Great news everyone! Nicole Kidman has confirmed that she is, in fact, pregnant! At this time, we're not sure if she's registered at Babies "R" Us, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as more information is available. However, the bad news is that because of her pregnancy, the actress has opted out of starring in The Reader (which is news we told you about yesterday). But it's okay -- c'mon, don't cry -- it's okay because Kate Winslet has come in to replace her. And when Winslet is your replacement, that's definitely not a step down. The Reader is based on the book by Bernhard Schlink and it apparently follows "a man who carried a longtime sexual obsession for an older woman who's later prosecuted for war crimes after it emerges she was a member of the SS and a guard at Auschwitz." Sexual obsessions, Auschwitz -- and it stars Kate Winslet. Sh*t. I'm there!

Winslet was apparently the first choice for the role, according to Variety, but she had to turn it down when scheduling became an issue. See, at the time she was shooting that Leo DiCaprio flick Revolutionary Road (which I'm really starting to confuse with last year's Reservation Road), and the two shooting schedules conflicted, so Kidman was brought on. But then The Reader had to shift things around to accommodate Kidman running late on Australia, so when Kidman dropped out, Winslet was free ... and there you have it. The Reader will most likely hit theaters later this year or next.

An article over at Cinema Blend reminds me that today marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of the biggest film in history, Titanic. Movie studios are still scratching their heads over that one -- how did a downer, a period piece, a movie with unknowns and a runtime of over three hours smash the box-office records so profoundly that even today's globular, 'one-size fits all so bring the entire family' movies like Shrek and Harry Potter haven't even come close to touching its title? When you look at the all-time list, you see that the number two film, Star Wars, is way, way behind the champ, with only a paltry $460 million domestic compared to Titanic's $600 million. Shrek 2, massive, massive hit that it was, and bringing in every possible demographic no doubt, couldn't come anywhere close to touching Titanic. The best it could do was hit the number three slot. The Spider-Man and Harry Potter films aren't even contenders.

When it comes to international box-office, Titanic also still reigns supreme, although Lord of the Rings: Return of the King gave it a run for its money, raking in $1.1 billion to Titanic's $1.8 billion. Still, the champ remains untouched. Stop and think about that -- even globally, its numbers can't be touched. So, I'm seriously asking -- what was it about that movie that so profoundly moved audiences and demanded multiple viewings on an unprecedented scale. And that's what did it, by the way -- common sense dictates that Titanic's demographic base was statistically narrow, meaning the fans basically went time after time after time. Five times, ten times, or more. Were you one of those people?

After Jack succumbed to the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean, did you ever think you'd get to see him reunited with Rose? (Aside from that weird ending, I mean). Well, ten years after Titanic, you can now at least see Leo reunited with Kate in this new still from the upcoming movie Revolutionary Road. We've already shown you some photos from the set of the movie, but this is the first in which the actor and actress are seen together. And isn't it wonderful? So, they don't really look anything like Jack and Rose anymore, and so, the time period is 40 years later -- just seeing those kids embracing brings tears to my eyes. Of course, there isn't much going on in the photograph other than Leo and Kate holding each other (are they dancing?). Someone could have just taken a pic of the actors in downtime sharing a hug and we'd have the same effect.

Directed by Kate's husband, Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road tells of a bored, suburban married couple who move to France in order to find new fulfillment in life. Sounds kinda like Mendes' American Beauty mixed with Do Not Disturb. The script is by Justin Haythe, who penned the underrated Robert Redford movie The Clearing, and it is based on the novel from Richard Yates, co-writer of the 1969 war movie The Bridge at Remagen. In addition to reuniting Les o and Kate, the film also reunites the two with fellow Titanic star Kathy Bates. Kate also gets to work with her husband for the first time and she again gets to work with child actor Ty Simkins, who we last saw in Little Children as Patrick Wilson's son -- this time he plays Kate's (and Leo's) son. Revolutionary Road doesn't hit theaters for another 17 months, so hopefully the single photo satisfies you for awhile.

A roster of actor names has been splashed over at Filmick, alongside what may be their roles in Zack Snyder's upcoming Watchmen movie. There's absolutely no sourcing on this -- Brendan only says that the list was sent in by a Filmick regular and that around the same time, the same list also popped up on a Russian site. We all know that the words 'Russian website' are synonymous with credibility. At the very least, the source of the list appears to be up on the latest, since Keanu Reeves' name is gone from the roster and Patrick Wilson is still there. Speaking of Wilson, if this list holds any water the film may be turning into something of a Little Children reunion -- Kate Winslet's name is now at the top of the list as Silk Spectre, and there's a general consensus that Jackie Earle Haley is a shoe-in for the role of Rorshach.

Thomas Jane is on the list as The Comedian, who had much involvement in the series with Silk Spectre, so I guess that makes sense. Jason Patric is also on the list as Dr. Manhattan and Gretchen Mol is there as Janey Slater. I like all of these names so far, so this list has my blessing. There are also some lesser known names on the list, such as Jonah Hill, who may be playing Seymour and William Fichtner, who will be playing Bank Manager. Sorry, wrong casting sheet -- he's linked to the character Detective Fine. And of course, Jude Law is still hanging around as Ozymandias on the list. Let me close by saying that again, this is blatant rumor-mongering and probably fan fiction, but it sounds like a pretty good list, I think. Here's hoping it's real. Watchmen is currently in pre-production, and aiming for a release date sometime in 2008.

We must be getting slow, since we completely missed this item in last week's Variety. The next project for Sam Mendes, after his upcoming film, Revolutionary Road, will be helming a big-screen adaptation of Middlemarch, George Eliot's beloved 1871 classic. Its never been done in high-style before, and there's a reason --- it could only be an epic undertaking, with a huge budget. The copy on my shelf runs 801 pages, and there are more characters that even an English lit major can keep straight. Variety reports that Mendes' Neal Sreet Productions, which has renewed a first-look deal with Dreamworks, "is working with Andrew Davis, the doyen of Brit lit, on the first ever bigscreen version of George Eliot's monumental 19th century novel Middlemarch, for Mendes to direct in 2008." There's only one other quote in the piece, which is strangely non-specific, but here it is: "Sam's first film was for an American studio, so he started off in a slightly different place than other British directors," Mendes producing partner Pippa Harris said to the trade. "But he's as determined to tell stories about England as he is about America."

I've been a big supporter of Mendes, finding much to admire about American Beauty and Road to Perdition, although I thought Jarhead was a step in the wrong direction for him. I can't think of anyone better suited to take on the job of adapting such an untouchable classic for the big screen. The next obvious question -- who will Mendes get to step into the shoes of the heroine, Dorothea Brooke? Those are tough shoes to fill. Mendes will have to search far and wide to find a British actress who can pull off the saintly and chaste demeanor of this classic character. It will probably have to be someone who has some Brit lit adaptations to her credit and tends to enjoy serious dramatic roles that lend themselves to sure-fire Oscar nominations. Here's hoping that Mendes' long and poignant search for just the right actress goes well ...

P.S. Yes, I'm aware that Dorothea is a nineteen-year-old; I'm mostly joking, but stranger casting decisions have been made.