Is it simply that studios are too terrified to give a woman first billing over a male star, lest people then think the film to be a chick flick? After all, Vaughn's last hit was The Break-Up, the rare romantic comedy with strong male appeal, something that marketing folks might have felt was in jeopardy had costar Jennifer Aniston been first-billed. Four Christmases isn't a romcom but a flat-out comedy, but would it be perceived as the former if Vaughn was subservient to Witherspoon in the billing block?

Yes, when compared to Witherspoon, the presence of Vaughn in this film makes us more likely to see it (though still? not very likely), simply because the actor has a track record of enlivening even the most formulaic films with his improvised comic riffs. Still, we wonder just how B- and C-list you'd have to go to find a male costar whom the studio would allow Witherspoon to supplant. In an alternate Four Christmases, could the actress vault over Colin Farrell to claim first billing? Or will she have to settle for a part opposite Freddie Prinze Jr. to claim what, by rights, should be hers?

The first theory we outlined doesn't make sense for one major reason. That reason being that the game was broadcast on the Fox Network, which (duh) also owns 20th Century Fox. So, if someone (anyone!) at Fox felt strongly enough about the movie, they would've easily been able to put a call into Rupert Murdoch's beancounters to make the accounting work. It's not like any money would've had to change hands. Which is why we're leaning towards the latter theory.

While not many details are known about this project, we know this much to be true — the film is being referred to as Night's "green" movie (the project operated under the working names of both Green Planet and The Green Effect). And as much play as the green movement has gotten in the media, it hasn't really gained any significant traction with consumers in The Heartland. When you add on the fact that early message board buzz declares that "this film will seal [Night's] doom and send him back to directing straight to DVD films" AND that the film is seriously lacking in the star power department (Mark Wahlberg and John Leguizamo can't put butts in seats) ... BOOM! Fox just might have themselves a potential bomb on their hands. Developing...