News Archive

Thor aims his hammer at Snow White

Snow White's chances of survival have severely diminished now that the God Of Thunder himself is on her case. It would appear that Thor, or rather the human embodiment thereof, one Mr. Chris Hemsworth, is about to hunt down Miss White in the forthcoming adaptation.

Variety claims that a take-it-or-leave-it deal is on the table for Hemsworth to co-star in Snow White And The Huntsman. He'd, obviously, play the Huntsman opposite Kristen Stewart's Snow White and Charlize Theron's evil queen.

Of course, Hemsworth's ongoing commitment to Thor could yet scupper these plans as he's about to go in to production on The Avengers this summer. Should Hemsworth be otherwise engaged, studio Universal might yet stump for Animal Kingdom star Joel Edgerton.

Kathryn Bigelow to put the hurt locker on Bin Laden?

There's topical and then there's this: Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning pair behind 2009's The Hurt Locker are reportedly working on a story following a Black Ops team - the team that killed Osama Bin Laden on Sunday.

Back in December it was announced that the director and writer were working on a story about a Black Ops team, while also getting thriller Triple Frontier up to speed. Now, it turns out Boal had been using his contacts in military intelligence to follow the Navy SEAL team that formed part of the search for Bin Laden. No doubt Boal will be in front of his laptop this very second adding the events of Sunday night.

However, Variety reports that Bigelow will tread carefully, waiting to see the reaction of the Arab world before proceeding too far, though she plans to start shooting in the summer with casting underway now.

Fast Five races away with US Box Office records

Plenty of cars are destroyed in Fast Five (titled Fast & Furious 5 in the UK) and now the fifth film in the money-spinning, Vin Diesel-powered franchise has gone and smashed several US Box Office records too. In addition to debuting at number one in the chart, the Rio-based actioner bagged the year's most lucrative opening so far in the US, the biggest April opening ever, and studio Universal's highest grossing opening of all time. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Kate and Wills delayed their honeymoon so that the groom could catch the Vin Diesel-Dwayne Johnson face-off on Saturday night.

Elsewhere, Rio de Janeirians had reason to celebrate as their city claimed the top two spots in the chart with bird adventure Rio making way for Fast Five in second place. Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family and Water For Elephants each slipped a place to three and four respectively, while Disney's Prom made a disappointing entrance at five. Uninspiring children's fare Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (sigh) debuts at six, Soul Surfer is still riding the crest of a wave at seven and the creepy Insidious is creeping up a place to eight. Hop plummets five places to nine and Source Code is unmoved at ten.

Tarantino to dance a Western Waltz?!

Last Friday a mysterious insider who goes by the name @agenttrainee, tweeted a photo of the cover of what appears to be the script of Quentin Tarantino's new Spaghetti Western. Presented to us in a childlike hand, (for those who have not yet seen the image) the script is indeed titled Django Unchained and somewhat naturally, Christoph Waltz will star. Waltz received an oscar for his work in Inglourious Basterds, which Tarantino directed.

Django Unchained will be a western whose lead character is a former slave in league with Waltz to save his wife from an evil plantation owner. The movie is said to be inspired by the 1966 movie Django, but the character in Tarantino's Western opus will most likely be steered in an alternate direction to the original character. Unbeknownst to us, Tarantino was obviously refering to Django Unchained when he expressed that he'd "like to do a Western. But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times. With that subject that everybody is afraid to deal with.I want to do movies that deal with America's horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns".

When it comes to casting, like Inglourious basterds, we can expect the best of the best but it will be interesting to learn who will co-lead with Waltz. Deadline has actually reported that the project is "moving very quickly" so could possibily begin shooting as of late summer or autumn, depending on cast availability.

Rachel Weisz to hop onto her broom as witch in Raimi's Oz?

Director Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful could be injected with a dose of English beauty as Rachel Weisz is in negotiations to play bad witch Evanora in Disney's take on a pre-Dorothy Oz.

The prequel tells the tale of James Franco's shyster salesman who is carried away to the magical land when his balloon is caught in a tornado. While in Oz he meets the witches, including Theadora (Mila Kunis) whose attempts to woo Franco are dismissed, leading her to the dark side, egged on by evil sister Evanora.

Weisz was last seen in comedy caper The Brothers Bloom and in spy thriller Page Eight with Ralph Fiennes. Meanwhile, shooting for Oz begins in July

Hugh Jackman wanted for Fantastic Voyage

Clearly, working together on DreamWorks' upcoming robot actioner Real Steel just wasn't enough for bestie chums Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman who may be working together in Fantastic Voyage.

Levy has been hired to direct the film by 20th Century Fox back with James Cameron producing the 3D epic. The story is adapted from the 1966 original about scientists miniaturised and injected with a submarine into a man's body to save his life, but this new take will also feature a love story.

The film is still awaiting the green light, while Levy isn't even completely committed to the project yet, but if Jackman were to sign on (and Wolverine's production troubles may mean he has the time) then it could accelerate the speed of the Voyage.

Thor's Marvel-ous he's getting a sequel already?!?!

Nary has Marvel's blockbuster Thor been out a week and already there are dicussions of a possible sequel! Although, this is totally understandable given that it is sitting pretty at #1 in this week's UK Box Office.

Marvel Studios top dog Kevin Feige mentioned during a Thor press conference that the studio is already mapping a sequel. Even Thor's very own screenwriter Don Payne wants in on the action and is already devising possible story ideas but says the focus is on the first film...for now that is. However, Kenneth Branagh (Director) announced that he'd rather put his all into the first film rather than save it for a sequel.

Despite Kevin Feige's hasty thinking, a representative for Marvel has clarified that there have not been any offical talks with Branagh about a Thor sequel. So, there actually may not be a Thor sequel after all or Branagh is just being very modest about his work as to avoid revealing too much...unlike some!

Danny Boyle in a Trance for new film

Danny Boyle, he of Tigger-impersonating fame (apparently he's a half-decent director too) looks to have found his next project - a dark thriller that harks back to his Shallow Grave days.

Trance will begin shooting in London around September, but script and casting details are yet to be confirmed. Deadline reports that the film will focus on an art heist gone wrong and marks Boyle's third collaboration with producer Christian Colson. In the meantime, the director will be busy working on the opening ceremony for next year's Olympic Games. Boyle will store the footage for Trance once shooting is complete and resume editing in August 2012 after the Games, planning for an early 2013 release.

Handsome devil Bradley Cooper to play Lucifer?

The Hangover and Limitless star Bradley Cooper is a man in demand right now, so it's refreshing to hear that he's the one pursuing a role; the 36-year-old has his eyes set on playing Lucifer in Legendary Pictures' planned adaptation of John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Alex Proyas (I, Robot, Knowing) looks set to direct the adaptation of the 17th century poem, focusing on the war between archangels Michael and Lucifer, and the latter's tempting of Adam and Eve away from God, leading to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Variety reports that Cooper hasn't been offered the role yet, but negotiations are underway.

Something (Cat)fishy's going on with Paranormal Activity 3

Remember Catfish? Well, the Directors behind that dubious doctumentary (or mockumentary) will come together with the team of Paranormal Activity to create a third film. This is a slight change of genre for the forces behind Catfish, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, so this could be interesting...or not. Schulman will co-produce Paranormal Activity 3 with Jason Blum and series creator Oren Peli, with Steven Schneider and Akiva Goldsman executive producing.

The script is yet to be finished by Christopher B. Landon, and with a release date of October 21 THIS year, let's hope it's not all slapdash. Story details are secretive right now but it won't be too long until is all is revealed. So, if you loved the first two, and are now highly anticipating the third installment then you should probably expect a few more in the next couple of years because it looks as if Paranormal Activity is heading the way of the long-running Saw franchise. If you didn't however enjoy either one of the films then this is probably not the best news you've read all day.

Grant, Tennant and Freeman board The Pirates!

Rejoice! Those mad scientists at Aardman Animations, the guys behind the Oscar-winner Wallace and Gromit series, are back and ready to take to the high seas with their latest, The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists. And it's quite a band of misfits they've assembled too. Lending their vocal talents to Aardman's claymation creations are the likes of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek!

Directed by Peter Lord (Chicken Run and one of the founders of Aardman) The Pirates will tread the familiar stop-motion line but will also feature the now ubiqutous 3D bells and whistles. Here's what the official press release had to say about proceedings;

Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain - a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

Spielberg's Lincoln adds TLJ and JGL

Abraham Lincoln, that fuzzy-faced Prez who forever changed the course of American history, is quite popular these days in Hollywood. Robert Redford's got The Conspirator out in US cinemas now and there's even an Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter monster mash coming soon recounting Abe's little known sideline in bloodsucker-bashing. Meanwhile Steven Spielberg's straight-up biog entitled Lincoln is moving apace with the news that Tommy Lee Jones and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will enter the fray.

The starry pair will be joined by the likes of Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson and Bruce McGill as Spielberg surrounds the already cast Daniel Day Lewis (Abe) with enough talent to fill Congress!

Based on the best-selling book, Team of Rivals, by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lincoln will focus on the political collision of the 16th President and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War.

Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones will play Thaddeus Stevens, a Republican leader and powerful congressman - a fellow supporter in the abolition of slavery. Joseph Gordon-Levitt meanwhile will play Lincoln's eldest son Robert Todd, Abe's only son to make it out of his teenage years.

Will Smith to join new Tarantino movie?

We try not to use juvenile text-speak when reacting to news, but this had us OMG-ing like there was no tomorrow. Will Smith is reportedly on top of Quentin Tarantino's list to lead his next film, spaghetti Western tribute Django Unchained.

No official offer has been tabled yet and although Smith's usual hefty pay packet may present a potential problem, surely he couldn't turn down the chance to star in a Tarantino film, right? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 42-year-old would play the lead role of Django, a freed slave who sets out on a mission to reunite with his wife, who is yet to be freed. He's joined by a German bounty hunter, who trains him to take on an evil plantation owner (a role most likely to be awarded to Christoph Waltz). Samuel L. Jackson is also being linked to play an accomplice of the main villain.

Will Smith, who has been off our screens since early 2009's Seven Pounds will next be seen in Men In Black III, due for release next year.

Hammer Time in US for Thor

Proving that American audiences still haven't lost their taste for a good ol' fashioned big-budget blockbusters, Marvel's latest superhero, Thor, hammered away the opposition to snatch the box office top spot with a $66 million debut. As well as marking lead actor Chris Hemsworth's breakout role and director Kenneth Branagh's first foray into action movies, this is also Black Swan star Natalie Portman's fourth release this year (No Strings Attached and Your Highness making up the full list). Fast Five had to apply the brakes as it slipped to second, while wedding comedies Jumping The Broom and Something Borrowed had their big days at third and fourth, respectively. Last week's number two, Rio, falls three places to complete the top five.

R-Patz is getting thirsty himself in Water For Elephants at six, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family is reuniting at seven, and Prom gets in the spirit of the season at eight. Meanwhile, the tide is coming in for Soul Surfer at nine and the shorter the goodbye for Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil the better.

Michael Cera to try his hand at Magic, Magic

Since last year's rather brilliant Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, we've barely heard a peep from Michael Cera. While the quick-witted Canadian has been eternally linked with the Arrested Development movie, it's only now that we learn he's signed on to a new project: indie drama Magic, Magic.

Inching away from his comedy past, Magic, Magic would be a change of pace for the 22-year-old as it follows the story of a young woman who goes on holiday with friends to a remote part of Chile and starts to slowly lose her mind. Though she attempts to make her friends understand, they ignore her until it's too late. Just to clarify, Michael Cera will not play the girl - it's not THAT much of a change of pace!

Sebastian Silva is writing and directing the story set in his homeland, but shooting is still a while away as the Magic team search for an actress to play the lead role.

Thor's hammer defeats R-Patz's thirsty elephants in UK Box Office

One day we will run out of Thor/hammer-related puns, but today is not that day as the Marvel superhero hammered the nails into its competition's coffin with a second week atop the UK Box Office. With a £1.9 million haul, Thor kept Fast & Furious 5 and Insidious in second and third place, while Robert Pattinson's Water For Elephants may need a stiff drink after only opening at four. Director Joe Wright's teenage assassin, Hanna, was on target in her first week to complete the top five.

Something Borrowed could use a handout after only opening at six; bird adventure Rio is losing height at seven; meanwhile, Priest is praying for divine intervention following a number eight debut. Russell Brand's Arthur and Hop complete the top ten.

Al Pacino in a mob movie? No way…

Just in case you've been missing it, we'll be getting another dose of Al Pacino's gravel-voiced gravitas as the 71-year-old has signed on for a part in mob drama Gotti: Three Generations. The screen legend will play Gambino crime family associate Neil Dellacroce, a friend and mentor to John Gotti Sr who will be played by John Travolta.

Barry Levinson, who recently worked with Pacino on HBO TV film You Don't Know Jack, has stepped up to fill the director's shoes after Nick Cassavetes bailed. Lindsay Lohan is also on board to play Kim Gotti, wife of John Gotti Jr (who is yet to be cast), with Travolta's real-life wife Kelly Preston and daughter Ella Bleu Travolta playing their counterparts on screen. Meanwhile, Joe Pesci is signed on as Angelo Ruggiero, another close friend of the criminal couple.

Rachel Weisz spies a role in Bourne?

What do you call a spy thriller set in a chocolate factory? The Bourneville Legacy. Now that you're done chuckling at our prodigious comedy skills, we have casting news: Rachel Weisz is deep in talks to join Tony Gilroy's Bourne spin-off.

Deadline is reporting that the Oscar-winner is in conversation with Universal to star in the Jeremy Renner-led actioner. The Bourne Legacy follows a highly trained operative from a government organisation that is even more dangerous than Jason Bourne's Treadstone. Weisz is expected to play a character similar to the straight-laced boss Pamela Landy (Joan Allen).

Being the popular lady that she is, however, a scheduling conflict may rear its head; last week we reported that Weisz will be playing evil witch Evanora in Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful for Disney. The shooting dates for both films are dangerously close and may require a fair bit of studio collaboration if they are both to procure Weisz's services.

Colin Firth joins Emily Blunt for scam movie

Colin Firth, who added a National Movie Award to his haul last night to make it (approximately) 732 gongs so far this year, has agreed to star in an as yet untitled film with Emily Blunt about a man who fakes his own death.

Debut director Dante Ariola has secured The King's Speech star to appear in this story of a man who decides to leave his old life behind and ends up meeting a woman on a similar path. Together they decide to live a life of crime and start breaking into empty houses to steal the identities of the owners. Hmm, doesn't sound like a sequel to The King's Speech, then.

Beck Johnson is behind the script, while Focus Features International and Ariola are planning on shooting once the money is available.

Christopher Walken and Mickey Rourke sign on for Seven Psychopaths

When it comes to cast lists we're not easily impressed, but Seven Psychopaths has us raising both eyebrows in intrigue. Joining Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell for the dark comedy are the inimitable Christopher Walken and Mickey Rourke.

Farrell plays a struggling screenwriter who hangs out with his dog-knapping friends Walken and Rockwell. But when the pair steals a pooch that belongs to miffed gangster Rourke, all hell breaks loose. Martin McDonagh of In Bruges fame is on writing and helming duties and as the film is called Seven Psychopaths we expect at least three more actors to hop on board for this wild ride. Stay tuned!

Ashton Kutcher 'winning' race to replace Charlie Sheen?

He may be a total freakin' rock star from Mars, but it looks like Charlie Sheen is about to be replaced by the depressingly Earth-born Ashton Kutcher in sitcom Two and a Half Men. According to The Hollywood Reporter, no deal is officially in place yet, but Kutcher looks set to sign on after US network CBS and Sheen split earlier this year following the star's well-publicised meltdown.

Hugh Grant was also linked with the role, but Kutcher, who has experience on US TV as one of the key characters on That 70s Show, looks to have won the role. Show creator Chuck Lorre claims to have found a storyline idea that would organically introduce Kutcher's new character to the other man and a half, Jon Cryer's Alan Harper and son Jake (Angus T Jones).

Robert De Niro sails Gently Down The Stream for new role

Robert De Niro has taken a moment out from judging the best that Cannes has to offer to sign on to Bucket List writer/producer Justin Zackham's latest slice of OAP comedy, Gently Down The Stream.

De Niro stars alongside Diane Keaton as a divorced couple who, for the sake of their adopted son (and his biological mother), pretend to still be married on the day of his wedding. As the couple (badly) pretend they're still in love, all types of hilarity ensues. Sigh.

"I'm excited to be able to continue what we started with on The Bucket List - iconic actors in a funny, adult, character-driven story, albeit with a little more sex and bad behaviour on everyone's part," said Zackham. To remove any currently interested men from the audience demographic, rom com regulars Katherine Heigl and Amanda Seyfried will also star, with one of them expected to fill the role of the bride to be.

Monsters sequel planned

There are two types of people in this world: those who agree that Monsters was one of the finest films of 2010 and an outstanding piece of filmmaking by a debut director, and those who haven't seen it yet. Vertigo Films seems to agree and have decided to make a sequel to Gareth Edwards' surprise package.

Edwards himself has moved on to helm Hollywood's next big budget attempt at resurrecting the gargantuan carcass of Godzilla, but has given his blessing to a new film set in the world he so ably brought to the screen and is even signed on as executive producer. Screen Daily reports that directors Brent Bonacorso and Jesse Atlas will tell the tale of a teacher living in a protected city who must journey into the alien-infested zone to find his long-lost military brother, while fending off even more creatures than we found in the original.

Vertigo's Allan Niblo said: "We wouldn't have done it if we didn't find the right talent," says Niblo. "Gareth loves their vision. People want to see more of this world." There are no actors confirmed to star yet and the release is planned for late 2012.

Thor's hammer wards off Bridesmaids in US Box Office

Still swinging his hammer with all the carefree abandon of a child playing whack-a-mole, Kenneth Branagh's big screen adaptation of Marvel favourite Thor defeated the threat of Kristen Wiig and her Bridesmaids in its second week to hold on to the top spot at the US Box Office. The Chris Hemworth and Natalie Portman-led blockbuster took an impressive $34.5 million - $10 million more than debutante Bridesmaids. Meanwhile, Fast Five is travelling at a slower speed in third place, closely followed by Priest, which graces the chart in fourth. Rio is unmoved and still enjoying its moment in the sun at five.

Jumping The Broom and Something Borrowed make it a trio of wedding films in the chart at six and seven. Water For Elephants is running out of steam at eight, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family are starting to bicker at nine, while the tide has come in for Soul Surfer at ten.

Thor resists Attack from the Block to retain UK No. 1

Proving to be a Thor-n in the backside of new entries, Kenneth Branagh's superhero blockbuster swiped away the competition with another swing of its mighty hammer this weekend to hold on to top spot at the UK Box Office chart. Lying in its wake was Fast & Furious 5, which stalled at two for a second week, and highest new entry, Attack The Block, which is in at three. The Adulthood-meets-Alien actioner achieved the highest screen average of the weekend with an impressive £3,221. Insidious and Hanna were forced to shuffle down to fourth and fifth respectively.

Robert Pattinson's feeling parched in Water For Elephants after its slide to six, Rio is the chart's longest resident (six weeks) at seven, while Something Borrowed is having a short-lived honeymoon at eight. Falling one place, Paul Bettany's Priest is praying for respite at nine with Russell Brand's Arthur feeling the pinch at ten.

Michael Mann to direct Agincourt

After months of rumours, it looks like Michael Mann will indeed be directing an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt. He may have underwhelmed us of late with the likes of Public Enemies and Miami Vice, but we've still got a lot of love for the Mann, which is why news of his new project has us crossing our fingers for a return to his glory days of Heat and The Last Of The Mohicans.

ScreenDaily reports that Mann is now officially attached to direct with Luc Roeg's Independent developing the project and Benjamin Ross writing the script. Cornwell's epic novel tells the tale of the 15th century Battle of Agincourt from the viewpoint of young fugitive Nicholas Hook who becomes an archer in King Henry V's struggle against the French. Mann had also been linked to biopics of notorious Chicago crime boss Tony Accardo and Spanish Civil War photographer Robert Capa, but it looks like Agincourt has won the day.

Ferrell and Walhberg team up for Turkey Bowl

We were big fans of last year's Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg-starring comedy The Other Guys, which is why news of the pair joining forces again makes us gleeful (not gleeful enough to watch Glee though. Ever.). Warner Bros. has tied the knot for the duo to appear in new comedy Turkey Bowl.

The story follows two rival men from big American football towns who duke it out over an annual Thanksgiving game. Pitched by Owen Burke from Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions, the script is being worked on by 30 Rock executive producer Robert Carlock and Friends veteran Scott Silveri. According to Deadline there will also be cameos galore a la the Anchorman news stations face-off, while Alec Baldwin is attached to play Wahlberg's dad. There's no director or release date as present, but McKay could step up to work with Ferrell and Wahlberg following the success of The Other Guys.

Mel Gibson to work with Eric Cantona?

Of course it makes sense: award-winning mavericks with controversial careers, Mel Gibson and Eric Cantona seem like natural buddies and now they could end up working together on new heist comedy Sleight of Hand. After Mad Mel's (many) meltdown(s), the failure of The Beaver in the US Box Office and the cancellation of his cameo from The Hangover sequel, things don't look so good for the Aussie Oscar-winner.

Yet, in a real-life Looking For Eric moment, Variety reports that the French football legend could be about to guide him to the path of righteousness as Mel is currently in talks to join Cantona, Keifer Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, Til Schweiger and Thomas Jane for a comedy about clumsy Parisian burglars who accidentally find themselves in possession of a rare coin belonging to a gangster. It is yet to be seen whether Gibson signs on, while Brad Mirman is on board to direct and shooting is expected to begin in Paris this July.

Stephen Fry joins The Hobbit. Twitter goes into meltdown

If news of Stephen Fry joining the cast of The Hobbit doesn't set Twitter on fire in a blaze of hashtag happiness then nothing will. Peter Jackson revealed the news on Facebook that keen tweeter Fry will fill the role of The Master of Laketown.

For those unfamiliar with their Hobbit geography, Lake-Town, or Esgaroth, is a wooden construction sitting on the Long Lake, which is a trading post between men, Elves and Dwarves. The Master is described as nervous and greedy, and is suspicious of Bilbo and his pals when they arrive.

Jackson gushed: "I've known Stephen for several years, and we're developing a Dambusters movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he's a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us." Also on the new cast list are Ryan Gage and Conan Stevens; Gage plays Alfrid, the Master's right-hand man, while Stevens is down as an Orc named Azgog.

James Franco and Dev Patel join forces in Cherry

Bringing together two of Danny Boyle's finest recent leading men, indie drama Cherry has added Hollywood's most popular man, James Franco, to a cast that includes Dev Patel and Heather Graham. The story follows an 18-year-old girl who moves to San Francisco and becomes embroiled in the adult film industry, hooking up with Franco's cocaine-snorting lawyer in the process.

Graham will hark back to her Boogie Nights days as a former porn starlet turned director who becomes obsessed with the new actress. Patel is down to play the girl's lovelorn best friend and Lili Taylor is in talks to take the role of the teenager's alcoholic mother. Stephen Elliot is on board to direct from a script he co-wrote with Lorelei Lee. Shooting starts next month, so Franco will look to fit this in before working on Sam Raimi's Oz, The Great and Powerful.

Arnie puts acting plans on hold. Anyone know why?

Looks like we'll have to wait a little while longer to see Arnold Schwarzenegger star as the world's oldest Terminator after his acting comeback was put on hold. Yes, it turns out that the former Governor of California is having some issues in his personal life at the moment (check the front page of, well, anything for more details), which have curtailed his plans indefinitely.

Arnie's lawyer Patrick Knapp released the following statement: "At the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger, we asked Creative Artists Agency to inform all his motion picture projects currently underway or being negotiated to stop planning until further notice. Gov. Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. This includes Cry Macho, the Terminator franchise and other projects under consideration. We will resume discussions when he decides."

So the film projects are on pause, but the team behind Schwarzenegger's planned animated show The Governator, are still hopeful that the show will start airing next year.

Titanic 3D sailing into cinemas April 6th 2012

News that Titanic is to be re-released in cinemas in 3D has been with us for a while, but now we have a release date too: April 6th 2012. Yes, boys and girls, we can swoon over DiCaprio's untamed locks and Winslet's, erm, dancing skills all over again - and this time in 3D no less!

Next year marks the centennial of the ship's voyage, while April 10 was the date the ship first set sail. Also, it is now almost 15 years since director James Cameron's epic was released to become the highest-grossing film of all time (that title has now been taken by another little-known Cameron film called Avatar) and bag 11 Academy Awards.

Cameron had this to say about the release: "There's a whole generation that's never seen Titanic as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen. And this will be Titanic as you've never seen it before, digitally re-mastered at 4K and painstakingly converted to 3D."

The Tree Of Life adds a Palme D'Or to its branches

Terrence Malick's epic drama The Tree Of Life was awarded the Palme D'Or at the closing ceremony of the 64th Cannes Film Festival last night. The festival's highest honour was bestowed upon a film that has split critics and was even booed by some at its first screening in Cannes, but the long-awaited film starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn pipped the likes of The Artist, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Le Havre to the top prize.

Other prizes included Best Director to Nicholas Winding Refn for Drive, Best Actor to Jean Dujardin for The Artist, and Kirsten Dunst was given Best Actress for Melancholia (whose director, Lars Von Trier, was banned after a bizarre press conference where he described himself as a "Nazi"). This year's jury was led by a panel including Robert De Niro, Jude Law and Uma Thurman.

Pirates on familiar tides at US chart summit

Just the $90.1 million for Captain Jack Sparrow and his high seas hombres in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides then. To us simple folk, that seems like a gargantuan sum of money, but to Disney, who distribute the Johnny Depp-led franchise, that's a significant drop from the second Pirates film ($135.6 million) and even the much-derided third film ($114.7 million).

Bridesmaids is still warding off cold feet and stomach knots to sustain its strong position in second place for another week, while Thor, last week's chart-topper, slips to third. Fast Five may not be in the top five much longer after falling to fourth and Rio once again holds its own at fifth. Priest at number six is being kept busy by wedding rom coms Jumping The Broom and Something Borrowed just below it, while Water For Elephants and Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family each drop a place to nine and ten respectively.

Benedict Cumberbatch to join The Hobbit?

They were a crime-fighting pair, uncovering mysteries in the BBC's Sherlock last summer, but Watson appears to have let slip his pal's big secret. Martin Freeman, lead star of The Hobbit, revealed that Holmes himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, will be joining him for Peter Jackson's two-part blockbuster.

Cumberbatch was at the BAFTA TV awards on Sunday night with Freeman where the former Office actor accidentally spilled that his Sherlock co-star would enter the Tolkein universe. "I knew I was a big mouth, I didn't know how much of a big mouth, and I've ruined everything," joked Freeman after he had scooped Best Supporting Actor. "And now I might not have a job to go back to!" No details of Cumberbatch's role are available - both parties were probably hoping to keep it secret for a while - but Freeman's loose talk may force them to reveal all soon.

Pirates 4 plunders UK Box Office

Captain Jack Sparrow helped himself to a treasure chest worth £11.6 million at the UK Box Office this weekend as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides entered the chart in top spot. Fast & Furious 5 is parked and seemingly content at second place in its fifth week, while Thor's hammer couldn't halt its slide to third. Horror hit Insidious is still whimpering in fourth and Attack The Block is saving the world in fifth place.

Joe Wright's pint-sized action heroine Hanna is at six, Rio is doing wonders for Brazilian tourism at seven, and Water For Elephants is feeling parched at eight. Blitz makes a late charge at nine with Win Win securing the wooden spoon at ten.

Pyrates ahoy for Ridley Scott!

He's taken on Gladiators, gangsters and Orlando Bloom, so it's only natural that Ridley Scott would be tempted by the challenge of creating a pirates-based miniseries. Ridley and his brother Tony Scott will be working on Pyrates with US network Fox via their production company, Scott Free.

Expected to premiere in the US next summer, Pyrates is the brainchild of Barry Schindel and follows the largest heist in pirate history - when the Spanish silver fleet was captured in 1628. 24's Stephen Hopkins is on board to direct the first episode, but there is no word yet on a start date for shooting.

Ron Howard casts doubts over Dark Tower

Just when you thought Ron Howard's epic film/TV adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series couldn't get any more complex and convoluted, here comes news of more delays and even doubts over Javier Bardem's involvement. Universal were reportedly having second thoughts on the project due to budget concerns earlier in the month, but Howard has now spoke out about the problems.

"We had to pull back to our September start date due to budget delays and ongoing story development and logistical issues, but Dark Tower is moving forward," Howard told Entertainment Weekly. "We're thinking of starting in early spring now. I can't really say who'll be in it yet, but Javier Bardem has shown a great deal of interest. We'll know by the end of the summer, when our flashing green light goes solid."

So, the reported confirmation of Bardem's involvement has been scaled back to "shown a great deal of interest", while who knows if Howard and his team will be able to pull off the originally planned film, six-part TV series and a possible further two films.

Jeff Bridges to get R.I.P.D.

Now that he's won an Oscar and reached the stage where he can be called a veteran, you would think Jeff Bridges might consider slowing down; instead, he's signed on to star opposite Ryan Reynolds in undead comic adaptation R.I.P.D.

The plot follows the story of the Rest In Peace Department of the law, who specialise in monitoring the undead population. Replacing Zach Galifianakis in the role of Roy Powell, Bridges will play a gunslinger who's been dead for centuries. Reynolds will take on the role of Nick Cruz, a recently deceased lawman hungry for revenge. The film starts shooting in September and will be released next year.

Nighy, Beckinsale and Biel are Totally Recalled

Bill Nighy's involvement in anything is usually a good sign and with the addition of the lovely Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel, director Len Wiseman's Total Recall reboot has amassed a very impressive cast list indeed.

Wiseman, who is Beckinsale's husband and directed both her and Nighy in the Underworld films, has Nighy in line for the role of Quatto, the enigmatic and charming leader of the resistance, while Beckinsale has officially landed the lead role of Lori. Biel will play the second female lead, Melina. The trio join Colin Farrell as hero Quaid and Bryan Cranston as the dastardly villain of the piece.

Wiseman's new look at Phillip K Dick's story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, will feature a number of differences to the original 1990 actioner, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film starts shooting on Monday in Toronto.

Bradley Cooper writing script for Hyperion?

Now, he may be a handsome, talented actor, but why does Bradley Cooper feel the need to show off by demonstrating his screenwriting chops too? While getting ready to star in the likes of Paradise Lost and The Crow, Cooper has also found time to write a speculative screenplay of Dan Simmons' Hyperion sci-fi novels for Warners.

The ambitious series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, is based on an extra-planetary group of pilgrims, taking its lead from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The scale of any potential project is likely to be huge, while this isn't the first time a film adaptation has tried to get off the ground; Warners first started work on the project in 2008, with Scott Derrickson coming on board as director the following year. Though there has been little progress since, Cooper's script has now made its way to Warners and GK Films. It's probably really good too, just like every other thing he does - not that we're jealous of him of or anything…

Zach Braff Scrubs up to join the Oz cast

For many of us, Zach Braff will always be JD, the loveable, daydreaming doctor from hit sitcom Scrubs. Sam Raimi has decided, however, that he can also pull off the bumbling assistant to James Franco's wizard in Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Since his breakout writing/directing/acting gig on Garden State in 2004, Braff has continued his work on Scrubs with the odd film role in the likes of The Last Kiss and The Ex. Although, the role of Franco's obsequious assistant Frank is his first mainstream movie gig for a while. The 36-year-old Canadian joins Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis for the film, which starts shooting this July in Michigan for a planned US release of March next year.

Have The Avengers found their villain?

Reports claim that The Avengers will be battling Thanos, a long-running Marvel Comics villain in next summer's blockbuster. We already knew that Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury, and the Hulk would take on Loki (Tom Hiddleston), adopted brother of Thor. Loki then uses the Cosmic Cube that the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) finds in Captain America: The First Avenger to bring forth the Skrulls to earth.

Still with us? Latino Review is now saying that The Avengers will have to duel Thanos, confirming rumours that started around Comic Con last year. For all those who don't know, Thanos is a mutant member of the race of superhumans called the Titanian Eternals and is the creator of the powerful Infinity Gauntlet. However, Latino Review suggests that Thanos may not be the central antagonist, which could set it up for a sequel...

The Hangover Part II karate chops Kung Fu Panda 2

In the battle of the sequels, it was a trio of men suffering headaches, memory loss and nausea who triumphed over a kung fu fighting panda in the US Box Office. The Hangover Part II proved its mettle with an $86 million haul, while Jack Black's Kung Fu Panda 2 fell way short on $47 million. Meanwhile, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sailed down to third with Bridesmaids and Thor sliding down to four and five.

Fast Five is in a slow six, while Midnight in Paris enjoys its moment in the sun at seven. Something Borrowed doesn't want to share eighth spot with anyone, Rio is flying down to nine and Jumping the Broom is skipping out of the chart at ten.

Alice Braga joins trip to Blomkamp's Elysium

Neil Blomkamp's Elysium continues to pique our interest with news that his next project after District 9 has added the very lovely Brazilian actress Alice Braga to its cast. Last seen in Predators and The Rite, Braga has an as yet undisclosed role, but with her action pedigree, we're expecting something where ass shall be kicked.

Though the project is more under wraps than an Eskimo in winter, we do know that Blomkamp has another sci-fi in the District 9 mould for us, but this one will be set in the distant future. Braga joins an impressive cast list that includes Matt Damon as the lead, Sharlto Copley, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner and her fellow Brazilian Wagner Moura. However, with filming set to start in July in Vancouver, we won't be able to see the fruits of their labours until March 2013.