Movies are on their way to the iTunes Music Store, this is something that we have been hearing about for quite some time, but which is yet to happen. Meanwhile, other services offering similar content have already started appearing in quite large numbers. Apple has reportedly been having difficulty in this area, because of the success it has been enjoying with music and the conflict that has stirred with the record labels.

Like so many times before, the official statement out of Apple is preceded by third parties that let it slip. This time it was Lions Gate's president, Steve Beeks, who said that digital downloads of the studio's films on iTunes were expected in the coming months.

"In terms of iTunes movie downloads, I think most likely some time before the end of the [calendar] year," Beeks said. "We know when they are planning on launching, but since they have not announced it publicly, I do not think it is our place to say anything more about that."

Lions Gate's chief executive, Jon Feltheimer, said that the entertainment company had already reached digital delivery deals with CinemaNow, Movielink, and iTunes, and that terms were being ironed out with two other digital distributors, according to a transcript of the call. Vancouver-based Lions Gate, whose films include American Psycho, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Dogma, is the largest distributor of independent films in North America.

Well, it looks like Lion's Gate executives have let the cat out of the bag this time… fortunately it wasn't a Leopard. We're still waiting for the official Apple announcement...