Inside Movies

• The Varsity Theater returns? Maybe. Tantalizing rumors say some Austin film shakers are eyeballing the legendary cinema space at Guadalupe and 24th streets, which until recently was Tower Records. The interested party -- you'll recognize the names when this goes public -- wants to put a theater on the second floor, with room for film exhibits and more. Eclectic, indie, foreign and classics would be the fare -- the sort of fine cinema the Varsity and Texas Union Theater showed during their heydays. Opened in 1936, the art-decoish Varsity was a popular revival house in the '70s. Its 24th Street mural, showing stills from "Citizen Kane," "The 400 Blows" and "Potemkin," is a reminder of those times, and possibly a hint of what's to come. -- Chris Garcia

• It's well known that Robert Rodriguez has re-teamed with "Sin City" creator Frank Miller for two sequels to their spring hit, which was shot almost entirely with green screens in Austin. The writing-directing duo are already at work and will shoot the movies back-to-back in February for a summer 2006 release, according to several news accounts. Part two is based on Miller's graphic novel "A Dame to Kill For." The movies are being made for ex-Miramax honchos Harvey and Bob Weinstein's new outfit, which is also the home of the omnibus horror flick "Grind House," for which Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are contributing one-hour segments. And what about a sequel to Rodriguez's not-quite-smash "Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D"? The child stars want one, but no word if the public (or Rodriguez) does. The family flick has been hovering in the middle of the weekly Top 10 list, yet is remarkably taking bites out of "Cinderella Man." That film is such a box office disappointment to Universal that there's talk of re-releasing the Russell Crowe drama in October, the thick of Oscar season. -- C.G.

• Local filmmaking star Kat Candler starts shooting her second feature "Jumping Off Bridges" in Austin and Bastrop on July 1. Starring Bryan Chafin and Emmy-winner Michael Emerson, the drama explores the facets of personal grief and guilt after a teenager's mother kills herself. Candler's script for the movie, shooting through Aug. 8, was a semi-finalist at the 2002 Sundance Screenplay Institute. Her first feature was 2000's award-winning "Cicadas" and her short film "Roberta Wells" played at the Slamdance Film Festival and aired on PBS. www.storieproductions.com.-- C.G.

• A giant reminder that George Stevens' "Giant" receives a special 50th anniversary screening July 2 outdoors in Marfa, where the Texas melodrama was shot with stars James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor in 1955. With help from the Alamo Drafthouse's Rolling Roadshow projection wizards, the movie will play in front of the Hotel Paisano, where the production kept its offices. The movie is at 8 p.m. and tickets are $50, with proceeds going to the Marfa Public Library. Tickets and details at www.drafhouse.com (click Rolling Roadshow). -- C.G.