After watching the awesomely amazing Batman Begins I was completely under the impression that Katie Holmes‘s character Rachel Dawes would not be returning in the next movie. Not for contractual reasons or anything like, that but rather simply because they seemed to insinuate that her relationship with Bruce as we had known it was not possible anymore, and that she was moving on with her life without him. For more on this see the last 5 minutes of Batman Begins.

Well as various sources are reporting Katie Holmes was offered 2 million dollars to reprise the role and turned it down, presumably to star in an intellectually devoid comedy starring Queen Latifa, and on top of that the studio is still looking to cast someone else as the character as Rachel Dawes.

It’s nearly impossible to tell where fact starts and speculation begins in all this. The fact that Katie was offered 2 million to star in the Batman Begins sequel Dark Knight, and turned the role down due to “scheduling conflicts” seems all we can be sure of. The question of whether her doing this retarded Queen Latifa movie is the source of her conflict could be mainly speculation as could the talk of there still being a desire to cast someone else as Rachel Dawes instead of simply working around the charcter not being in the film, as there is no reason for a sequel not to be able to work if she weren’t returning.

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BBC news brings us news of a new animated series called “The Infinite Quest” starring none other than The Doctor himself, Doctor Who. Currently planned to be a 13 episode series it will feature the Doctor and his new sidekick traveling through many worlds to find an ancient spaceship.

Anthony Stewart Head, best known as Giles the Watcher in Buffy: The Vampire Slaver, will voice the vilain of the series, Balthazar. No confirmation of whether David Tennant and other stars of the live action series will be featured as the voices of their respective characters has been made at this time.

Although this was made by the creators of Soul Calibur and Tekken, this game is more like Power Stone meets Def Jam Vendetta than either of those two titles. You play as Brad Hawk, an out-of-town mercenary recruited to help stop a gang war. You’ll play through over 90 levels and recruit new fighters to your cause. This game boasts a line up of over 60 characters (among them Paul and Law from Tekken), many of which are unlockable. Multiplayer modes for up to four players help up the replay value. Although it’s simplified compared to Tekken, the fighting engine is actually deeper than most brawlers. You can perform counters, weapon strilkes, and even team up with another fighter to preform an assist. This may not be the deepest fighter you’ve played, but it’s definently fun to play, especially when you have friends over.

Rush Hour 3. Chris Tucker’s last movie was Rush Hour 2. The one before that? Rush Hour. How is it he has only made 3 movies in a decade? Jackie Chan has made 16.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters may or may not be good. The trailer made me laugh. It opens March 23rd.

King Of California is at Sundance and doesn’t yet have distribution, but will likely see a wide release this summer. Michael Douglas stars as a mental patient who takes his daughter on a hunt for Spanish gold.

1408 is based on a Stephen King short story with John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson. I think the names are an endorsement enough of this one, but the trailer looks pretty good too.

The next gen is fully underway now and the one thing all 3 major players have in common is that they want you do download games. With content being added on a weekly basis, there’s a lot to cover…

Playstation Network
We’re still waiting for Tekken 5 to hit the US, even if it’s already available in Hong Kong and plenty of folks have set up dummy accounts to get it. fl0w is due in february, and looks like it may be the breakout hit Sony’s been waiting for. In the meantime you can always play Gran Turismo HD, though Major Nelson thinks it looks suspiciously like PGR3. The PS Network has a huge potential with the ability to download games to play on a PSP, but the very low numbers of available games keep even ecstatic supporters from being able to invest too heavily.
Full List of PS3 Network games

Wii Virtual Console
With just over 2 months in the market, they’ve got the strongest lineup, if not the most original. Last week saw the release of Legend Of Zelda III: A Link To The Past, and this coming monday we’ve got Mario Kart 64 and the Sega Genesis classic Comix Zone. Hopefully you didn’t blow your Wii Points on Urban Champion. Not suprisingly, Japan is getting quite a few more games than we are for now. This will hopefully even out as the year goes on.
List of Virtual Console titles

Xbox Live Arcade
While not in the game market as long as the competition, Microsoft has a huge lead on classic and original titles available for download. Must buys include Geometry Wars and Marble Blast Ultra, with enhanced arcade titles like Contra, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Street Fighter II. The classic titles aren’t nearly as varied as those found on Wii’s Virtual Console, but online leaderboards and multiplayer keep you from getting bored. The ability to demo any game is also helpful since Microsoft’s point system is designed specifically to trick you into thinking you are spending less money than you are. This past week saw the release of Heavy Weapon, which I played for 40 minutes on the demo before having to take a break. It appears the only benefit to buying the game is to get the achievement points and only play. Forthcoming games include Alien Hominid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and a game based on MEGAFORCE. I’m not kidding. Megaforce.
List Of Xbox Live Arcade titles