Opening opposite the Nicolas Cage comic book adaptation are "This Means War," starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, and animated pic "The Secret World of Arrietty."

Action could trump romance post-Valentine's Day as Nicolas Cage sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance looks to dominate the long Presidents Day weekend.

Domestic box-office observers believe the Sony action pic, based on the Marvel Comics character, could open to $35 million through Monday, a holiday. Sony co-financed and co-produced the film with Hyde Park Entertainment.

Nicolas Cage plays with fire in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," but it's the competition at the box office that is likely to get burned this weekend.

The 3-D sequel, featuring Cage as a demonic motorcycle-riding superhero, is expected to be the No. 1 film over Presidents Day weekend. According to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys, the movie will debut with around $30 million in sales from Friday through Monday.

The world premiere of Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” will kick off the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 16, it was announced today. Written by Skip Hollandsworth and Linklater, the film stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Black plays Bernie, the beloved mortician in a small Texas town. The film is available for distribution in the United States/Canada, with Graham Taylor of WME and John Sloss of Cinetic Media handling domestic sales and Hyde Park International handling international sales.

National Geographic and Image Nation are consolidating their partnership with Hyde Park/Image Nation to finance and produce a wide array of National Geographic themed entertainment projects designed for global distribution. Hyde Park will be the managing partner, and the venture will develop feature films, documentaries, and television series designed to entertain and inspire family audiences around the world.

“We like Hyde Park’s approach to the business, their growth and success in Asia, and the fact that Ashok and his team are already working closely with our partner, Image Nation,” said Tim Kelly, President of National Geographic Society. “This partnership makes sense from all angles, and by folding our current feature film effort into this new venture, we will be able to pursue bigger, more ambitious projects and expand into growing markets like India and China.”

Fueled in part by the $250 million fund through producing partner Imagenation and additional deep-pocket funding via MDA in Singapore, Hyde Park has ramped up a busy slate of films at various phases of production.

Hyde Park topper Ashok Amritraj points to a defining characteristic of the slate, particularly the three films closest to the finish line.

“These are all quite different kinds of movies,” Amritraj says. ” ‘Leonie’ concerns the life of the American-born mother of Isamu Noguchi, as it spans eras and the differences between the U.S. and Japan. ‘Machete’ is a Robert Rodriguez movie through and through, wild and wonderful, exactly the kind of exciting and irreverent genre movie that his fans dream about.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Richard Gere and Topher Grace are teaming up for the spy thriller “The Double.”

Screenwriter Michael Brandt will make his directorial debut on the Hyde Park/Imagenation Abu Dhabi production.

Brandt and his writing partner, Derek Haas, whose credits include “Wanted” and “3:10 to Yuma,” penned “Double,” which begins with the murder of a senator in Washington by a Soviet assassin long thought to be dead. A retired CIA operative (Gere), who spent his career going toe-to-toe with his Soviet nemeses, is forced to partner with a young FBI agent (Grace) to hunt the killer down.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams have announced that they will star in the new indie movie, Blue Valentine. The plot is about “a couple whose relationship is jeopardized when they find themselves in different places in their lives. As their relationship hits the rocks, they recall better days.” Pretty vague plot line, but the lead actors are enough to keep interest. Mike Vogel, John Doman and Maryann Plunkett have also been announced to finish out the cast.

Incentive Filmed Entertainment finances blue Valentine. Silverwood Films’ Lynette Howell and Hunting Lane Films’ Jamie Patricof and Alex Orlovsky are the producers – they also worked with Gosling on “Half Nelson.” Incentive formed one year ago to produce and finance films under $15 million. Hyde Park Intl. is selling international territories at the Cannes Film Festival.

If my gut is right, Blue Valentine will be the big indie film of 2010. Perhaps they will have an onscreen chemistry like Ryan and Rachel McAdams had in the notebook.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Abu Dhabi's answer to Dubai Media City has another confirmed media partner.

Hollywood-based Hyde Park Entertainment will open a regional headquarters at twofour54, the recently unveiled content and production zone to be built in the UAE capital.

The company is the latest in a growing number of Hollywood and international companies lured to the UAE capital by generous funding deals, part of Abu Dhabi's determination to become a leading filmmaking hub in the region.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company, is partnering with Hollywood-based Hyde Park Entertainment in a $250 million financing deal to develop, produce and distribute feature films. The agreement aims to create up to 20 films over seven years and will include additional financing for the production of local language and cross-cultural films.

Hyde Park Entertainment will also establish its regional headquarters at Two Four 54, the recently unveiled free media zone in Abu Dhabi.

Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment and producer of star-driven features including Bringing Down the House, Raising Helen and Walking Tall said: “We intend to produce wonderful films that stretch from Hollywood to Asia, enabling us to foster a better understanding between the West, the Middle East and Asia. What better way to accomplish this than through global cinema and the exchange of talent and great stories.”