Lively Secrets and Lies

HIGH ANTICIPATION

Big Fat Liar. Frankie Muniz, star of the hit sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” counterattacks the smarmy Hollywood executive who stole his screenplay. (Universal) (Feb. 8)

Birthday Girl. Enigmatic Russian mail-order bride Nicole Kidman comes to banker Ben Chaplin with unadvertised extras in director and co-writer Jez Butterworth’s dark romantic comedy. (Miramax) (Feb. 1)

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd and Maggie Smith populate a Southern story about a group of lifelong friends. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”) makes her directing debut and wrote the screenplay, which was adapted by another Oscar winner, “As Good as It Gets’” Mark Andrus, from two Rebecca Wells novels. (Warner Bros.) (July 12)

Full Frontal. Steven Soderbergh directs David Duchovny, Catherine Keener, Julia Roberts and others in the unofficial sequel to “sex, lies, and videotape.” (Miramax) (March 8)

The Importance of Being Earnest. The “Ideal Husband” team brings together Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O’Connor and Reese Witherspoon in a new version of Oscar Wilde’s farce. (Miramax) (May 31)

I Spy. Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy take over from Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, stars of the ‘60s TV series, as an agent and athlete who foil arms dealer Malcolm McDowell’s plan for a stolen stealth fighter. Directed by Betty Thomas. (Columbia) (November)

Lucky Break. Director Peter Cattaneo (“The Full Monty”) choreographs a caper about a prison musical that might be considered escapist fare. (Paramount) (April)

No Such Thing. Writer-director Hal Hartley satirizes superficial society with the story of a murderous monster (Robert John Burke) and a reporter (Sarah Polley) who befriends him. (United Artists) (March 29)

Paul Thomas Anderson Untitled. With Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Columbia) (Release TBA)

Simone. Disillusioned producer Al Pacino creates a synthetic actress who becomes an overnight sensation. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol. (New Line) (Fall)

Storytelling. In unrelated segments titled “Fiction” and “Non-Fiction,” writer-director Todd Solondz scathingly observes hypocrisy and alienation in college, high school and suburban settings. (Fine Line) (Jan. 25)

Untitled Gary Ross Project. The writer-director (“Pleasantville”) has Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman as a couple separated by her death--temporarily, it turns out. (Universal) (Release TBA)

Welcome to Collinwood. George Clooney co-produced and co-stars with Luis Guzman, William H. Macy and others in an action comedy about some nefarious Clevelanders. Written and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. (Warner Bros.) (Sept. 13)

CURIOSITY FACTOR

About a Boy. Hugh Grant in an adaptation of the wry novel by Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity”) about a Londoner whose pursuit of women leads to an eventful relationship with an unusual lad. Directed by Paul and Chris Weitz. (Universal) (May 17)

Ali G Indahouse. U.K. comic sensation Ali G is a wannabe rapper involved in a political scandal. (Universal) (August)

All About the Benjamins. Co-writer and co-producer Ice Cube stars as a bounty hunter tangled up in a diamond heist. (New Line) (March 8)

Bad Company. CIA veteran Anthony Hopkins must transform streetwise Chris Rock into a sophisticated sleuth. (Touchstone) (June 7)

The Banger Sisters. They’re Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon, reuniting decades after earning their nickname in the rock ‘n’ roll trenches. (Fox Searchlight) (August)

Barbershop. Ice Cube leads the ensemble cast through a day in a South Side Chicago barbershop. (MGM) (July 12)

Chambermaid. Jennifer Lopez as a Manhattan hotel worker who hooks up with a powerful politician. Directed by Wayne Wang. (Columbia) (Winter)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Sam Rockwell stars as “Gong Show” host and avowed assassin Chuck Barris in George Clooney’s directorial debut. With Drew Barrymore, Rutger Hauer, Julia Roberts and Clooney. (Miramax) (Nov. 22)

The Country Bears. Don Henley, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson are some of the real-life stars who contribute music to this ursine tale. (Walt Disney) (July 26)

The Crocodile Hunter. Steve Irwin saves another croc from poachers. Too bad he doesn’t know about the satellite beacon the critter has swallowed. (MGM) (June 28)

Duplex. Danny DeVito directs Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller as a couple whose upstairs neighbor spoils their dream digs. (Miramax) (Aug. 16)

40 Days and 40 Nights. Josh Hartnett’s Lenten sacrifice complicates his courtship of Shannyn Sossamon. Directed by Michael Lehmann. (Miramax) (March 1)

Frank McKlusky, C.I. A risk-averse insurance investigator is forced to give up his hyper-cautious ways when his partner is killed on the job. (Touchstone) (April 26)

A Guy Thing. Bachelor party blur spawns an escalating cycle of deceit leading up to the wedding day. With Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair. (MGM) (August)

Hope Springs. Colin Firth (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) plays a broken-hearted Brit who flees to New England where nurse Heather Graham tends his wounds. With Minnie Driver. (Touchstone) (Fall)

Igby Goes Down. Teenager Kieran Culkin escapes from old-money family oppression into a nest of New York eccentrics. (United Artists) (May 24)

Just a Kiss. Live action and animation blend in tale of two couples. With Patrick Breen, Zoe Caldwell, Sarita Choudhury, Taye Diggs. (Paramount Classics) (Summer)

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” meets “Zelig” as writer-director-star Steve Oedekerk inserts himself into a 1976 Hong Kong karate flick. (Fox) (Jan. 25)

Marci X. Lisa Kudrow steps in at hospitalized dad’s record label, home of controversial rapper Damon Wayans. Directed by Richard Benjamin. (Paramount) (Fourth quarter)

National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. Ryan Reynolds plays the party-oriented, perennial college student son of wealthy father Tim Matheson in this gross-outrageous effort to resurrect the “Lampoon” banner. (Artisan) (March 22)

The New Guy. A high school nerd goes to jail and learns to be cool. With DJ Qualls, Eddie Griffin. (Columbia) (May 10)

Old School. The folks who brought you “Road Trip” are back with a comedy about buddies starting an off-campus frat house. Directed by Todd Phillips. (DreamWorks) (Summer)

The Parole Officer. Framed probation officer must prove his innocence with a plan that ironically requires the return to crime of three men he’s rehabilitated. Directed by John Duigan. (Universal) (May 10)

Pumpkin. Sorority girl Christina Ricci coaches mentally challenged athlete, gets more than she bargained for. (United Artists) (July)

Run Ronnie Run! The HBO “Mr. Show” character Ronnie Dobbs rises from slacker to TV star. Stars co-writers David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. (New Line) (TBA)

Scooby Doo. Zoiks! Scoob and the Mystery Inc. gang come to life in the form of Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini and Matthew Lillard. Directed by Raja Gosnell. (Warner Bros.) (June 14)

Slackers. College geek Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore”) threatens to expose scholastic scams. (Screen Gems) (Feb. 1)

Sorority Boys. Three deadbeats doll themselves up to live cheaply in a sorority. (Touchstone) (March 22)

The Sweetest Thing. Cameron Diaz and pals hit the road in pursuit of Mr. Right. Directed by Roger Kumble. (Columbia) (March 29)

Swept Away. Guy Ritchie directs wife Madonna in a remake of the sex-roles comedy, which features Adriano Giannini in the part played by his father, Giancarlo, in the 1975 original. (Columbia) (Fall)

Undercover Brother. Action hero (Eddie Griffin) infiltrates an underground movement. (Universal) (May 31)

View From the Top. Gwyneth Paltrow dreams of becoming a top flight attendant. Co-stars Kelly Preston, Christina Applegate, Rob Lowe, Candice Bergen. (Miramax) (April 19)

You Promised. When straight arrow Jason Lee needs cash fast, he turns to underachieving pal Tom Green. (Columbia) (Aug. 16)

THE FAMILIAR ZONE

The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Lunar nightclub impresario Eddie Murphy and robot bodyguard Randy Quaid take on the mob on the moon. Directed by Ron Underwood. (Warner Bros.) (Aug. 16)

Analyze That. The sequel to “Analyze This” (duh) reunites Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal as mobster and psychiatrist, respectively. Directed by Harold Ramis. (Warner Bros.) (Fall)

Austin Powers in Goldmember. Mike Myers to the third power. Dr. Evil and Mini-Me escape prison and join the nefarious Goldmember, whose time-travel scheme to rule the world forces Austin to revisit 1975. With Destiny’s Child’s Beyonce Knowles as old flame Foxxy Cleopatra. (New Line) (July 26)

Big Trouble. Barry Sonnenfeld’s ensemble comedy was delayed after Sept. 11 because its array of misadventures happens to involve a nuclear device on a plane. With Tim Allen, Omar Epps, Janeane Garofalo, Patrick Warburton, Tom Sizemore and Johnny Knoxville. (Touchstone) (April 5)

Death to Smoochy. Danny DeVito directs and joins Robin Williams, Catherine Keener, Edward Norton and Jon Stewart in a satire about a vengeful kids’ TV host. (Warner Bros.) (March 29)

The Friday After Next. The third entry in the “Friday” series finds cousins Ice Cube and Mike Epps trying to salvage their Christmas. (New Line) (Thanksgiving)

Hollywood Ending. Woody Allen’s latest also stars George Hamilton, Tea Leoni, Debra Messing, Mark Rydell and Treat Williams. (DreamWorks) (May 3)

Master of Disguise. Co-writer Dana Carvey stars as an Italian waiter who inherits an unusual ability and gets plunged into intrigue. (Columbia) (May 31)

Men in Black 2. Will Smith must bring Tommy Lee Jones back on board to help defeat sinister alien Lara Flynn Boyle. Barry Sonnenfeld returns as director. (Columbia) (July 3)

Mr. Deeds. Poet-pizza chef Adam Sandler is suddenly a billionaire and media baron in this update of the 1936 Frank Capra-Robert Riskin-Gary Cooper film, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.” Winona Ryder co-stars in the Jean Arthur role. (Columbia) (June 21)

National Security. Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn are a mismatched team with a farfetched plan to thwart smugglers. (Columbia) (August-September)

The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause. Tim Allen’s reign as Santa is threatened by the requirement that he find a wife. (Disney) (Winter)

Serving Sara. Process server Matthew Perry gets more than he can handle when he delivers divorce papers to Elizabeth Hurley. Directed by Reginald Hudlin. (Paramount) (Summer)

Showtime. Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy are mismatched cops paired for a reality-based TV show produced by pushy Rene Russo. (Warner Bros.) (March 15)

Stuart Little 2. Melanie Griffith joins the cast as the voice of the bird Margolo in the second outing of the mouse’s adventures. Directed again by Rob Minkoff. (Columbia) (July 19)

Sweet Home Alabama. Manhattan fashion designer Reese Witherspoon heads south to terminate her long-ago marriage before her fiance finds out. (Touchstone) (Fall)

Untitled Sandra Bullock-Hugh Grant Project. She’s a neurotic lawyer, he’s her charming boss. (Warner Bros.) (Christmas)

Waking Up in Reno. Two couples (Billy Bob Thornton and Natasha Richardson, Patrick Swayze and Charlize Theron) mix it up during a trip to a monster truck show. (Miramax) (Feb. 15)

And: “American Adobo” ... “American Chai” ... “Bark” ... “The Chateau” ... “Deliver Us From Eva” ... “Down and Under” ... “Drumline” ... “The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest” ... “How to Kill Your Neighbor’s Dog” ... “The Guru” ... “Juwanna Mann” ... “Never Get Outta the Boat” ... “Scotland, Pa.” ... “There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble” ... “Waydowntown.”