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Alfred Molina will battle Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The Spider-Man 2 star has signed up to play evil magician Horvath in Disney's upcoming blockbuster, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Taking place in modern-day New York, Sorcerer's Apprentice revolves around Baruchel's college student as he is trained by Balthazar Blake (Cage) in the ways of science and magic.

Cage is reuniting with his National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub and Jerry Bruckheimer for the fantasy film. He has also worked with renowned action producer Bruckheimer in The Rock, Con Air and Gone In 60 Seconds.

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Mickey Rourke, Alice Braga and Vincent Cassel will star in erotic drama 11 Minutes for director Hany Abu-Assad.

Based on Paulo Coehlo's sexually-charged novel, the story centres on a girl (Braga) who becomes an expensive call girl after being betrayed by her first lover. She takes up work at a gentlemen's club in Geneva, throwing her into the lives of the club owner (Rourke) and a music executive (Cassel) who indulges in S&M.

Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio is also in talks to join the cast.

Abu-Assad, who directed the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now, has reworked the script from an earlier adaptation by Marcos Bernstein.

11 Minutes will begin filming this June in Brazil and Geneva, says Variety.

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Will Smith has called upon original Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio to advise his young son about starring in the remake.

Ten-year-old Jaden Smith has been confirmed to reprise Macchio's role of a young boy who learns to stand up to bullies in Columbia's reworking of the 1984 movie.

Speaking to E! News, Macchio said: "It was very cool. He called and said, 'Would you mind getting on the phone with my son?' I felt like Yoda to young Skywalker."

Discussing his previous remarks that the martial arts movie should not be remade, he admitted that he may have "spoken too candidly about that at first".

However, he reiterated his belief that the forthcoming reboot should forge its own identity, saying: "I really think for the sake of the connection to those films and certainly the original film, I think that they're going to want to create their own version of it that is its own thing."

He added that he would not be filming a cameo appearance but if he was offered "a character, a written role" then he "would not turn away looking at that. I support them making their own hit franchise."

Macchio starred in the first three Karate Kid movies before Hilary Swank took over the lead role in the fourth instalment.

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Michelle Williams has said that a "conspiracy" brought her to work on Kelly Reichardt's low-budget drama Wendy And Lucy.

Speaking to Australia's Sunday Telegraph, Williams revealed that mutual friends she shares with Reichardt - among them director Todd Haynes and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon - insisted the pair work together.

"I didn't know Kelly before we went to make the film, but there were all these friends trying to get me to do the movie," Williams explained.

"The casting director lives a few blocks from me in Brooklyn. We go to the same coffee shop and she would just sort of poke me every now and then and say, 'I really think you should see [Kelly's] movie, Old Joy... And Kim Gordon... was always saying, 'You and Kelly would really get along, she's really cool'.

"And then the script arrived. It was first sent to me in short story form, with a little note from Todd Haynes saying, 'Take a look. She's a dear friend. You guys should work together.'''

Reichardt praised her leading lady, adding: "Michelle has this amazing stillness. There's stuff going on inside. You can see it in her eyes.''

Wendy And Lucy, which centres on a woman driving to Alaska who breaks down in Oregon with only her dog for company, is released in cinemas this Friday.

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Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is in talks to direct The 28th Amendment for Warner Bros.

The German filmmaker, whose last movie was the Oscar-winning Lives Of Others, is nearing an agreement with the studio to helm the political drama, according to Variety.

Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington have been circling the project, which centres on a US President who discovers that a secret cabal is running the government and plans to assassinate him.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek, Transformers) are writing the script for producers Basil Iwanyk and Richard Donner

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Anchorman duo Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd have been confirmed for comedy Dinner For Schmucks, reports Variety.

The comic duo were first linked to Jay Roach's project last month. Spyglass Entertainment, DreamWorks and Paramount have now given the greenlight to the project.

Sacha Baron Cohen was originally signed for the remake of Francis Veber's French movie Le Diner de Cons, but dropped out due to scheduling problems.

The movie is scheduled to begin shooting in October, which allows Carrell to keep his NBC Office commitments and gives Rudd the option of starring in an upcoming James L. Brooks comedy.

Schmucks will be Roach's first big screen outing since 2004's Meet The Fockers.

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Dakota Fanning has been tapped to play Cheri Currie in The Runaways, a biopic of the '70s girl band who launched the career of Joan Jett.

Twilight's Kristen Stewart has already been cast as Jett in Floria Sigismondi's movie, which will begin production this spring, says Variety.

Currie became the Runaways's lead singer at the age of 15 but fell victim to the hard-partying rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

The Runaways, whose popular tracks include 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Queens Of Noise', parted ways in 1979. Jett went on to form the Blackhearts and notch up hits with 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' and 'Bad Reputation'.

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Steve Carell has signed up to produce Hi-T, a comedy about a man who starts taking testosterone injections.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carell will oversee the Kim Barker-penned film through his Carousel production company. The Office star is also eyeing the lead role in the Warner Bros project.

Hi-T revolves around a man who boosts his masculinity with testosterone after an injury leaves him unable to produce the chemical.

Carell recently agreed to star opposite Paul Rudd in Dinner With Schmucks and is expected to reprise his role as Maxwell Smart in a Get Smart sequel.

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Charlize Theron has admitted that she would love to try her hand at a comedy or musical.

The actress, who won an Oscar for her role in Monster, told Richard & Judy's New Position that she wants the opportunity to break away from her "gloomy" typecasting.

"I'm starting to figure that if there's a woman in a 'doom and gloom' scenario, my name comes up," she claimed. "The next one has to be a comedy."

She added: "I've always let it be known that I would love to do a musical. I love going to ballet, it's very cathartic."

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Amber Heard and Odette Yustman will lead the cast of And Soon The Darkness, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on the 1970 British thriller, Darkness follows two American girls bike-riding through Argentina. When one goes missing, the other must race to find her before night falls. The remake relocates the action to South America from the original's French setting.

Commercials director Marcos Efron will make his feature debut on the movie, with Heard serving as co-producer. The in-demand actress recently won a starring role opposite Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary and will top the cast of John Carpenter's Ward 19.

Cloverfield star Yustman can currently be seen in horror film The Unborn.

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Sleepless In Seattle is being adapted into a Broadway musical, reports Variety.

Jeff Arch, who penned the 1993 rom-com starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, has reportedly begun work on a draft script.

The production is expected to retain the storyline from the original movie, which focuses on a young boy trying to find a date for his widowed father.

Composer Leslie Bricusse, who has written songs for films including Doctor Dolittle and Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, has completed around 18 songs for the show to date.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding director Joel Zwick will helm the project, which is being developed by David Shor's Sleepless In Seattle Management.

The musical is expected to be ready for 2010, when it could face competition from fellow movie adaptations The Addams Family, which opens in April, and Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, which is slated for a February premiere.

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Diane Keaton has joined Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams in the cast of J.J. Abrams's Morning Glory, says Production Weekly.

The newsroom comedy focuses on a producer (McAdams) who clashes with a veteran TV anchor (Ford) as they attempt to revive their struggling breakfast show. Details of Keaton's role have not been revealed.

Abrams, who wrote Ford's Regarding Henry early in his career, is producing for Paramount through his Bad Robot production company. Notting Hill's Roger Michell will direct from Aline Brosh McKenna's script.

Morning Glory is scheduled to begin shooting in New York in May.

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Kristen Stewart has claimed that it would be easy for her to step away from the Twilight movie franchise.

The actress played Bella Swan alongside Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen in the adaptation of the first of Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novels.

Stewart said: "I've totally had the thought; it would be so easy for me to send so many hundreds of girls into such a frenzy by saying I want no part of any future movies.

"Yeah, I have thought, many times. 'What could I do?' It'd be so easy."

She added that it took a long time for her to admit that she was "bogged down" by the first book and had read it from a different perspective to most of the fans.

Stewart recently said that she was "excited" about starring in sequel New Moon. Meanwhile, third film Eclipse has been greenlit for a summer 2010 release.

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Bronson star Tom Hardy has admitted that his substance abuse cost him his marriage.

The actor, who has appeared in RocknRolla and Stuart: A Life Backwards, told The Times that drug addiction caused his divorce from wife Sarah.

"I ended up in hospital and ultimately lost my wife because of my behaviour," said Hardy, referring to a drugs bender that saw him collapse in Soho in 2003.

Hardy added that he shares similarities with notorious criminal Charles Bronson, who he portrays in next week's biopic. "I looked at 14 years for firearms offences when I was 17 and s**t myself I was high on crack and all kinds of s**t, a real rich middle-class t**t," he said.

The 31-year-old is now experiencing a career resurgence thanks to his performance in Bronson, attracting praise from Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott

"It's like you finally get to meet the Wizard of Oz," he said of his success. "But remember, the Wizard of Oz is just a small man in a f**king lift, with a microphone. So it's a lot of smoke and mirrors."

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Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have filed a joint lawsuit in relation to a series of watch commercials linked to their 2008 film Righteous Kill.

The actors have sued German watchmaker Tutima and Overture Films for violating their rights of publicity by suggesting that they personally endorsed the watch in question.

"[The] defendants' actions have damaged De Niro's and Pacino's valuable reputations and diminished the commercial value of their name and images," said the lawsuit.

The papers, filed at a federal court in Manhattan, claimed that both actors had previously signed talent agreements that prohibited the use of their image without prior consent. It added that Pacino had never commercially endorsed a product and De Niro would only do so "under very specific and compelling circumstances".

Both stars are seeking monetary damages for breach of contract, violating their rights of publicity and a breach of privacy.

In a statement, Overture Films said: "We are surprised by this action as [we have] not received any communication on this matter for months from Pacino, De Niro or their representatives. We take lawsuits very seriously and our legal team is addressing the issue."

Tutima has yet to comment.

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Meryl Streep has revealed that young actors "get nervous" working with her.

Speaking to Psychologies, the actress admitted that her youthful co-stars are often intimidated by her reputation within the industry.

"Young actors get nervous about working with me but then I'll forget my lines, which I do all the time, and they'll go 'Oh!'" she said.

She added: "I've been nominated for an Oscar 14 times and won twice, but it still feels like it's happening to someone else. I wish I could feel it more.

"It's lovely when people say nice things about me - but these things enter the room like a big gorilla before I arrive on set, and I have to escort him out and introduce myself."

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Todd Carty has been unveiled as the director and star of a new comedy film called The Perfect Burger.

The former EastEnders actor was offered the job of directing the Co-operative British Youth Film Academy movie because of his appearances on Dancing On Ice, The Mirror reports.

A friend said: "He was offered the gig because the movie people reckoned he was so funny on the ice.

"He is really excited - directing a film is a dream come true for Todd as it's something he really wants to get into. He is also really looking forward to acting again."

Carty is rumoured to be returning to Dancing On Ice for the final and has also signed up for the show's live tour.

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George Miller will revive the Mad Max series without its star Mel Gibson.

Speaking to MTV News, the Australian director revealed that he is planning to make a fourth Mad Max as a 3-D anime.

"I see myself as someone who is very curious about storytelling and all its various media," said Miller. "I've always loved anime, in particular the Japanese sensibility. It's something I've always wanted to do."

He continued: "The anime is an opportunity for me to shift a little bit about what anime is doing because anime is ripe for an adjustment or sea change. There's going to be a hybrid anime where it shifts more towards Western sensibilities."

Miller, whose first three Mad Max movies shot Gibson to stardom, confirmed that he will "probably go a different route" in voice casting the lead role.

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Heath Ledger's Oscar will be given to his former fiancée Michelle Williams to keep in trust for their young daughter.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences made the announcement to clear up speculation that the prize would be returned to Ledger's family in Australia.

Despite Matilda, 3, being confirmed as the rightful owner, Ledger's father had told reporters that he planned to keep the statue for the foreseeable future, adding that he would pass it on to his granddaughter "down the line".

However, Academy spokesperson Leslie Unger has told the Los Angeles Times that the trophy will be presented to Williams within the next few weeks.

"We expect a representative of the Ledger estate to bring the statuette in tomorrow [or soon thereafter] so that the engraved plate can be affixed," she said. "Soon after that, we expect the statuette [with engraved plate] to be delivered to Michelle Williams."

Under Academy rules, Williams will have ownership of the Oscar until Matilda turns 18.

Ledger was awarded a posthumous best supporting actor award for his role in The Dark Knight at last month's ceremony.

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Bruce Willis has reportedly countersued a production company that has accused him of abandoning his directorial duties on a forthcoming movie.

Last week, Foresight Unlimited filed a £2.75 million lawsuit against the Die Hard star, claiming that he had walked off the set of Three Stories About Joan.

According to E! News, the actor has responded by filing a £6.75 million countersuit against the company at LA's Superior Court. He has alleged that producers Mark Damon, Moshe Diamant and their company lied about having the promised financing in place.

Willis is seeking punitive damages for fraud and breach of contract, as well as compensatory damages. Foresight has yet to comment.

Previously, a representative for Willis described Foresight's claim as "frivolous" and "without merit".