as a consultant on the film. Birch is repped by manager Jack Birch of Keep the Peace Prods. and attorney Brad Small of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. She next stars in the true-life tale Homeless to Harvard, set to air April 7 on Lifetime Television. Lewis, represented by WMA, is onscreen in DreamWorks Pictures' Old School opposite Luke Wilson. Stephens is repped by WMA. His credits include Possession and The Great Gatsby.