In a Theater Near, Near to You...

OK, moviegoers, welcome to 1999 the prequel, if you will, to the millennium.

Over the next 12 months, major Hollywood studios and small independents will release hundreds of films into the U.S. marketplace. Some will be gems; most will be rhinestones. But looking ahead, this year’s big story will be the arrival of just one film: George Lucas’ “Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace.�

The first chapter in the storied “Star Wars� saga follows a young Anakin Skywalker--the father of Luke and Princess Leia--and how he became the evil, black-masked Darth Vader. The new episode, or “prequel� to the previous trilogy, will debut May 21 and, if Internet buzz among sci-fi dweebs is any indication, it should be the monster hit of the year.

“I think everyone feels very strongly that this is going to be a huge-grossing film,� said Chan Wood, executive vice president and head film buyer at Pacific Theaters in Los Angeles. “In my estimation, it probably is the only film that has any chance at all of unseating [all-time box-office king] ‘Titanic.’ �

Wary that the film could be crippled by media-fueled expectations, executives at 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilms are already trying to prevent the hoopla from getting out of control. Unlike last year’s “Godzilla� from Sony, which did well but didn’t open as big as most people expected, the distributors of “Star Wars� say you won’t see every billboard in America touting the film, and they won’t book every theater screen available when the movie opens.

“You can book every theater and say, ‘OK, we’ll set the opening-day record,’ but honestly, who cares?� said Fox studio chief Bill Mechanic.

“I know Lucas and the people at Lucasfilms think that consumers feel these movies are sledgehammered over your heads so by the time they come out you’re not interested in them,� Mechanic added. “It’s time to do it a different way. I think you are seeing overkill marketing. It becomes a game of winners and losers and not whether it’s a good movie or not a good movie.�

Looking beyond “Star Wars,� however, Hollywood is offering an eclectic slate of movies in 1999 that already are fueling speculation.

On July 16, Warner Bros. will release one of the most talked-about movies of the decade--Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.� For the past two years, Kubrick has been laboring in secret in England on the film, which stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Only the actors and a few of Kubrick’s inner circle know what the film really depicts.

Also this summer, Adam Sandler tries for the triple crown--following his two huge ’98 hits, “The Wedding Singer� and “The Waterboy�--with the release of “Big Daddy,� in which the comedian portrays a temporary dad. Get ready for the bed-wetting jokes, America.

Here are some questions that are sure to be answered in 1999:

Can Claire Danes hack it as an action star in “The Mod Squad�?

Can Paul Thomas Anderson, the young director who achieved critical acclaim for his take on the porn industry in “Boogie Nights,� catch lightning in a bottle again with his next film, “Magnolia�?

Can the Farrelly brothers, who had the surprise hit of 1998 with “There’s Something About Mary,� strike it rich again with “Me, Myself and Irene,� a hoped-for Christmas release about a woman who falls in love with both sides of a schizophrenic?

Can Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, in their first film together since “Pretty Woman,� reclaim their on-screen chemistry in “The Runaway Bride�?

Will Warner Bros., a studio that seems to have lost its hit-making formula, find success over the Fourth of July holiday when it releases the big-budget action film “Wild Wild West,� starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline?

Will Hollywood, which has historically glamorized smoking in its films, face the wrath of tobacco companies when director Michael Mann’s still-untitled project about a man who blows the whistle on the tobacco industry hits the big screen later this year?

Is the world really waiting for a movie about the late offbeat comedian Andy Kaufman, even one starring a star as big as Jim Carrey in “Man on the Moon?�

Will teenage girls rush to theaters at year’s end to see Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Beach,� a story of a young man in search of the perfect place to find himself?

So, as we peek into the crystal ball to see what lies ahead for the bigger studio movies in 1999, be forewarned: Take plenty of popcorn and keep your eyes wide shut.

NOTABLE RETURNS: They’re back!--Tom Cruise, Hugh Grant, the Muppets and Richard Nixon.

Cruise hasn’t been seen on the big screen since “Jerry Maguire,� which opened in December 1996. Now, the actor will return in three films: Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut,� Anderson’s “Magnolia� and John Woo’s “Mission: Impossible II.�

Hugh Grant will return in two films: “Notting Hill,� a romantic comedy co-starring Julia Roberts that chronicles the courtship that begins when a movie star walks into a small travel bookstore and turns the owner’s world upside down; and “Mickey Blue Eyes,� a romantic comedy featuring Jeanne Tripplehorn about an English art dealer who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a Mafia boss.

The Muppets will also appear in two films: “Muppets From Space,� an extraterrestrial adventure about the search for Gonzo’s past, and “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,� in which Elmo goes in search of his missing blanket.

And, speaking of comebacks, how about Richard Nixon? In “Dick,� Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams (TV’s “Dawson’s Creek�) play high school students who wander off during a class trip to the White House and come face to face with the president, eventually becoming the official walkers of his dog, Checkers.

INTRIGUING ROLES: Tom Hanks as a cell block’s head guard in “The Green Mile,� a drama set on death row in a Southern prison in 1935.

Bruce Willis as a child psychologist trying to find out what’s causing an 8-year-old to be visited by ghosts in “The Sixth Sense.�

Robert De Niro as a mob boss suffering from anxiety attacks who seeks help from a suburban psychologist played by Billy Crystal in “Analyze This.�

Brendan Fraser as an Indiana Jones-type adventurer in “The Mummy.� Brendan Fraser as “Dudley Do-Right� of the Mounties. And Brendan Fraser as a young man who has been raised his entire life in a bomb shelter in “Blast From the Past.�

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: The year will see the return of action stars in action movies. (What a concept!) Arnold Schwarzenegger will battle Satan in “End of Days.� Mel Gibson will battle syndicate called the Outfit in “Payback.� And Jean-Claude Van Damme will battle an elite team of deadly warriors in “Universal Soldier II.�

FAMILIAR FACES: Stars sell tickets, so it’s no wonder Hollywood relies on the same faces year after year. In 1999, they include:

John Travolta in “The General’s Daughter,� Nicolas Cage in “Eight Millimeter� and “Bringing Out the Dead,� Sandra Bullock in “Forces of Nature,� Sean Connery in “Entrapment,� Warren Beatty in “Town and Country,� Robin Williams in “Jakob the Liar� and De Niro in “Flawless.�

Brad Pitt, meanwhile, will star this summer in “Fight Club,� a “Clockwork Orange�-ish tale of a man who sets up boxing clubs in which young men are paired off in bloody, no-holds-barred bouts until one man drops.

Harrison Ford will play a tough-minded internal affairs cop who is involved with a high-stakes corruption case who develops a relationship with a high-profile congresswoman (Kristin Scott Thomas) in “Random Hearts.�

EASIEST CAST TO MISPRONOUNCE: Haile Gebrselassie, Shawannes Gebrselassie and Gebrselassie Bekele in “Endurance,� a docudrama about an Olympic runner born in a hut in Ethiopia.

QUIET ON THE SET: In addition to Kubrick, a number of high-profile directors are delivering significant pictures in 1999.

Spike Lee directs “Summer of Sam,� a story about a street gang that becomes obsessed with the idea that the serial killer Son of Sam is someone from their New York City neighborhood.

Oliver Stone directs “Any Given Sunday,� a drama about an aging star quarterback who is induced to play hurt because of a gifted and unprincipled young player seeking his spot on the team.

Barry Levinson returns to his Baltimore base (“Diner,� “Tin Men,� “Avalon�) with “Liberty Heights.�

Martin Scorsese returns to his urban roots with “Bringing Out the Dead,� a story about a New York City paramedic.

Franco Zeffirelli directs the autobiographical film “Tea With Mussolini.�

And Anthony Minghella (“The English Patient�) returns with “The Talented Mr. Ripley,� starring the ultra-hot Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.

BEST FILM TITLE OF 1999: “Ten Things I Hate About You.�

SPY VS. SPY: James Bond returns in “The World Is Not Enough,� the 19th installment in the Bond series. Meanwhile, Mike Myers is back in the comedy sequel “Austin Powers the Spy Who Shagged Me.� Yeah, baby!

THE POSTMAN NEVER RINGS TWICE: When last seen, Kevin Costner was delivering letters on horseback in the futuristic action flick “The Postman,� which promptly sank at the box office. This year, Costner returns with two romantic-themed movies: “Message in a Bottle,� the story of a single woman who finds a poignant love letter that has washed ashore, and the baseball-themed “For Love of the Game.�

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM . . . : Once again, Hollywood turns to old TV shows for inspiration: “Wild Wild West,� “Mission: Impossible II,� “The Mod Squad,� “My Favorite Martian� and “Inspector Gadget.�

And, speaking of television, Ron Howard (“The Andy Griffith Show,� “Happy Days�) directs “EDtv,� a comedy starring Matthew McConaughey as an unambitious video store clerk who agrees to have his life aired on cable TV 24 hours a day.

MOVIES REDUX: Old movies being remade as new films:

Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in “The Thomas Crown Affair.�

Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn in “The Out-of-Towners.�

Sharon Stone in “Gloria.�

Danny DeVito directs a remake of the 1941 comedy “The Man Who Came to Dinner.�

AUTHOR, AUTHOR: There’s an old axiom in Hollywood that good books don’t always make good movies. Well, this year, Hollywood will release a number of movies based on best-selling novels, including Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes,� David Guterson’s “Snow Falling on Cedars,� Nelson DeMille’s “The General’s Daughter,� John Irving’s “The Cider House Rules� and Graham Greene’s “The End of the Affair.�

Speaking of authors, Bette Midler portrays “Valley of the Dolls� novelist Jacqueline Susann in “Isn’t She Great.�

ANIMATION: Disney continues to dominate the field, with “Tarzan� arriving this summer and the computer-animated Pixar production “Toy Story 2,� coming out at the holidays, with the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. But other studios will give them some competition.

Warner Bros. has two coming out: an animated version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “The King and I,� and “The Iron Giant,� a story about a giant metal machine that falls to Earth in 1958 and frightens the residents of a small town in Maine.

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures will release “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,� featuring the colorful citizens of the hit animated Comedy Central series on TV. And Miramax will release an English-language version of “Princess Mononoke,� a huge box-office hit in Japan.

THE MOUSE THAT ROARED: Sony Pictures Entertainment is pinning much of its holiday hopes on the story of an intelligent mouse that lives with a human family in “Stuart Little,� an effects-laden family film directed by Rob Minkoff (“The Lion King�).

TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE: The year would not be complete without a few films to tingle the spine.

Jennifer Jason Leigh stars in “eXistenZ.� It’s a futuristic thriller directed by David Cronenberg about a game creator extraordinaire whose latest game taps into her fears and desires.

Liam Neeson (fresh from “Star Wars�) stars in a tale about a mansion plagued with ghosts in “The Haunting of Hill House.�

“Sleepy Hollow� is director Tim Burton’s take on Washington Irving’s classic story of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman.

And, Winona Ryder stars in a still-untitled film about a young woman who becomes aware of a conspiracy to enable the devil to walk the Earth in human form.

INK-STAINED WRETCHES: Newspaper reporters are back!

In “Never Been Kissed,� Drew Barrymore plays a copy editor at the Chicago Sun-Times who wants to become a reporter only to receive the assignment from hell.

In “True Crime,� Clint Eastwood plays a down-and-out newspaperman who has only 12 hours to prove the innocence of a man who is scheduled to be executed.

WONDER WOMEN: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy star in “Girl Interrupted,� a drama about a young woman (Ryder) who is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and sent to a New England psychiatric hospital, where she spends two years in a ward for teenage girls.

In “Dairy Queens� (working title), Kirstie Alley, Ellen Barkin, Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards star in a comedy about a small town’s obsession with its teenage beauty contest.

And Diane Keaton directs and co-stars with Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow in “Hanging Up,� a story about three sisters who deal with love, death and the telephone when they learn their father, after years of wild living, constant phone calls and intermitment affection, is threatening to die.

See you back here at Oscar time.