The most interesting news about the Batman franchise this week isn't that a release date's been set for the next in Chris Nolan's triumphant series (July 20, 2012). It's that someone somewhere's producing a Batman stage show. 'The Joooo-ker of Arkham Asylum is theeeere' (sang to the tune of the Phantom of the Opera), maybe?

The Alien prequel is a lock with Ridley Scott in the big chair, and I for one am hoping for two things. First, that he leaves the historical epic genre for awhile. I mean, Gladiator was good, but has he done anything that didn't have sweeping shots of armies crashing on battlefields and platitudes of glory since then? Well yes, A Good Year, but it's when Scott tries somerhing different audiences stay away in droves.

Second, I hope he and Russell Crowe part ways for awhile. They're getting as boring as Tim Burton and Johnny Depp doing the same movie over and over again. I know, I've whined about the Burton/Depp/Bonham Carter triangle of doom for too long, so I'll just leave you with this hilarious clip and consider it all said.

After reports The Hobbit films had been delayed, they're going ahead for release at Christmas 2012 and 2013, and there's a remake of early Schwarzenegger vehicle Commando on the horizon.

In the strangest casting news I've heard since they reported Robin Williams was going to be a psychopathic killer in One Hour Photo, Mickey Rourke is apparently lined up to play Genghis Khan.

If Stephen King movies have any fans left after a generation of terrible films from Cat's Eye to Dreamcatcher, they might have hope in the news that a film (likely more than one, in fact) is finally in planning based on his Dark Tower fantasy series. After J J Abrams let the rights lapse, the holy box office Trinity of director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and writer Akiva Goldsman have snapped them up.