Well, that was quick. The dust had barely settled on Disney's decision (announced at New York ComicCon, and reported here) to possibly end the Narnia franchise after three films, but then they decided no, not really. They take their cues from Aslan.

MTV Movie News cornered producer Mark Johnson, who revealed he has a list of directors for The Silver Chair, and is closely eying several names on it. (I appreciate that MTV was as shocked as everyone else by this.) Johnson went on to say that he envisions Narnia along Harry Potter lines, with a new director coming on for each installment. "I think [the director of Silver Chair] will be somebody new entirely," John said. "I would like to get somebody totally unexpected."

So, never say never. If they truly go in this direction, I would applaud them, as I think it could add some spice to a film series that hasn't really distinguished itself from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings -- and should have, because the books are pretty fabulous.

After toiling for years in the studio system as a digital design associate (Batman & Robin), visual effects art director (Practical Magic), assistant art director (The Man Who Wasn't There) and, probably, a host of other jobs not yet recorded at IMDb, Lance Hammer completed his first feature film. Ballast will have its World Premiere at Sundance as part of the Dramatic Competition; its first screening is Saturday morning.

Hammer enlisted the assistance of Hollywood veterans like Andrew Adamson and Mark Johnson, who both serve as executive producers, and William Morris Independent is representing the film for US rights. Now indieWIRE reports that Celluloid Dreams has grabbed all international rights outside the US. The Paris-based sales outfit, which advertises itself as "The Directors' Label," has several other titles at Sundance, including the high-profile remake Funny Games, from Michael Haneke, and Alan Ball's Towelhead, as well as Dennis Gansel's The Wave, also screening in the Dramatic Competition.

Ballast is set in a Mississippi Delta township, where a man's suicide "radically transforms" three people and their respective relationships: a single mother (Tarra Riggs), her 12-year-old son (JimMyron Ross), and a man (Michael J. Smith, Sr.) on whose property they seek "safe harbor." The mother and the man have been feuding for a dozen years so, I imagine, sparks will fly.

One more piece of good news for the fledging feature director: Ballast has been selected for the competition at the Berlin festival next month. I'm sure we'll hear more about the film this weekend, after it starts screening at Sundance.

Remember that mushy-sounding, Irreconcilable Differences-esque movie starring the Fanning sisters that's in the works? About a little girl who sues her parents for divorce after finding out she only exists to serve as a genetic match for her dying sis? It's called My Sister's Keeper, and it just got a whole lot better-sounding. According to Variety, Alec Baldwin has joined the cast, which also includes Cameron Diaz as the mother of Dakota and Elle Fanning. Baldwin fortunately won't be playing the girls' daddy; instead he's set for the role of an attorney representing the younger, wrongfully-conceived sister. He will be going up against Diaz, whose mom character is also a former trial lawyer and will be defending herself. It's still unclear if the father role will be significant, or if the parents are now divorced, separated or simply not cinematic equals. Of course, the production has until its February start date to let us know the actor for that part.

Baldwin, who previously worked with Dakota Fanning on The Cat in the Hat, was able to sign on to My Sister's Keeper thanks in part to the writer's strike, which has halted the shooting of Baldwin's hit TV series 30 Rock (though Variety points out he is contractually allowed to schedule a movie, who's to say it would have happened with this, at this time?). I've just recently become addicted to the show specifically because of him, and hope his attorney character is close in tone to his NBC executive character, Jack Donaghy. Yet something -- perhaps the subject matter of the film -- tells me that won't be the case. Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) will be directing from a script by Jeremy Leven (The Notebook), which was adapted from the novel by Jodi Picoult, while Mark Johnson (The Notebook) produces.

The last time the Fanning sisters were in the same movie (I Am Sam), they played the same character at different ages. Now they've been cast in a new movie in which they both exist for the same character. Confused? Hold on. According to Variety, Elle and Dakota, who are now 9 and 13 respectively, will star in Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of My Sister's Keeper alongside Cameron Diaz. Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, it's the story of a young girl who was conceived solely for the purpose of being a genetic match for her older sister, who is suffering from cancer. So, basically, Elle's part is that of a literal tool, existing only for the extension of Dakota's character's life. And I guess the parents don't treat the younger enough like a real, intentional child, because she ends up suing them for divorce -- kinda like little Drew Barrymore does in the largely forgotten gem from my youth, Irreconcilable Differences. Cassavetes' partners from The Notebook, screenwriter Jeremy Leven and producer Mark Johnson, are also on board, and production is set to begin in March.

If there's any competition between the Fannings for who will be the first to score an Oscar, this could be the movie in which to really shine. For the older Dakota, we've got a character dying of a disease, which at least used to be an Academy favorite for recognition (maybe if she was also mentally handicapped, she'd have more of a chance). Then for little "Sweetie Pie" (I'll never stop calling Elle that, even when she's 30), there's the strong court-battle role, which typically serves up meaty performances. And with Diaz in the movie, the sisters are sure to appear even better actresses than they are. As we told you in July, Diaz will play the girls' mother, who was cast first and then required the lowering of the sisters' ages from 13 and 16, as they are in the book (what, we can't believe Diaz had a daughter when she was 19?). Although this will be the first movie Elle and Dakota appear in together as sisters, they did play sisters in the American dub of My Neighbor Totoro -- which only used their voices (you should really watch the subtitled version; it's so much cuter). So, will the Fannings compete too much and end up giving us over the top delivery? Or could they both be good enough to further compete come awards time? Or will we be so over them by the time this movie comes out and not care either way?

• Bee Season - Richard Gere as a rough-boy sailor in An Officer and a Gentleman? OK. Richard Gere as a singing and dancing attorney in Chicago? Convincing enough. Richard Gere as a Jewish husband (of Juliette Binoche) and father exploring the mysteries of God through the flawless spelling of his daughter? Oy. Many parts of this existential drama about the ways in which a brilliant 11-year-old (Flora Cross) affects her family are sketchy, as no one of the characters is well-drawn enough for us to care about them too much. Genius was captured far better in films like Little Man Tate and Searching For Bobby Fischer.