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Soderbergh, Pitt in talks for 'Moneyball'



Steven Soderbergh and Brad Pitt are in talks to join Columbia's Moneyball, reports Variety.

Adapted from the book by Michael Lewis, the story focuses on the general manager of an athletics store who uses an advanced computer system to piece together a successful baseball team on a low budget.

Soderbergh has reportedly been looking for a sports film and jumped at the chance to re-team with his Ocean's 11 star Pitt, who has been circling the project since last year.

Michael DeLuca and Rachael Horovitz will produce, with American Gangster scribe Steve Zaillian adapting Lewis's book for the screen.

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Dakota Blue: 'I get mistaken for Fanning'



Actress Dakota Blue Richards has admitted that she is often mistaken for her namesake Dakota Fanning.

The 14-year-old, who stars in new fantasy film The Secret Of Moonacre, said that she finds it amusing when people got the pair mixed up but wasn't certain if War Of The Worlds actress Fanning feels the same way.

"Yeah… people do sometimes [mix us up]," she told DS. "It's not annoying, it's just quite funny. I can imagine it can be quite annoying for her because I know that she's done a lot of films and she's really good and has a lot of experience."

She continued: "I just think it's really funny when people mistake us because they get embarrassed and they're like, 'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean that!' I don't really mind!"

Discussing her role in Moonacre, Richards said: "I play Maria Merryweather who's an orphan. She goes to live with her governess Miss Heliotrope in the country with her uncle. She finds out about all this magical stuff that's going on and she has to save the valley from destruction."

She confessed that Maria's inquisitive nature is a trait she shares with her character, adding: "It's not always a good one because a lot of the time I'll ask too many questions and people are like, 'Why do you even want to know?' I like it, I think if you didn't ask questions then the world would be boring and you would never learn anything."

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Wilkinson, Hinds in Madden's 'Debt'



Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain and Ciaran Hinds have joined the cast of John Madden's thriller The Debt, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington previously signed for the lead roles as Mossad agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who escaped capture 30 years earlier.

Wilkinson and Hinds will also play Mossad agents, while Chastain is cast as the younger version of Mirren's character.

Shooting has begun in London and will soon move to Budapest and Tel Aviv.

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Richards unsure on 'Dark Materials' future



Dakota Blue Richards has admitted that the future of the His Dark Materials franchise looks "tricky".

The 14-year-old played Lyra Belacqua in The Golden Compass, the first instalment in a proposed series of big screen adaptations from Phillip Pullman's acclaimed fantasy novels.

Speaking to Digital Spy, the actress said that she feared she might be too old to reprise her role if sequel The Subtle Knife is made.

"I know that some of the producers were interested in a second one," she said. "What I worry is, is that because they've waited quite a long time I might look too old to do it. I just hope that if they are going to do it, they do it quickly."

Discussing the mixed fan reaction to The Golden Compass, Richards said: "I think if you can make one person happy or make them think in a different way then you've basically succeeded. I know that there were people that enjoyed the film and obviously you can't please everyone. We managed to make quite a lot of people happy with that film. The books were amazing and it would be hard to live up to them."

Richards's new movie, The Secret Of Moonacre, is released in UK cinemas today.

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Universal to make 'Candy Land'



Universal has confirmed plans for a movie based on popular board game Candy Land.

The project is part of the company's four-feature deal with Hasbro, reports Variety.

Candy Land is a children's game, which involves players moving backwards and forwards along coloured paths via destinations, such as Candy Cane Forest and Gum Drop Mountain, in an attempt to reach the finish line. Characters in the game include Gloppy the Chocolate Monster, Queen Frostine, Gramma Nutt and Mr Mint.

Enchanted's Kevin Lima will direct, while Ethan Cohen is scripting.

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Thomas slams Winslet Golden Globe win



Kristin Scott Thomas has called Kate Winslet's Golden Globe win for The Reader "unfair".

Winslet scooped the Best Supporting Actress gong for the holocaust drama, as well as the Best Actress prize for Revolutionary Road last month - beating Thomas for her performance in I've Loved You So Long.

Thomas, who will go head-to-head with Winslet at Sunday's BAFTAs, suggested that her rival's Reader role was too big to be considered a supporting one.

"I didn't get Kate Winslet as supporting actress at all," WENN quotes her as saying. "I thought the whole thing was rather odd really - it seemed to be incredibly unfair to the other actresses because [Winslet's part] just wasn't a supporting role. I don't really think they should have allowed it."

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'Potter' set reopens after stuntman injury



Production on the latest Harry Potter movie has resumed following an accident which left a stuntman seriously injured.

Filming on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows was halted after David Holmes plunged to the ground while rehearsing an aerial sequence last week.

The 25-year-old, who is Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double, was taken to a North London hospital after complaining of paralysis in his hands and legs.

A Health and Safety Executive spokesman said: "We have carried out a site visit and the set has now reopened. The investigation is ongoing."

Earlier this week, Lewis thanked the public for their support and vowed that he would return to work.

The latest instalment in the Potter franchise, Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, will be released in the UK on July 17.

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'90210' star linked to 'New Moon'



90210 star AnnaLynne McCord has reportedly auditioned for a role in Twilight sequel New Moon.

The actress, who plays Naomi Clark in the CW show, has been tipped to appear as Heidi, a "fisher" who uses her beauty to lure humans to the Volturi vampires.

A source told E! News: "It's not a big part. Heidi would be more like a cameo."

McCord's 90210 co-star Kellan Lutz played Emmett in Twilight and has been confirmed to return for the sequel.

Production is scheduled to begin in Washington next month, with a slated November release date.

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Aniston, Bateman sign for 'The Baster'



Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have reportedly signed on for romantic comedy The Baster.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston will star as a woman who wants to get pregnant using artificial insemination.

Bateman will play her best friend Wally, who secretly replaces the donor's semen with his own and is then forced to live with fact that he is the baby's real father.

Blades Of Glory directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon will helm the project for Mandate Pictures.

21 scribe Allan Loeb has adapted the script from a Jeffrey Eugenides short story.

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Belle to lead all-star 'Christ' cast



Camilla Belle will lead the all-star cast of Alejandro Agresti's New Testament drama Mary, Mother Of Christ, reports Variety.

The 10,000 BC actress will play the eponymous character, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers portraying both Gabriel and Lucifer and Peter O'Toole as Symeon, the man who blessed Jesus and his parents in the Jerusalem temple.

Al Pacino and Jessica Lange are also being lined up to join the cast. The pair are in talks to star as Herod and Anna the Prophetess respectively.

Mary, Mother Of Christ begins shooting later this year in Morocco. MGM is planning to release it on April 2, 2010, to coincide with Good Friday.

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James Purefoy cast in 'Ironclad'



Rome star James Purefoy has signed up for the lead role in medieval action thriller Ironclad.

Taking place in 13th century England, the story centres on the renowned Knight Templar (Purefoy) who defended Rochester Castle against King John and his ruthless army.

Joining Purefoy in the cast are Paul Giamatti as King John, Robert Carlyle, Bob Hoskins, Pete Postlethwaite, Lord Richard Attenborough, William Moseley, Colm Meany and Angus McFayden.

The film had been scheduled to go into production last year until financing fell through. ContentFilm International has put together a package to revive the project, which may film as early as this summer.

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Dakota Blue keen for 'Alice' role



Dakota Blue Richards has revealed that one of her ambitions is to star in an adaptation of Lewis Carrol's novel Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

The 14-year-old Secret Of Moonacre star told DS: "I've always been quite interested in Alice In Wonderland because it's such a crazy story."

Richards had hoped to audition for Tim Burton's new Alice In Wonderland adaptation, but the storyline required an older actress for a love story with Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter character. The role of Alice eventually went to 18-year-old Mia Wasikowska.

Richards said: "I was going to see if I could audition for that, but I heard that he wanted someone that was an adult because there's a falling in love with the Mad Hatter thing.

"I don't know if I'm giving the story away, which I probably shouldn't! I would be too young to audition for it, which is a shame because it would've been really fun. Especially Tim Burton, I love his films."

The Secret Of Moonacre was released in cinemas yesterday.

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Activision unveils new 'Transformers' game



Activision has revealed that it is working on a video game adaptation of the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie.

Revenge Of The Fallen will be released for the 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS and PSP and will see five individual companies handle development duties for the different versions.

The game will allow players to control both Autobots and Decepticons in locations from the movie such as Cairo and Shanghai.

Activision Blizzard’s Rob Kostich also revealed that Revenge Of The Fallen will be the first Transformers title to be playable online.

"We are thrilled to announce that after experiencing the rush of commanding colossal robots on their own, players can challenge their friends for the first time ever in full-featured, blistering multiplayer action as their favourite character," he said.

Dreamworks and Paramount's Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen will be released this summer, with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox reprising their roles as Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes.

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James Whitmore dies, aged 87

James Whitmore has died from lung cancer at the age of 87.

The veteran US actor was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Harry Truman in the 1975 film Give 'Em Hell Harry!.

Famed for his one-man shows and his career as a character actor, Whitmore's last major role was that of librarian Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption.

Other film roles included that of the head of the simian assembly in the original Planet Of The Apes.

Whitmore was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2008 and died yesterday at his home in Malibu, California.

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'Punisher' game given spring release



ZEN Studios has announced a spring 2009 release window for its downloadable PS3 shooter Punisher: No Mercy.

It was originally thought that the first-person shooter would arrive alongside recent film release Punisher: War Zone, but a tie-in with the DVD launch on March 17 could still be a possibility.

The title was designed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, the same technology behind Gears Of War and Hours Of Victory. A host of villains from the original comics, including Jigsaw, Silver Sable, Bushwhacker and Barracuda, will appear in the game.

Although the Budapest-based ZEN Studios has no prior experience with first-person shooters. it has handled licensed games before, such as its Rocky & Bullwinkle title for Xbox 360.

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Lynch dialogue features in short film



Cult filmmaker David Lynch has featured in a short film from Brazilian writer and director Davi De Oliveira Pinheiro.

The Twin Peaks creator's voice has been edited into a short called The Soul Detective, the fifth and final episode of the Boundaries Of Thought: Think Tank web series.

De Oliveira Pinheiro said: "The interview was not made to be a piece of cinéma vérité (cinema of truth), but as a sound and vision experiment, to see how an opinion can become a fiction completely different from its original intent."

He added that the short film uses free association and was structured over atmosphere and instinct.

The Soul Detective is a nine-minute film which finds a detective using telepathic powers to enter the mind of a recently-dead man before his memories disappear.

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'Wanted' game gets all-star voice cast



A number of Hollywood actors will play voice-over parts in the upcoming film tie-in Wanted: Weapons Of Fate.

Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and actor Common (American Gangster, Smokin' Aces), Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Transsiberian), Spanish star Paz Vega (Spanglish, The Spirit) and Terence Stamp (Superman II, Yes Man) will all voice characters in the game.

Kretschmann and Stamp will reprise their film roles, while Common will play an arms dealer and Vega a seductive Spanish assassin. Peter Stormare (Constantine, Nacho Libre) will also appear in the game, voicing The Immortal, the leader of a French society of assassins.

Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is scheduled for a March release for PS3, PC and Xbox 360.

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Stars prepare for London BAFTAs



Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep are among the stars due to grace the red carpet at tonight's BAFTAs in London.

Mickey Rourke, Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet are also among the list of confirmed guests, reports PA.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire lead the BAFTA nominations, with 11 nods apiece.

The award ceremony, hosted by Jonathan Ross, takes place at London's Royal Opera House. Daniel Craig, Emma Watson and Goldie Hawn are expected to present awards at the ceremony, as are Michael Sheen, Sharon Stone and Patrick Stewart.

The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC Two from 8pm before switching to BBC One for the final hour at 9pm.

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Rourke to play hitman in 'St. Vincent'



Mickey Rourke has reportedly signed to play the lead role in Walter Hill's forthcoming thriller St. Vincent.

The 56-year-old made his long-awaited big screen comeback with his portrayal of faded star Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.

Rourke's performance won him a Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

According to Variety, the New Yorker will play an assassin who returns to the Big Apple to complete a botched hit in St. Vincent, which is slated to begin shooting later this year.

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Gere's 'Hunting Party' hailed for realism



Former war reporter Martin Bell has praised Richard Gere's movie The Hunting Party for its realism.

The film revolves around a group of journalists as they attempt to capture a war criminal known as The Fox in Bosnia.

Bell praised the movie, which also stars Terrence Howard and Diane Kruger, for its realistic portrayal of the Balkans conflict.

The 70-year-old told ITN: "I've walked out of nearly every movie about any war I've ever reported on, including Apocalypse Now, which was Vietnam.

"But I sat through this and I was really interested. It brought it all back to me in a way that I hadn't seen in a war movie before."

The Richard Shepard-helmed film was released in 2007 and received its premiere at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.

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