BBC - Films - High Noon - 11th December 2003

		Murphy Up To Bat No doubt Cillian Murphy's got luck of the Irish, having just landed the role of 'a villain' opposite Christian Bale in Batman 5. Murphy is a hot property in Hollywood right now after the breakout success of viral horror 28 Days Later in the States. He's currently starring alongside fellow Irishman Colin Farrell in Intermission, and in the upcoming period drama Girl With A Pearl Earring. With the script for Batman 5 being kept tightly under wraps, it's unclear what kind of silly costume Murphy will be wearing, and the actor doesn't give away much, saying: "The characters that are a bit darker, a bit more ambiguous, appeal to me." In other words: "I like the characters that are torn between good and bad."

		Talking Of Batman... George Clooney is set to star in political thriller Syriana, about the CIA's war on terrorism. Traffic scribe Stephen Gaghan is expected to direct the film, which is based on the memoir of ex-spook Robert Baer, titled (take a deep breath): See No Evil: The True Story Of A Foot Soldier In The CIA's War On Terrorism. Apparently Gaghan has used the book to create "a Traffic-like tapestry of intersecting storylines that range from foreign policy and intelligence to the oil industry and terrorism." Steven Soderbergh will co-produce with Clooney under their Section Eight banner, taking the shoot to North Africa and the Middle-East sometime in the New Year. Hello? Even Johnny Knoxville ain't that stupid.

		Talking Of Stupid... Ashton 'Toy Boy' Kutcher may star in Disney laffer A Lot Like Love. The romantic comedy, about two twentysomethings who find each other at the wrong time, will be directed by Brit helmer Nigel Cole as he comes off the success of Calendar Girls. Kutcher hasn't signed the dotted line as yet, although he has attended script readings. High Noon suggests the hold-up is likely connected to doubts about Kutcher's acting ability, which were raised last month when Cameron Crowe dropped him from the line-up of Elizabethtown. An unnamed source told The New York Post: "Cameron was unhappy with his read-throughs. Ashton did several and each one was worse and worse." Two words, Nigel: Just Married.

		But Back To Batman Because there isn't much else going on today, High Noon brings you news that Batman 5 will be "more natural" than its forerunners. Michael Caine, who recently signed on to play Bruce Wayne's butler, gave LA reporters a hint of what director Christopher Nolan has in mind for the caped crusader. He said: "I had a long conversation with Christopher Nolan before I accepted the part. He explained to me what his outlook on Batman was, and why he wanted me in it. The short answer is, he wants it to be more natural." Caine elaborates: "I find a lot of these comic book heroes boring, because they're invincible. If you're bullet-proof, where's the jeopardy for the hero? You can't gas him. You can't kill him. So what's the point? But he's making a very, very natural Batman." Okay, we get the 'natural' part, Michael. So, what else did Nolan tell you? "I remember one phrase he said to me. I said: 'Well, he's very powerful and strong'. And he said: 'Yes, he is Michael, but not because of Kryptonite. It's because he does push-ups!" That's bearing in mind, of course, that Kryptonite actually has a weakening effect on Superman. (Quite a lot of people know that.)