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Abrams: 'Recasting Khan a challenge'

J.J. Abrams has admitted that recasting legendary Star Trek villain Khan in the franchise would be a challenge.

The Lost creator did not confirm if the character, originally played by Ricardo Montalban, will appear in his Star Trek follow-up, but he did reveal that he is open to developing a new spin on the role, as he did with Kirk and Spock.

"I think one of the by-products of doing this movie was we were able to dispel the obvious and understandable concerns - how can Star Trek possibly exist without those original cast members?" he told MTV.

"Now that we are in a parallel existence with what fans of the original series love so much, we could introduce any number of characters, settings, references and situations that the original series introduced. Dealing with Khan would certainly be a challenge, but we had an equal challenge in finding our crew of the Enterprise."

The 43-year-old director also said that he and writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof are currently discussing story ideas for the sequel.

Abrams added: "While I don't want to approach the second film as a remake of episodes we've seen in the past... nothing is off limits in terms of what we're discussing."

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Barrymore: 'Spielberg taught me so much'

Drew Barrymore has revealed that director Steven Spielberg taught her everything she knows about acting.

The Whip It star, who was cast in Spielberg's ET when she was only five years old, said that out of all the directors she has worked with, he has always given her the best advice.

Barrymore told Empire: "I've spent my whole life working with more than 60 directors, so I've picked up all kinds of tips. Steven Spielberg has been a big help."

She continued: "He gave me great notes. He's a wonderful mentor."

Barrymore also compared her latest film to her first, adding: "My favourite scene in Whip It is actually the food fight, which is an homage to ET, when we had that big food fight in the lunch room."

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McGregor: 'I bonded with my goat co-star'

Ewan McGregor has revealed that he became very close to the goat who starred with him in his latest film.

The Scottish actor, who appears with George Clooney in The Men Who Stare At Goats, said that he developed a "perfect" connection with his animal co-star.

McGregor told USA Today: "There was a scene when George and I are lost, and we are sleeping in the desert. I am supposed to be awakened when a goat with a little bell walks by. I follow the goat and it leads us to water. It saves our lives. We did the first take and the goat just ran through."

He continued: "But in the second take, the goat looked at me and it stopped perfectly in the frame. It stood there looking at me for almost 30 seconds. I looked at the goat and the goat looked at me, then it was almost as if he nodded and just carried on. It was absolutely perfect."

Clooney recently joked that McGregor should have taken acting lessons from the goat.

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Owen Wilson to voice 'Marmaduke'

Owen Wilson will lend his voice to the eponymous Great Dane in 20th Century Fox's Marmaduke movie, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming's newspaper cartoon strip, the movie will follow the Winslow family as they move from Kansas to Orange County with their misbehaving dog. Tom Dey is attached to direct the live-action/CG hybrid movie, which is slated to arrive in cinemas next June.

Judy Greer, Lee Pace and William H. Macy will star in the human roles, while Fergie, Emma Stone, George Lopez, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Steve Coogan, Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans are to voice animated characters.

Wilson's recent dog-centric movie Marley & Me grossed $240 million at the worldwide box office.

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Bob Hoskins: 'Jim Carrey is fantastic'

Bob Hoskins has revealed that Jim Carrey had him in tears when they starred together in Robert Zemeckis's upcoming performance capture adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

The actor told Metro that Carrey expressed an impressive array of emotions during filming.

Hoskins said of Carrey: "He is fantastic, Jim's got a kind of unearthly magic and Scrooge is the type of character you need magic for.

"Some of the things he does with his face and the emotions he expresses are incredible to watch, he had me in tears a couple of times."

Of the appeal of the movie, he added: "A Christmas Carol was the first book I read when I was 7 and I was absolutely terrified.

"I couldn't believe that so much could happen in one night. I loved it. It is a story that is great to return to - like an old myth. It's a great story of redemption.

"It shows you that if you are mean and horrible and haven't got the time to be a part of the world, you are going to lose out. That is still very relevant."

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Clooney targets Payne's 'Descendants'

George Clooney is in discussions to head the cast of Alexander Payne's comedy-drama The Descendants, reports Variety.

The film revolves around a wealthy father who takes his two daughters on a trip to find his wife's lover in the hope that it will keep his family together.

Based on the debut novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Descendants marks Payne's first film since 2004's Oscar winner Sideways. Production is scheduled to start in February in Hawaii.

Clooney can be seen as a psychic government spy in comedy The Men Who Stare At Goats from this Friday. He is also the voice of the title character in Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox movie.

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Cusack: 'Actors aren't tortured artists'

John Cusack has dismissed the idea that actors are tortured artists.

The Hollywood star, whose upcoming blockbuster 2012 opens on November 13, said that he does not subscribe to the belief that those in his profession need to struggle in their craft.

"I probably believed in it a bit when I was younger," he told The Guardian. "Actors are weird enough as it is. We don't need to act tortured. I'm probably tortured enough."

Cusack added that he enjoys making risky choices with his roles, comparing the filmmaking process to going to war.

"With acting, you wanna see if you can get into trouble without knowing how you're gonna get out of it," he said. "It's like the exact opposite of war, where you need an exit strategy. When you're acting, you should get all the way into trouble with no exit strategy, and have the cameras rolling."

He continued: "Acting can be pretty challenging. I can't say making a romantic comedy is challenging, but to do anything well, you have to put yourself into it. If I'm doing some commercial movie just to keep my name in the public eye, then it's just a job. You don't have to sweat it too hard."

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Katie Holmes to star in 'The Romantics'

Katie Holmes has reportedly agreed to star alongside Anna Paquin and Josh Duhamel in comedy The Romantics.

Holmes, 30, will play Paquin's maid of honour in the film, which follows the antics of eight college friends who reunite for a wedding.

According to Variety, the mother-of-one will also executive produce the movie. Filming is scheduled to get under way in New York this week.

Liv Tyler had been due to portray the character, but recently withdrew from the project.

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Downey Jr, Stiller turn down Oscars

Robert Downey Jr and Ben Stiller have declined an offer to host the 2010 Academy Awards as a duo.

Organisers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman asked the acting pair to share hosting duties for next year's Oscars, reports Deadline Hollywood. However, the Tropic Thunder co-stars both passed.

Hugh Jackman recently turned down the chance to reprise his role as presenter. He instead chose to prepare for his next film Real Steel.

The 82nd Academy Awards will take place on March 7, 2010.

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Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to host Oscars

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have been confirmed as the co-hosts of the 2010 Academy Awards, reports Deadline Hollywood.

The acting pair will front the ceremony next March. Martin previously presented the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. Baldwin was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 in the 'Best Supporting Actor' category.

"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," said Martin.

Referring to the Pink Panther star's bluegrass band, Baldwin stated: "I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars - it's the opportunity of a lifetime."

Ceremony producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman added: "Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event."

The 82nd Academy Awards will be broadcast live on March 7 on ABC.

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Chris Pine to star in Affleck's 'Blade'?

Star Trek star Chris Pine is attached to appear in Ben Affleck-produced movie The Blade Itself, says Pajiba.

Affleck and his Gone Baby Gone writing partner Sean Bailey are reportedly penning and producing the film, based on a crime novel by Marcus Sakey.

The novel revolves around two childhood friends who grow up committing petty crimes together in Chicago. The friends are reunited as adults after growing apart. One of them is forced to make a hard decision to keep secrets from his past quiet.

Affleck is currently starring in and directing crime drama The Town. Pine is in talks to play Jack Ryan in the revived spy franchise based on a series of Tom Clancy novels.

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Williamson: 'Scream 4 is beating a dead dog'

Kevin Williamson has said that making another Scream movie is akin to "beating a dead dog".

Speaking to MTV, the screenwriter explained his plans for the new trilogy, which will bring back series stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

"The fourth one is an ensemble," Williamson said. "It'll take place right now, ten years later, and it's going to take place in [Sidney Prescott's hometown of] Woodsboro. We'll have our three main characters, and we'll be introducing several more. We'll also be introducing a little group, a little ensemble of new castmembers. That'll take us through the next three."

Williamson added that the new film, which is likely to be directed by Wes Craven, will reference that fact that it is part of a long-running saga.

"I guess I'll just have to be very aware that we're a '4' and that we're beating a dead dog," he said. "I'm going to make that very apparent in the dialogue."

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Cage cancels screening after dad's death

Nicolas Cage has apparently dropped out of a public appearance at a screening because of the recent death of his father.

August Coppola, a retired college dean and brother of Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, died from a heart attack last week, aged 75.

The actor attended his father's funeral in California on Thursday and was scheduled to attend the screening of his latest film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans a few days later.

Co-stars Val Kilmer and Eva Mendes are still believed to be walking the red carpet at the event.

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Patrick Dempsey joins heist comedy

Grey's Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey has been lined up to star in an untitled bank-heist comedy.

Paul McGuigan will helm the project, which is scripted by The Hangover duo Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dempsey will play a man who ends up caught in the middle of two robberies at the same bank. His character will end up trying to protect a bank worker who he secretly loves.

The Maid Of Honour star's other upcoming projects include rom-com Valentine's Day and The Art Of Racing In The Rain.

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Kidman joins Pattinson in 'Bel Ami'

Nicole Kidman will play a wealthy mistress opposite Robert Pattinson's corrupt journalist in Bel Ami, Production Weekly reports.

Based on French author Guy de Maupassant's 1885 novel, the drama centres on broke ex-NCO George Duroy, who manipulates his rich lover to become one of the most powerful men in France. Kidman will take on the mistress role.

Twilight star Pattinson previously described Duroy as a "totally amoral" character.

Production on Bel Ami is scheduled to begin in Paris next February under the direction of Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod.

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Bay: 'Transformers 3 will have less action'

Director Michael Bay has revealed that the third Transformers film will be less action-driven than its predecessors.

The filmmaker made the admission in the All Spark Experiment feature on the DVD for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

He said: "It can't get bigger, we have to figure out to go sideways and I'm wondering where to start. What I'm doing is having Hasbro send me tons of lore and stuff like that, things that we can draw from, and I just got to let it simmer.

"Definitely more has to be made of Bumblebee in the third one, that's a relationship you want to explore more. And I think we're definitely going to get more into the robot characters."

He added: "The third one definitely doesn't have to be as big, we could go darker. It definitely has to be more emotional, it's not going to be just about action, action, action.

"And that's where I think T3 might potentially go, where things are more undercover and not as exposed."

Bay recently announced that the third instalment of the Autobots and Decepticons franchise will be released on July 1, 2011.

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Goyer: 'Ghost Rider 2 not a reboot'

David Goyer has revealed that the follow-up to Ghost Rider will be a sequel rather than a reboot.

According to the screenwriter, the film will be set eight years after the original and take a darker tone. He also stated that Nicolas Cage is still attached to reprise his role as protagonist Johnny Blaze.

"It's not exactly a reboot," Goyer told MTV. "I hate to say it's more realistic, because he's got a flaming skull for a head, but it's a bit more stripped down and darker. It's definitely changing tone. What Casino Royale was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to Ghost Rider."

The film will be based on a treatment that Goyer wrote some time ago, which has already appeared on several websites. Filming is due to commence next year.

"This story picks up eight years after the first film," he added. "You don't have to have seen the first film. It doesn't contradict anything that happened in the first film, but we're pretending that our audience hasn't seen the first film. It's as if you took that same character where things ended in the first film and then picked it up eight years later - he's just in a much darker, existential place."

Johnny Blaze first appeared in Marvel Spotlight in 1972. The character was created by writer-editor Roy Thomas, scribe Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog. He made his big screen debut in 2007 courtesy of Sony Pictures.

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50 Cent 'wants romantic comedy role'

50 Cent has revealed that he would like to star in a romantic comedy.

The rapper made his big screen debut in 2005 with semi-autobiographical action film Get Rich or Die Tryin', in which he played a gun-toting drug dealer. He also featured in 2006's Home of the Brave as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War and 2008 thriller Righteous Kill.

The Dead Man Running star has now admitted that he is looking to break away from action roles.

He told Glamour: "Of course [I would appear in a romantic comedy], but it has to be believable and I have to feel I can bring the character to life. I'd do a romantic comedy if I liked the script."

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Steve Guttenberg talks 'Three Men' sequel

Steve Guttenberg has said that Disney is developing a second sequel to his 1987 hit film Three Men and a Baby.

The 51-year-old revealed that his co-stars from the original Ted Danson and Tom Selleck are returning for the update, tentatively titled Three Men and a Bride, says WENN.

"Disney's developing Three Men and a Bride. That's going to be a smash. A smash hit. They're bringing everybody back for that," he stated.

Guttenberg added: "Nobody knows about it. I'm the first to talk about it."

The actor can next be seen in feature Ay Luv Ya, co-starring Mariel Hemingway.

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Grant: 'My films make me suicidal'

Hugh Grant has revealed that he feels "suicidal" after watching most of his films.

The Four Weddings And A Funeral star, who has described himself as a "reluctant actor" in the past, said that he hates watching his movies for the first time.

Grant told OK magazine: "Normally, when I see the first cut I'm suicidal. I want to go to that euthanasia clinic in Switzerland, Dignitas, and have myself put down."

Talking about his latest film Did You Hear About The Morgans?, in which he stars with Sarah Jessica Parker, he continued: "This film looks a lot better. This one is quite beautiful."

The 49-year-old actor added that he would never consider performing on stage either, saying: "I'm not suited to the theatre. I get bored after the first week."

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