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Thurman signs for Pattinson's 'Bel Ami'

Uma Thurman will star opposite Robert Pattinson in period drama Bel Ami.

The Kill Bill actress will take on the role of a wealthy woman who has an affair with Pattinson's corrupt journalist as he ascends the Parisian social ladder. Nicole Kidman had previously been offered the role.

Kristin Scott Thomas is also on board to star as a socialite who falls for the lead character in Declan Donnellan's film.

Pattinson's latest movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opens in cinemas today.

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Wright slams Times over Woodward article

Edgar Wright has criticised The Times for printing his tribute to Edward Woodward without permission.

Wright posted an article recounting his memories of Woodward on his EdgarWrightHere.com site earlier this week following the actor's passing.

Wright, who directed Woodward in 2007's Hot Fuzz, blasted the newspaper for reprinting his tribute in Tuesday's edition as if it had been written for them.

"They just lifted it from my blog without asking," Wright wrote on his Twitter page. "And cut off the entire end section about my last meeting with him... I'm not talking about quotes. Am talking about the entire article. But with edits they made that make me look ill informed and unfeeling."

The British director added that he was seeking "an apology, a reprint of the full tribute and donation to Edward's memorial" from the paper.

The Times has now published Wright's article in full and clarified the original source.

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Keaton: 'I want to surprise moviegoers'

Michael Keaton has said that he does not want people to easily pigeonhole his directorial debut.

The Beetlejuice star told The Guardian that he hopes the path of The Merry Gentleman will surprise moviegoers.

Keaton said: "I never wanted the audience to feel they knew what the movie was or where it was going. I hoped they'd be, like, 'Oh, it's this kind of movie? But I thought it was that kind of movie'.

"If I've done it right, they'll enjoy spending time with these people, and they'll want to see how the relationships play out."

He added of the largely unknown cast: "I like people-people rather than movie people. Did you see Gomorrah? You could be watching real people in that.

"I have all these actors you haven't seen, so hopefully you go, 'Oh, I'm watching some guy', as opposed to, say, Tom Cruise in a Nazi uniform."

The Merry Gentleman is released in the UK on December 4.

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Janet Jackson 'can't watch This Is It'

Janet Jackson has revealed that she has so far refused to watch her brother Michael's concert film This Is It.

The singer claimed that it is too soon after his death for her to watch the footage of him rehearsing for his planned comeback shows.

"I have not seen it. I definitely won't, not right now. I don't know if I'd ever see it. It's too soon," the Daily Star quotes her as saying.

"It's hard when I see the posters around the city, the commercials, the trailers on TV. It has caught me off guard."

This Is It grossed more than $100m (£60.2m) internationally in its first week in cinemas.

Janet recently confirmed that she will talk about Michael's death in a primetime interview on Good Morning America later this month.

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Idris Elba added to 'Thor' cast

Idris Elba has joined the cast of director Kenneth Branagh's Marvel Comics movie Thor, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The Wire star will play Heimdall, a guardian who stands to defend Asgard from intruders. Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and Natalie Portman will lead the cast of the mythological epic, which begins shooting in California in January.

Earlier this week, Marvel announced that Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano and Stuart Townsend have signed up to play Asgardian warriors in the blockbuster.

Thor is scheduled to open in cinemas on May 20, 2011.

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Hoffman sunbs 'Fockers' return?

Dustin Hoffman will not reprise his Meet The Parents role in sequel Little Fockers, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The actor portrayed the father of Ben Stiller's Greg Focker in the 2004 film, but talks with Universal allegedly collapsed over salary and scheduling issues.

Hoffman's character Bernie reportedly makes a cameo appearance in John Hamburg's Fockers script.

Barbra Streisand's Roz Focker also features in the story, however the singer and actress's involvement in the movie has yet to be confirmed.

Little Fockers, starring Stiller, Teri Polo, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Jessica Alba and Harvey Keitel, will begin production next year for a July release.

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Atkinson in talks for 'Johnny English 2'

Rowan Atkinson is in discussions to star in a sequel to his 2003 movie Johnny English, reports The Guardian.

The original film, which parodied the James Bond series, cast Atkinson as a bumbling secret service agent who faces off against John Malkovich's French megalomaniac. The character is partially based on the character Atkinson played in TV advertisements for Barclaycard.

Johnny English pulled in $160 million in ticket sales at the worldwide box office on a budget of $40 million.

Atkinson last appeared on screen in 2007's Mr Bean's Holiday.

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Robert Downey Jr considering retirement?

Robert Downey Jr has claimed that he will consider quitting acting if his upcoming film Sherlock Holmes flops.

However, the actor admitted that he may follow rapper Jay-Z's lead, by announcing his retirement before later returning.

He told Entertainment Weekly: "I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don't know, maybe a couple more times. It's something I'm so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.

"If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next five or seven or ten years."

The star added: "But we'd like to go ahead and suggest the Jay-Z model wherein one announces his retirement, soaks in all the requisite fanfare, and then behaves like it never happened. It's really the best of both worlds."

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Bay won't kill off Fox in 'Transformers 3'

Michael Bay has said that Megan Fox will return for a substantial role in the next Transformers sequel.

The director revealed that he does not plan to kill off Fox's character in Transformers 3, despite controversial comments she has made about him.

"She's got a great part in Transformers 3," he told USA Today.

Bay and Fox have reportedly been involved in an ongoing feud after the actress compared the helmer to Hitler and Napoleon in September.

Last month, Bay posted on his website that Fox should "consult a doctor" before working with him on the next Transformers movie.

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'Shield' writer to pen 'Underworld 4'

The Shield writer John Hlavin has signed on to pen the screenplay for the fourth Underworld movie.

The screenwriter said that the forthcoming film will not be a prequel like the recent Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don't want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honour what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements," he stated.

Len Wiseman, who directed the first two Underworld films, is producing the picture. Wiseman's wife Kate Beckinsale starred in the first two thrillers, though she has not cut a deal to return to the series.

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'Thor' director impresses Marvel creators

Kenneth Branagh’s vision for the Thor movie has been praised by creators at Marvel, including comic legend Stan Lee.

Lee, who described Branagh as "the nicest guy in the world as well as the most talented", told MTV News that he had been promised a cameo in the film.

He joked: "When we had lunch, I was sure he had asked me to lunch because he wanted me to play Odin, but it was a big disappointment.

"I figure I’ll end up carrying his spear."

Marvel’s editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and writer Brian Michael Bendis were also impressed by Branagh after a meeting this week.

Quesada said on Twitter: "I could listen to Branagh talk about Thor all day long. Cast is in place, sets are being built and screenplay is brilliant. Marveldom rules."

Thor is scheduled to open in cinemas on May 20, 2011.

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Beckham 'turns down 'Madagascar 3' role'

Victoria Beckham has reportedly turned down a role on Madagascar 3.

Reports had suggested that Beckham had agreed to voice a character in the film.

However, her spokesperson told Now that she doesn't have enough time to work on the movie.

"She was approached to do it," her representative explained. "But she declined the offer because she is too busy."

Madagascar 3 is due for release in 2012.

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50 Cent 'working with Kilmer on film'

50 Cent has revealed that he has written a film.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has signed a deal with producer Robert Jackson to make three screenplays into movies, WENN reports.

Val Kilmer has reportedly agreed to star in the first film, called The Gun. The movie will allegedly be about two friends who get caught up in illegal weapons dealing.

50 Cent explained that he enjoys writing films because it gives him time to develop characters and storylines.

"When you write a song, you need to say it in three minutes or it is overkill," he said. "But I like creating stories and going in-depth with characters."

The performer, who has starred in the films Righteous Kill and Dead Man Running, recently said that his music is his priority.

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'Iron Man 2' trailer tied to 'Holmes'?

Director Jon Favreau has sparked a rumour that the Iron Man 2 trailer is to be released with Sherlock Holmes this Christmas.

Fans have been desperate to find out when the sequel’s trailer will debut, but Favreau has yet to officially reveal any details.

However, responding to one fan’s plea for information on Twitter, the film's director simply retweeted the original question.

It read: "RT @Ann_Howard: @Jon_Favreau PLEASE tell us the trailer is coming soon - w/Sherlock Holmes, perhaps??"

Fans have interpreted his response as an indication that the question-writer’s guess was correct.

Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, arrives in cinemas on December 26.

Iron Man 2, which also stars Downey Jr in the lead role, is scheduled for release on May 7, 2010.

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Pattinson: 'Eclipse' could be rated R'

Robert Pattinson has revealed that the follow-up to New Moon could receive an adult rating.

The 23-year-old actor has said that Eclipse, the third instalment of the Twilight saga, is a "massively different movie" that could potentially be rated R due to its "huge" battle sequences, STV reports.

Pattinson said: "It’s a massively different movie to New Moon. There’s so many more main parts, and having these huge battle sequences, I’ve never done anything like it in any of the other movies.

"I think it’s really pushing the - I don’t know what rating Twilight was in England, like the American PG-13 or 18 - I think it’s pushing it to the absolute limit. It would be so funny if it was R-rated."

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Weitz 'refuses to direct Pattinson kissing'

Chris Weitz has admitted that he refused to direct Robert Pattinson kissing Kristen Stewart.

The director has revealed that he thought it would be "creepy and inappropriate" to advise the on-screen couple during the filming of romantic scenes in New Moon.

Speaking to MTV, Weitz said: "Capturing those scenes is really a question of just allowing the actors to do their work. They know their characters. They know the tone they're supposed to hit.

"It's not like when they're about to kiss, I'm leaning in and saying, just off camera, 'Tender, tender!' or anything like that. I just let them do their thing. I think it would be creepy and inappropriate for me to advise them how to kiss one another or what it's like to be young in love. I'm 40 years old."

Pattinson and Stewart are rumoured to be dating in real life.

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'New Moon' breaks US box office record

The Twilight Saga: New Moon has shattered all competition by debuting at the top of the US box office with $140.7 million over the weekend.

The follow-up to Twilight, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, has broken The Dark Knight's opening day record with $72.7 million on Friday and has secured the third biggest opening weekend off all time.

The sports drama The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, debuted at number two with $34.5 million.

Breaking the $100 million dollar mark in its second week in release is John Cusack's action drama 2012, which slips to number three with $26.5 million.

The animated feature Planet 51 debuts at number four with $12.6 million.

A Christmas Carol lands at number five with $12.3 million, while the Harlem-drama Precious takes the number six spot and George Clooney's comedy The Men Who Stare At Goats drops to number seven.

Finally, claiming the number ten position is the thriller Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

The US box office top ten in full:

1. (-) The Twilight Saga: New Moon - $140,700,000
2. (-) The Blind Side - $34,510,000
3. (1) 2012 - $26,500,000
4. (-) Planet 51 - $12,600,000
5. (2) A Christmas Carol - $12,230,000
6. (3) Precious - $11,008,000
7. (4) The Men Who Stare At Goats - $2,773,000
8. (7) Couples Retreat - $1,952,000
9. (6) The Fourth Kind - $1,730,000
10. (9) Law Abiding Citizen - $1,615,000

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Pegg: 'I don't want to be a sex symbol'

Simon Pegg has said that he will never go nude in a film.

The actor told The Mirror that he liked the costumes in Star Trek because they covered up his body.

"Those uniforms were really nice and stretchy and felt good," he said. "You didn't want to put on weight in that suit or it could look unpleasant.

"The costume designers had a way of hiding your love handles, though. I was tempted to keep some of the props but they take it off you at the end of filming."

However, Pegg explained that he would never go nude, saying: "I don't want to be a sex symbol. I'm a geek."

He added: "Anyway, if I was naked on screen it would not be titillating."

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Mendes 'plans love letter to Winslet'

Eva Mendes has reportedly said that she plans to write Kate Winslet a "love letter".

The Hollywood actress, who admitted that she has never met the Oscar winner, has insisted that Winslet is in a category all of her own, Female First reports.

The 35-year-old said: "She never allows herself to get pigeonholed and she's always stretching herself... She's done nudity in so many of her films, yet she's not known for that - she's known for her work. She goes there as an actress and really, to me, she's untouchable.

"I've actually never met her and I'm thinking, 'Maybe it's time to write... her a little love letter'. She can do no wrong in my eyes."

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Anderson: 'Mr Fox' made me develop film'

Wes Anderson has revealed why Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox appealed to him.

The writer and director of the stop-motion animation film Fantastic Mr Fox has said that the story's character led him to develop the novel for the big screen.

The 40-year-old told Rolling Stone: "I like that the character is not only the hero and rescues everyone, but is also the one that gets them into the trouble in the first place.

"That got me as a child. He also has a sort of flair in the way he talks and he's inventive, which is a very Dahl-like idea. I also loved the digging. I think there's something about digging that's meaningful for children. My brothers and I loved digging, we wanted to build underground forts all the time."

Actor Jason Schwartzman recently opened up about his friendship with the filmmaker, insisting that he is "a great friend".

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