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Over the last few years, numerous Howard Hughes biopic ideas have been tossed around, with many different star/director combinations. Many never even got off the ground, but the team of Martin Scorscese and Leonardo DiCaprio strike first, and bring The Aviator to theaters this December, clearly with Oscar on their minds.

Young Howard Hughes took the small fortune he inherited from his father's Texas business to a fledgling Hollywood. There, he was behind films such as Hell's Angels, The Front Page and Scarface, as well as starlets like Katherine Hepburn (Blanchett), Ava Gardner (Beckinsale) and Jean Harlow (Stefani), all of whom he dated at one point or another. He eventually came to own RKO Studios.

But with the film's title being what it is, the focus of the film will likely be Hughes' obsession with airplanes. Hell's Angels, which he wrote and directed, dealt with World War I aviators. While filming it, he earned his pilot's licence. During the 1930's, Hughes set numerous air speed records, and is credited with numerous technological improvements in the field of aviation.

The number of big names in this production is astounding, and with an over $100 million budget, it's clear Miramax is serious about making this a serious contender come next awards season.

Biopics usually aren't worth spending $100 million to make, but after the success of A Beautiful Mind, and with the mysteriousness that always surrounded Hughes' life, it's a bet Miramax is willing to take. With both DiCaprio and Scorsese both hot at the same time, we hope you'll excuse the pun when we say that the sky is the limit for this one. (Tim Briody/BOP)

December 2, 2004
The Aviator will open in New York, L.A. and San Francisco on December 17th before bowing nationwide on Christmas Day. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for The Aviator Main Cast Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett Supporting Cast Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Frances Conroy, Willem Dafoe, Kelli Garner, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Vincent Laresca, Josie Maran, Matt Ross, Nellie Sciutto, Adam Scott, Justin Shilton, Brent Spiner, Gwen Stefani, Chris Ufland, Rufus Wainwright Director Martin Scorsese Screenwriter John Logan Distributor Miramax Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.aviatormovie.com Rating PG-13 Running Time 168 minutes Screen Count 40 Awards Awards page for The Aviator Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for The Aviator
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Catch Me If You Can	12/27/02	30.08	31.27	3156	9532.00	9532.0	164.61	171.14	4.85
Ali	12/28/01	14.71	15.69	2446	6014.00	6173.7	58.18	62.09	2.59
Casino	11/24/95	9.95	13.79	1616	6157.00	8209.3	42.42	58.80	2.93
Malcolm X	11/20/92	9.87	14.34	1124	8781.00	12272.2	48.17	69.99	4.50
Gangs of New York	12/20/02	9.12	9.48	1504	6051.00	6051.0	77.73	80.81	8.52
Chaplin	1/8/93	3.26	4.74	1066	3058.00	4284.2	9.29	13.53	2.75
Nixon *	12/22/95	2.21	3.06	514	4300.00	5733.3	13.67	18.94	5.88