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John Carpenter has signed on to helm ghost story The Ward, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Pineapple Express actress Amber Heard will star as a young woman trapped in a mental asylum who is haunted by a spirit.

"The Ward is the kind of script that I've been looking for: a complex, visceral story, full of suspense and scares," said Carpenter.

Production is scheduled to begin in May.

Carpenter has not directed a feature film since 2001's Ghosts Of Mars. His previous credits include The Thing, Halloween and The Fog.

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Organisers of this year's Oscars have warned nominees to expect some "big surprises" on the night.

Sid Ganis, President of the Academy for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, has told contenders that the 2009 ceremony will break from tradition.

"It's going to be a show that takes some risks. Your categories are being presented in a completely different way," he said.

"Heads up. Cinematographers, editors, composers. All of you guys. You're in for a big surprise."

Ganis, who was speaking at the annual nominees' lunch, refused to divulge any further details, but promised a "bold" and "risky" ceremony.

It is thought that organisers are shaking things up in a bid to lure back viewers after last year's event saw the lowest ever ratings in the US, attracting around 32 million viewers.

As well as changing the presentation of awards, bosses have axed the traditional opening monologue and opted for actor Hugh Jackman to present, over the more usual choice of a comedian.

The 81st annual Academy Awards will take place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 22.

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Aaron Sorkin has been hired to write George Clooney's courtroom drama The Challenge, says Variety.

Announced last summer, the movie will tell the true-life story of two men who campaigned to secure a fair trail for Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's bodyguard and driver.

Hamdan was eventually sentenced to 66 months in prison for providing material support to Al-Qaeda, though he was cleared of terrorism charges.

Clooney is eyeing the Warner Bros film as a directing project and may star as Navy lawyer Charles Swift.

Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, recently penned Tom Hanks's political drama Charlie Wilson's War. He is also working on a movie about the birth of Facebook.

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The life of acclaimed American writer Ernest Hemingway is to be turned into a movie.

The Gotham Group and Kevin Fortuna have secured the film rights to A.E. Hotchner's biography Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Peter McHugh and Fortuna will serve as producers.

The book focuses on the final 14 years of Hemingway's life. The author died in 1961 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"It is rare that we have such intimate, truthful knowledge about the life and, ultimately, demise of a true American icon," Goldsmith-Vein said.

Hemingway's novels include A Farewell To Arms, For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Garden Of Eden. He also wrote two plays and has released several short story collections.

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TV veteran Alan Poul is in final talks to helm Jennifer Lopez's romantic comedy Plan B.

The CBS Films project centres on a broody single woman who uses artificial insemination to conceive twins. Her life is complicated when she meets the man of her dreams on the same day.

One of Poul's first tasks on the movie will be to find a leading man to star opposite Lopez.

Kate Angelo penned the film, which begins production in May for a January 2010 release.

Plan B will be Poul's first feature film. He has directed episodes of Big Love, Six Feet Under and Rome.

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Twilight has been awarded a prize from PETA.

The vampire movie, which starred Robert Pattinson, was named the most animal friendly film of the year by the organisation's junior division.

PETA 2 said that the film was honoured because it promoted vegetarianism through main character Bella Swan's refusal to eat meat products.

"Even though 'vegetarian vampires' is a misnomer, no animals were harmed in the movie," a representative told Twilighters Anonymous.

"We know that no one will be killing animals to satisfy their vampiric thirst as a result of seeing Twilight but we do hope everyone will follow Bella’s example and give vegetarianism a try."

PETA's Libby Awards recognise companies, bands, people and films that are helping animals.

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Producer Brad Fuller has claimed that his movie based around Oujia boards will be a "huge adventure" in the style of Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Fuller, who works for Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes company, told Sci Fi Wire that he is close to hiring an A-list writer for the Hasbro board game spinoff.

He said: "I don't think we've closed the deal, so I can't say, but we've got a very high-level writer to write that, and we start writing it, I think, within the month."

Elf's David Berenbaum has previously worked on the script.

Fuller added that Ouija will be "a huge movie. That's a big, big, big thing. It's more like a Pirates Of The Caribbean adventure story, with a Ouija board at the center of it".

Hasbro began selling Ouija boards as novelty items in 1966. In the game, participants place their hands on an indicator which moves across the board to spell out messages apparently from spirits.

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Terry Gilliam will be awarded a BAFTA fellowship this Sunday for his contribution to cinema.

The 68-year-old filmmaker, whose work includes Brazil, The Fisher King and Twelve Monkeys, said that he was surprised to receive the honour.

"I keep asking myself, why me? It was quite a surprise when they said we'll give you the Fellowship, as I don't expect these kinds of things. I just get on and do what I do," he said.

BAFTA's Finola Dwyer called Gilliam "one of the most original, imaginative and innovative directors working in the industry today".

Gilliam, who began his career with the Monty Python group, suggested that he would be best remembered for working with the comedy troupe.

"I'm recognised more as a Python than I am a filmmaker I suppose," he commented. "And it'll probably be the thing that goes on the grave stone."

Gilliam's new film The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, the final big screen appearance of Heath Ledger, is scheduled for release in June.

The BAFTAs ceremony takes place this Sunday at London's Royal Opera House.

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Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire has spent a third week at the top of the UK box office.

World War II drama Valkyrie remains at two, while Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's Revolutionary Road enters at three.

Thriller My Bloody Valentine slips to fourth and Drew Barrymore's canine adventure Beverly Hills Chihuahua climbs to fifth.

Elsewhere, Michael Cera's latest comedy Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist debuts at ten.

The top ten in full:

1. (1) Slumdog Millionaire - £2,359,854
2. (2) Valkyrie - £1,295,050
3. (-) Revolutionary Road - £1,013,548
4. (3) My Bloody Valentine - £921,939       
5. (8) Beverly Hills Chihuahua - £744,252
6. (4) Seven Pounds - £732,786
7. (7) Bride Wars -£692,414
8. (6) Role Models - £663,299
9. (5) Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - £521,904
10. (-) Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist - £398,194

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Stephen King has criticised Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, claiming that she "can't write worth a darn".

Speaking to USA Weekend, the best-selling author compared Meyer's vampire series with J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter franchise.

"Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. ... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good."

However, King admitted that he understood why Meyer's books had been so successful with her young audience.

"It's very clear that she's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because they’re not overtly sexual," he said.

"A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that’s a shorthand for all the feelings that they’re not ready to deal with yet."

The next instalment in the Twilight film series, New Moon, is scheduled for release in November.

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Jessica Biel has been confirmed as the host of this year's Oscar Sci-Tech awards.

The Easy Virtue star will present six honours at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' scientific and technical awards on February 7.

Disney/Pixar's Ed Catmull has already been announced as the recipient of the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for his lifetime achievements in technical contributions and computer graphics.

Previous hosts of the ceremony include Scarlett Johansson, Rachel McAdams, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Garner.

Excerpts from the ceremony will be broadcast during the main Oscars event, which takes place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 22.

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Hilary Duff and Faye Dunaway have engaged in a war of words over the planned remake of Bonnie And Clyde.

Dunaway, 68, starred as Bonnie Parker in the original 1967 film, while Duff has been confirmed to reprise the role in an updated version.

When told of the former Lizzie McGuire star's casting, Dunaway reportedly remarked: "Couldn't they at least cast a real actress?"

Speaking to E! News, Duff retaliated by saying: "I think that my fans that are going to go see the movie don't even know who she is. I think it was a little unnecessary, but I might be mad if I looked like that now, too."

The Story Of Bonnie And Clyde, starring Duff and Kevin Zegers, is scheduled for release in 2010.

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Jessica Simpson and Audrina Patridge's new movies have gone straight to DVD.

Simpson's Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous was released in America today, while The Hills star Patridge's debut feature Into The Blue 2 is released on April 21.

Us movie editor Bradley Jacobs said that Patridge needed to "pick better projects" in the future.

"Just because you're a reality TV star, it doesn't mean you'll be a box office success," he said. "Not everyone is Jennifer Hudson, [who got her start on American Idol]. Audrina is going to have to work a little harder to achieve the actress title."

Simpson's first movie The Dukes Of Hazzard took $80 million at the box office, but recent outings in Employee Of The Month and Blonde Ambition have not fared so well, taking $28 million and around $1,300 respectively.

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Al Pacino and director Michael Radford will reunite for Shakespeare adaptation King Lear.

The tragedy, about an aging ruler (Pacino) who splits his kingdom between his three daughters, will be their second Shakespeare film after 2004's The Merchant Of Venice.

Discussing the project with Variety, producer Barry Navidi said: "Al has been offered this role many times over the years, but didn't feel ready. He's ready now.

"The film will be true to its period, very similar to the classical look of Merchant Of Venice. Michael came up with the most brilliant adaptation and Al and I flipped for it."

King Lear will shoot across Europe later this year.

The play has been made for cinema several times before, with Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles and Paul Scofield among the actors playing the title role.

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Dark Knight producer Charles Roven will oversee an adaptation of Robert Stone's political thriller novel Damascus Gate.

The story centres on a journalist who uncovers a conspiracy to sabotage a historic peace agreement between Palestinians and Israelis. Screenwriter Eric Warren Singer (The International) will adapt the novel.

Roven, who will produce with Richard Suckle for Columbia, told The Hollywood Reporter that he expects the movie to be character-driven and a thriller.

"It's definitely going to have shadings of both," he said. "Anything Eric writes will have its share of complex characters."

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Robert Downey Jr. has dismissed speculation that there will be a follow-up to Tropic Thunder.

Speaking to Extra, the actor suggested that it would be too challenging for a sequel to match the standard set by the original movie.

"I have a feeling that we'd still make some money but it probably wouldn't be as good," he said.

Downey has received an Oscar nomination for his role as method actor Kirk Lazurus in the hit movie, which has grossed nearly $200 million worldwide.

Last month, Tom Cruise revealed that he was working on reviving his Tropic Thunder character Les Grossman for a spinoff movie.

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Noel Gallagher has compared High School Musical to drugs for young people.

Speaking to Christian O'Connell on Absolute Radio, the guitarist said that his daughter Anais is "obsessed" with the films.

Gallagher said: "I have a nine-year-old daughter who's into that rubbish. It's like aural drugs, isn't it? They get obsessed and it ain't good for them."

He added that he guessed the movies are better than the shows on in his day, such as The Magic Roundabout and Catweazle.

Gallagher was recently voted the seventh-greatest British songwriter, with Take That's Gary Barlow named the best.

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The Weinstein Company has reportedly optioned the rights for a biopic of Judy Garland.

According to Variety, the company has snapped up the film rights to Gerald Clarke's definitive biography Get Happy: The Life Of Judy Garland.

The book, published in 2000, details how the actress and singer battled with personal and financial problems and mistreatment by employers, friends and family.

Garland, who made her screen debut aged seven, shot to fame in films including The Wizard Of Oz, A Star Is Born and Meet Me In St. Louis.

She died in 1969, aged 47.

Clarke's biography of author Truman Capote was the basis for the Oscar-nominated script for 2005's Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman.

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Star Trek actor Chris Pine has been named ShoWest's Male Star Of Tomorrow.

The 28-year-old, who plays Captain Kirk in the forthcoming film, will accept the award in Las Vegas on April 2.

"ShoWest has a history of recognising major talents at the very earliest points in their rising careers," said co-managing director Mitch Neuhauser.

"Pine's impressive skills on the screen and stage will be sure to be showcased, with his performance as Captain Kirk, in the much anticipated release of Star Trek."

Past recipients of the honour, which recognises rising talent, have included Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Christensen, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.

Pine's previous screen credits include Smokin' Aces and 2006's Just My Luck opposite Lindsay Lohan.

J. J. Abrams's Star Trek will open in the UK in May.

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Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein have been hired to write Valentine's Day for New Line.

The love story centres on five couples of varying ages in Los Angeles who have their relationships tested on February 14, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries) is attached to direct the film with Mike Karz and Wayne Rice producing.

"On Valentine's Day there's so much more pressure on a relationship," Karz said. "A lot of the movie is about how that increases the tension."

Kohn and Silverstein are the writers behind this week's comedy He's Just Not That Into You.