QUICK CUTS

THE NEXT STEP

Kate Hudson appears ready to break out with roles in a couple of fall films from prestigious directors. In September, Hudson, who is the daughter of Goldie Hawn, co-stars in Cameron Crowe’s autobiographical “Almost Famous” as a rock ‘n’ roll groupie. She follows that with the October release of Robert Altman’s “Dr. T & the Women,” in which she plays Richard Gere’s soon-to-be-married Dallas Cowboys cheerleader daughter. Hudson has previously had roles in “Desert Blue,” “200 Cigarettes” and “Gossip.”

BARNEY FOR PRESIDENT?

Universal has tapped the writing team of Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor to work on the script for the studio’s forthcoming “Jurassic Park III.” The duo, best known for their satirical films “Citizen Ruth” and “Election” (both directed by Payne), received an Academy Award nomination for the latter film, an adaptation of Jim Perrotta’s novel. The original 1993 “Jurassic Park,” about the resurrection of dinosaurs from DNA, was written by Michael Crichton and David Koepp based on Crichton’s novel. Koepp then adapted Crichton’s follow-up, “The Lost World,” in 1997 as “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” Joe Johnston (“October Sky”) succeeds Steven Spielberg in the director’s chair for the third installment. The plot of the sequel has been closely guarded, but given Payne and Taylor’s previous areas of interest (abortion and the high school electoral process), one can imagine a “JPIII” that takes on dino reproductive rights and political machinations among the overgrown reptiles.

ON THE LIDO

The Venice Film Festival, which this year runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 9, has selected its juries and jury presidents for the 57th annual event. Director Milos Forman (“Amadeus,” “Man on the Moon”) will lead the main jury, consisting of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh; directors Samira Makhmalbaf (“The Apple”), Giusseppe Bertolucci (“Il Dolce Rumore Della Vita”) and Claude Chabrol (“La Ceremonie”); writer Tahar Ben-Jelloun (“La Nuit Sacree”); and German film critic Andreas Kilb. A second jury, presided over by Canadian director Atom Egoyan (“The Sweet Hereafter,” “Felicia’s Journey”), will be charged with selecting from rookie filmmakers for the Luigi De Laurentiis First Film Prize. That jury is made up of actress Chiara Mastroianni (“Time Regained”); director Mimmo Calopresti (“La Seconda Volta”); actor-director Peter Mullan (“Orphans”); and American film critic Bill Krohn.