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Efron’s 'Jonny Quest' gets name change

Zac Efron’s next film is reportedly suffering an identity crisis.

The upcoming Jonny Quest movie will not bear any relation to the cartoon which shares its name, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Warner Brothers is said to be "worried" about using the titular character’s name on the production over fears that its connection to the cartoon could scare off prospective viewers.

The publication cited last summer’s Speed Racer as an example of the theory, pointing out that the Wachowski Brothers's adaptation of the classic 1960s animated series cost $120 million to make and only earned $44 million domestically.

The movie studio has already made attempts to distance the relationship between the movie and TV show by making Efron’s character older than the animated teenager.

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'FAST & FURIOUS'' PAUL WALKER ENGAGED?

Are the rumors true? Paul Walker reveals whether or not he got engaged to his girlfriend -- and if he'll star in a sequel to his and Vin Diesel's new box-office hit, 'Fast & Furious.'
Asked by the Valentine in the Morning radio show if he's engaged, Paul said, "No, that's just a rumor," adding, "No engagement for me!"
But, Paul gave a resounding "yes" when asked if there will be another 'Fast & Furious' sequel. "This was supposed to be it. There wasn't supposed to be the open-ended closing like there was," he said. "But without question, with the way that this thing's opened up, Vin and I will be coming back. We're making a fifth one, and we're going to Brazil [for it]."

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Casino Royale' named best remake ever

Casino Royale has been named the best film remake of all time.

The James Bond reboot starring Daniel Craig was crowned the winner in a new poll, according to WENN.

The 007 film managed 1,500 votes to land in the top spot in the survey by movie rental website Lovefilm.

Ocean’s Eleven, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, came in second, while Peter Jackson’s reworking of the 1933 classic King Kong rounded out the top three.

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Raimi denies 'Spider-Man 5' plans

Sam Raimi has denied that Spider-Man 5 will go into production anytime soon.

Sony Pictures had previously announced that the next two instalments of the series would be filmed back-to-back, Ain’t It Cool News reports.

However, the director insisted that there is no truth to the statement.

"No-one's talked to me about making part five at this moment," he said. "Right now I'm hoping to make part four."

Raimi said that Spider-Man 4 is still in the planning stages and the production team are "talking about the story right now".

He added: "Whenever the picture comes out we want to make sure we were shooting above the bar as it currently stands as far as visual effects go and we may or may not make that, but that will be my team's goal when we start."

The movie is due to hit cinemas on May 6, 2011.

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Michael Caine explains Riddler statement

Michael Caine has explained the origin of his previous statements regarding the next Batman villain.

Last September, the actor said that he was told by a Warner Brothers executive that the studio had hoped to get Johnny Depp on board as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. However, Hoffman later denied the rumour.

Speaking to MTV News about the source of his information, Caine said: "I read it in the newspaper and then I got told off.

"It was in the newspaper in Toronto about The Riddler and all that, and I thought, 'Well, they announced it'. And then I met this reporter who asked me about it, and the sh*t hit the fan."

He added: "I don't have anything. The only thing I know is Christopher Nolan is doing another movie anyway, so it's not going to be soon."

Caine, who plays butler Alfred Pennyworth in the franchise, recently suggested that The Riddler would be the lone enemy of the Caped Crusader in the next instalment.

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New 'Tron' is most expensive movie ever

Upcoming movie Tron has been called the most expensive in film history.

The sequel to the 1982 film about a hacker abducted and trapped in a virtual world has a $300 million price tag, according to The Vancouver Sun.

The original film featured state-of-the-art special effects for its time period and the follow-up is rumoured to be taking a similar route.

"Vancouver post-production units are salivating at the prospects presented by the Disney remake of Tron, which carries a whopping $300 million budget and opportunities aplenty for effects and digital polish," a source said.

Tron’s budget surpasses that of James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar, which is reportedly at $200 million, and would tie with Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End.

Tron, due out in 2011, sees Jeff Bridges reprise his role from the first film.

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Caine not planning movie retirement

Sir Michael Caine has insisted that he has no plans to announce his retirement in the near future.

The 76-year-old actor revealed that he is hoping to be offered a new movie project once he completes promotional duties for his latest release, titled Is Anybody There?.

"I don't think you ever retire from films - films retire you," Caine explained at a press conference this week. "Sometimes, if you're unfortunate, after your first film.

"What happens is you say: 'I'm going to retire'. And then someone turns up and gives you this script. So you're not retiring.

"I don't have my next movie and I'm not looking for one. But someone will give me a script possibly and I'll work again. If someone doesn't give me a script that I want to do, I'll retire."

Asked how he would spend his retirement, he replied: "I'll stay at home and do what I always do, which is cooking, gardening and writing."

Is Anybody There? will be released on May 1 in the UK.

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Michael Sheen signs on for 'New Moon'

British actor Michael Sheen has been added to the cast of New Moon, reports The Mail On Sunday.

The Frost/Nixon star will take on the role of Aro, the leader of the Italian Volturi vampire clan, in the sequel to last year's vampire romance Twilight.

Discussing the character, director Chris Weitz said: "Michael’s role is so important because he’s the head of all vampires. Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat."

Weitz added that he had "aggressively" pursued Sheen for the part.

Filming on New Moon began in Vancouver last month, with a scheduled release date of November 20. Eclipse, the third film in the franchise, has been handed a summer 2010 release.

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Craig suggests Jon Hamm for Bond

Daniel Craig has suggested Mad Men star Jon Hamm as a potential James Bond.

Speaking to Australia's Herald Sun, Craig said that American actor Hamm should play the MI6 agent if producers decide to adapt Sebastian Faulks's recent '60s-set Bond novel Devil May Care for the big screen.

"Have you seen that terrific series Mad Men? It's great and I look at that guy [Hamm] and he's got such a great look," Craig said. "If you're doing the film of [Devil May Care] that look would be perfect. If you were doing a one-off film I would say that's the way you would go."

However, Craig reasserted that there are no plans to return the spy character to a Cold War setting.

"That's not where we are," he explained. "The intention was always to make more than one of these so we have to move it forward because in two years' time, when hopefully we'll do another one, we'll still be pushing it forward."

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William Hurt confirmed for 'Robin Hood'

William Hurt will star opposite Russell Crowe in director Ridley Scott's big screen Robin Hood reinvention.

Hurt, whose name has been linked to the project for several months, will portray William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke, a real-life figure and skilled jouster who was one of the most powerful men in Europe, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The medieval epic will delve into the origins of the key characters in the Robin Hood legend. Joining Crowe in the cast are Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand and Alan Doyle as Merry Men. Cate Blanchett will play Maid Marian, while Mark Strong and Vanessa Redgrave are also on board the movie.

The untitled Universal film is currently shooting in the UK.

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Tara Reid linked to more 'American Pie'

Tara Reid has reportedly signed on to star in the next direct-to-DVD instalment of the successful American Pie franchise.

According to Moviehole, the actress has agreed to reprise the role of Vicki Lathum in American Pie Presents Book Of Love, which is thought to revolve around a group of teenagers discovering the 'sex book' made famous in the 1999 original.

Scrubs director John Putch is helming the project, while American Pie 2 scribe David H. Steinberg has written the script.

Reid's American Pie co-star Eugene Levy is rumoured to be in talks to return, while former EastEnders actress Louisa Lytton has also been linked to the movie.

Earlier this year, it was reported that a fourth cinematic instalment of the franchise, focusing on the characters of Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), had been proposed.

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Winstone, Thewlis, Friel for 'London Boulevard'

Ray Winstone, David Thewlis and Anna Friel have joined the cast of crime drama London Boulevard, reports Variety.

Based on the novel by Ken Bruen, the story revolves around a newly paroled criminal (Colin Farrell) who gets a job as a handyman for a reclusive actress (Keira Knightley).

Winstone will star as a former crime boss, while Thewlis will play the actress's business manager and Friel will appear as the criminal's sister.

William Monaghan, who won an Oscar in 2007 for writing The Departed, will make his directorial debut on the project, which is slated to begin filming this summer.

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Statham 'embarrassed' over sex scene

Jason Statham has admitted that a sex scene filmed in public for his new film left him embarassed.

The Transporter star had to strip down in a shopping mall for Crank 2: High Voltage, reports WENN, but was left red-faced when extras caught him in the act with their mobile phones.

"Trying to do an aggressive sex scene is quite difficult. Especially in a public place with a crowd of screaming extras with their little camera phones going 'click-click', taking pictures of your pasty white ass," he said.

"I’ve had my fair share of bedroom antics in films, but they were a little more private."

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Bourne 4' script being readied

A screenplay for the latest Bourne Identity film will reportedly be ready by June.

Universal Pictures had initially planned to release the fourth Jason Bourne movie by the summer of 2010, but it will now be released a year later.

"Bourne 4 is in the works for summer 2011," producer Frank Marshall said on his Twitter page. "George Nolfi is the writer of Bourne 4, [and] should have a draft by June."

It is reported that star Matt Damon’s project Green Zone, a drama set in Iraq, was greenlit as part of a deal that secured his return to the Bourne franchise.

The latest espionage thriller will not be based upon a Robert Ludlum novel, but from the original screenplay.

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Wahlberg, Franco join 'Date Night'

Mark Wahlberg and James Franco have joined the cast of upcoming comedy Date Night, reports Variety.

The story revolves around a married couple (Steve Carrell and Tina Fey) who plan a routine date night without their children, only to find that their evening goes horribly wrong.

Wahlberg will star as a successful securities expert who flirts with Fey's character, while Franco will play a not-too-bright petty criminal.

Other big-names to have signed on include Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester as the couple's babysitter, rapper Common as a villain, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button star Taraji P. Henson as a police officer, and Fey's former SNL colleague Kristen Wiig as her best friend.

Discussing the casting, director Shawn Levy said: "People just kept saying yes. I think people just really wanted to work with Tina and Steve."

Shrek The Third scribe Josh Klausner has penned the screenplay.

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Gyllenhaal signs for 'Nanny McPhee' sequel

Maggie Gyllenhaal will star opposite Emma Thompson in a sequel to Nanny McPhee, according to Production Weekly.

Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang, which takes place 100 years after the events of the first movie, will follow Thompson's spell-weaving governess as she looks after city and country children who are evacuated during World War II.

Thompson has penned the script for the movie based on Christianna Brand's literary creation. The actress revealed last year that she turned down the chance to star in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows to work on another Nanny McPhee.

The movie begins production next month at Shepperton Studios.

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McG: Arnie 'T4' cameo not confirmed

Terminator Salvation director McG has downplayed speculation that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be making a cameo appearance in the upcoming movie.

The actor, who played the central character in the first three instalments of the Terminator franchise, had previously hinted that he would be making a brief appearance in the next outing.

Speaking to MTV News about the status of Schwarzenegger's cameo, McG said: "Not yet. In fact, today is April 10, I'm doing this interview on April 10 and we don't know if Schwarzenegger is in the movie or not. It's not clear. I can say that."

However, the director insisted that he was still open to the possibility of Schwarzenegger returning, but admitted: "It's a complicated, delicate balancing act as of now. The jury is still out."

Terminator Salvation opens in the US on May 21 and in the UK on June 3.

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Aykroyd reveals 'Ghostbusters 3' details

Dan Aykroyd has revealed story details for the third movie in the Ghostbusters series.

The actor, who co-wrote and starred in the '80s comedy flicks, confirmed that the upcoming film will introduce a new team of ghost catchers.

"There will be a whole new generation that has to be trained, and that whole new generation will be led by an individual who you'll all love when you meet him but I'm not going to tell you anything yet," MTV quotes him as saying.

Aykroyd dropped further plot hints for Ghostbusters 3, saying that the new cadets ("boys and girls") will travel to different dimensions using a "neuron splitter".

Despite Sigourney Weaver's refusal to lend her voice to the Ghostbusters video game, Aykroyd insisted that the actress will be back to join Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and himself in the third instalment.

"Sigourney will be in it," he said. "I know we'll make that happen."

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Simon Channing-Williams dies, aged 64

British film producer Simon Channing-Williams has died at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer.

Channing-Williams collaborated with filmmaker Mike Leigh on a number of movies, including Vera Drake, Happy Go Lucky and Secrets And Lies.

He also worked on the Oscar-winning Fernando Meirelles adaptation of John Le Carré's The Constant Gardener.

Leigh said: "He battled cancer very bravely for nearly five years. His great phrase was 'let's just get on with things' and right almost to the last he was still working.

"He was a very extraordinary big man and he will be missed universally."

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UA to make 'Dating For Teenage Girls'

United Artists will turn Pamela Wells's young-adult novel The Heartbreakers into a movie.

The studio is planning to retitle the project Rules Of Dating For Teenage Girls, and is in talks with Jennifer Ross to write the script, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story concerns four female friends who come up with a set of rules to get any man they want and prevent their relationships from falling apart. Wells released The Heartbreakers in 2007, then followed it up a year later with a sequel novel, Crushes.

The movie has been described as a girl power coming-of-age comedy aimed at the teen girl audience that made Twilight and Hannah Montana box office hits.

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