Hollywood thinks BIG: 2003

What can we expect at the movies in 2003? The bad news: It'll be slim pickings in coming weeks, as Hollywood scrounges to fill screens after fall's glut of high-profile films. The good news: The rest of 2003 rounds out nicely, with an inordinate number of sequels and a clutch of star-studded original efforts.

From the eagerly awaited ``The Matrix'' sequels (yes, that's plural) to the returns of ``X-Men,'' ``Spy Kids,'' ``Charlie's Angels,'' ``Dirty Dancing,'' ``Legally Blonde,'' ``Tomb Raider'' and ``Jungle Book,'' to the final installment of ``The Lord of the Rings,'' it's clear Hollywood will play it somewhat safe in 2003 with proven commodities.

Still, room exists (thankfully) for films that are not part of franchises. These include the romantic comedy ``Mona Lisa Smile'' with Julia Roberts, for which filming will soon be completed in Wellesley, a biopic of famed race horse ``Seabiscuit'' with Tobey Maguire in the saddle, the flight attendant comedy ``A View From the Top'' with Gwyneth Paltrow, ``Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat'' with Mike Myers as the eponymous feline and ``Anger Management'' starring the unlikely duo of Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler.

``The Quiet American,'' set in 1950s Southeast Asia, already has garnered attention for Michael Caine, who plays an opium-addicted reporter besotted with a young Vietnamese woman.

Also arriving in 2003 are ``Timeline,'' an adaptation of Michael Crichton's time-traveling adventure starring Paul Walker of ``The Fast and the Furious''; ``Bruce Almighty,'' in which Jim Carrey gets to play God opposite Jennifer Aniston; and ``Finding Nemo,'' another underwater animated adventure from Disney.

The pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in two films, ``Gigli'' and ``Jersey Girl,'' undoubtedly will pack in audiences, yet Ben & Jen aren't the only interesting big-screen team. Affleck will star opposite Jennifer Garner of TV's ``Alias'' fame in the comic book adventure ``Daredevil.'' Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana will compete with ``The Hulk.''

Al Pacino and Colin Farrell star in the taut CIA thriller ``The Recruit,'' Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn take on the farcical comedy ``National Security'' and Steve Martin and Queen Latifah move into ``Bringing Down the House.'' Two Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winners, Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro, co-star in the suspense thriller ``The Hunted.''

The Douglas clan - Kirk, Michael and Michael's son Cameron - make the most of family ties in ``A Few Good Years.''

James Bond doesn't make an appearance in 2003 but a number of other secret agents do. In George Clooney's directorial debut, ``Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,'' ``Gong Show'' host Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) reveals he was a CIA assassin. Hard to believe? Try this one: Teenager Frankie Muniz of television's ``Malcolm in the Middle'' arrives as ``Agent Cody Banks.''

Indeed, several actors will depart from the expected in 2003. Macaulay Culkin emerges from ``retirement'' this year to play a drug-twisted murderer in ``Party Monster.'' Nicolas Cage tries his hand at directing with ``Sonny,'' the story of a New Orleans gigolo. And Australian actress Cate Blanchett plays Dublin's martyred, murdered investigative reporter ``Veronica Guerin.''

Clint Eastwood rounds up an all-star cast (Sean Penn, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon) for his adaptation of Denis Lehane's Boston-set ``Mystic River.'' Other crime dramas include Alan Parker's capital punishment thriller ``The Life of David Gale'' with Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney.

Two military-themed films march into theaters next year: the Civil War epic ``Gods and Generals'' from ``Gettysburg'' director Ronald F. Maxwell and ``Buffalo Soldiers,'' a satirical look at U.S. Army staffers in '80s Germany starring Joaquin Phoenix. It should be interesting to see the fate of these films should the United States go to war in coming months.

As for that hurricane of sequels, prequels and third installments, the highlights are many. ``The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' concludes Peter Jackson's incredibly popular adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy. ``The Matrix: Reloaded'' (spring 2003) and ``The Matrix: Revolutions'' (fall 2003) are the long-awaited follow-ups by the brothers Wachowski to the ground-breaking 1999 hit.

``Spy Kids 3'' continues the adventures of the junior James Bonds. ``Bad Boys 2'' reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and ``Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde'' brings Reese Witherspoon back as everybody's favorite California lawyer. ``Shanghai Knights'' furthers the adventures of Jackie Chan's Royal Imperial Guard and Owen Wilson's offbeat cowpoke from ``Shanghai Noon.''

Angelina Jolie gets her kicks again as Lara Croft in ``Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life: Tomb Raider 2,'' and the glamorous trio of Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore return for ``Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,'' which loses Bill Murray but gains Demi Moore.

``Havana Nights: Dirty Dancing 2'' gets the prize for having the year's longest break between original and sequel - 16 years! But don't look for original cast members Patrick Swayze or Jennifer Grey. In this outing, Romola Garai and Diego Luna (``Y Tu Mama Tambien'') get hot and heavy on the dance floor in 1958 Cuba.

``Jeepers Creepers 2'' and ``Final Destination 2'' prove that teen thrillers never quite die. ``The Fast and the Furious 2'' speeds away without Vin Diesel but keeps Paul Walker behind the wheel. Meanwhile, Disney comes out swinging with ``The Jungle Book 2.''

``X-Men 2'' now boasts an Oscar winner in Halle Berry among its starry crimefighters played by Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Hugh Jackman. Finally, ``Ripley's Game'' is not exactly a sequel to ``The Talented Mr. Ripley,'' but it does bring back that charming, sociopathic murderer, this time played by John Malkovich.