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Christian Bale and director David O. Russell have signed up for boxing movie The Fighter, according to Variety.

The film, which will also star Mark Wahlberg, is scheduled to begin shooting in July. It is based on the story of Boston fighter 'Irish' Mickey Ward and his half-brother Dicky Eklund.

Eklund famously fought boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, but his career tailed off due to involvement in drugs and crime. However, Eklund later redeemed himself by training Ward for a successful run at the "world lightweight championship".

Bale is cast as Ekland, while Wahlberg, who has been training for the role, will play Ward.

Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Darren Aronofsky have all been linked to the vehicle at various points, but the project has never previously got off the ground.

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Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle has been offered a movie role.

According to The Sun, the 48-year-old singer has been offered a small part in US film Section B by director Darla Rae.

Rae, who runs Film-It Productions, said: "Susan's real-life story is exactly what the movie is about - chasing your dream no matter what. When Susan stepped onto the stage and began to sing, tears welled up in my eyes.

"As I watched her, I felt a connection and realised she would be perfect for one of the roles in Section B."

The film will also star Cyndi Lauper and Tippi Desren.

A Britain's Got Talent spokesperson commented: "We have received lots of film offers for Susan, but would not entertain any of them at the moment."

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Comedian Demetri Martin has joined the cast of Brad Pitt and Steven Soderbergh's Moneyball.

The adaptation of Michael Lewis's novel tells the story of baseball star turned Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane.

Beane, who will be played by Pitt, always regretted his money-motivated decision to choose baseball over attending Stanford, and found a new purpose when he started putting together championship baseball teams without spending large amounts of cash.

Ex-Oakland Athletics players David Justice and Scott Hatteberg will play themselves in the picture. Sports star Daryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra will also cameo in the film.

Martin will play Paul De Podesta, a Harvard student who turned down a job in Wall Street to use his statistical skills as a baseball scout. Podesta's 'Earned Run Value' allowed Beane to pick the best players at the lowest cost.

Shooting is scheduled to begin in June.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus has said that she would happily star in a movie spinoff of hit sitcom Seinfeld.

The actress has reunited with former co-stars Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards on episodes of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm due to air this autumn.

Louis-Dreyfus said: "It was wonderful. It was like we never left to be honest with you - so that part of it was quite surreal."

Of a movie comeback, she said: "You get the financing together and I'll work on the script."

The star, who played Elaine Benes in the show, described Richards as a "dear friend of mine" despite the storm over his racist outburst at a standup show in 2006, People reports.

Louis-Dreyfus said: "I love him very much and I'm really sorry that happened, and I know he is too."

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Mike Tyson has said that Jamie Foxx will play him in a new biopic of his life.

The former WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight boxing champion told MTV News that he did not yet know who might be chosen to direct the film.

Tyson said: "It's gonna be [about me]. It's gonna be Jamie Foxx portraying me in a life story. Jamie discussed the things he wanted to do.

"He didn't know which way he wanted to go, but it was something he wanted to do. He told me not to tell anybody [too much]. He's just interested in doing it."

Foxx won the best actor Oscar for his performance as musician Ray Charles in 2005's Ray.

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Marlon Wayans has taken on the lead role in comedy The Year Of Living Biblically.

Wayans, whose credits include White Chicks, Little Man and Scary Movie, will also produce the movie for Paramount.

Living Biblically is based on the book by A.J. Jacobs, which was subtitled One Man's Humble Quest To Obey The Bible As Literally As Possible. Jacobs famously spent a year attempting to live by the rules of the Old and New Testaments.

Entourage's Julian Farino is attached to direct, while Jay Reiss penned the script.

Wayans's other upcoming projects include Dance Flick and G.I. Joe.

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Celebrated author Dan Brown has completed the third book in his Da Vinci Code trilogy - a month ahead of the release of movie prequel Angels & Demons.

The Lost Symbol is slated to hit bookstores in September and is set to become one of the year's biggest sellers.

Sony Columbia Pictures movie executives are expected to snap up the rights to the book - and continue the saga's film franchise, in which Tom Hanks plays religious code breaker Robert Langdon.

The third book will have an initial print run of five million copies. The Da Vinci Code is the best-selling hardcover adult novel of all time.

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Spider-Man director Sam Raimi has revealed that Kirsten Dunst is still not confirmed for the fourth instalment of the superhero franchise.

Speaking to Sci-Fi Wire, Raimi admitted that he was scheduled to meet with the actress soon to talk about the possibility of reprising the role of Mary-Jane Watson.

"I'm hoping that she is going to come aboard, and I've got a meeting coming up with her. I think she would like to. But I don't want to speak on behalf of her," he said.

Discussing what fans could expect from the upcoming film, he said: "I hope that we just [look] ever deeper into the truth of who Peter Parker really is - as a human being and the unique character, and that we celebrate that."

However, he admitted that he was still working on the storyline, saying: "I don't have that. I don't have just some ideas written down, but I said that last month, and there was a very negative reaction from the fans: 'Why does he keep talking about that movie? Where is that movie?'

"It's just because people ask me, but I don't really have anything at all worked out right now."

Last month, Raimi admitted that "it wouldn't be the Spider-Man series" without Dunst, and dismissed speculation that Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 would be filmed concurrently.

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Angelina Jolie and Fox 2000 are teaming up for an adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta novels.

The studio, which recently acquired the rights to the bestselling books, is developing the project as a starring vehicle for Jolie and hopes to develop it into a long-running franchise.

According to Variety, the first movie will not be tied specifically to a plot from any of Cornwell's 16 mystery titles. Instead, Jolie's opera-loving medical examiner Scarpetta will be involved in a suspense thriller "in the vein of The Silence Of The Lambs or Se7en".

The deal between Fox and Cornwell was apparently agreed after Jolie met with the author and they discovered "common ground" on how the adaptation should work.

Columbia previously attempted to sign a deal for the series with Demi Moore attached as the lead, but the project never got off the ground.

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Ron Howard has defended his upcoming film Angels & Demons against claims that it is anti-Catholic.

The follow-up to 2006's The Da Vinci Code, based on the bestselling books by Dan Brown, has already faced criticism from the Vatican and was banned from using the church's holy buildings as film locations.

Writing in The Huffington Post, Howard said: "Let me be clear - neither I nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic.

"And let me be a little controversial - I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie for what it is, an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome.

"It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction."

Angels & Demons, which stars Tom Hanks, is released in the UK on May 14 and in the US on May 15.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he does not have enough time to film new scenes for Terminator Salvation, but may yet appear in the film through the use of special effects.

The governor of California, who starred in the first two movies in the series, has long been rumoured to appear in a cameo role in the latest instalment, the Los Angeles Times reports.

However, director McG has said that the actor's appearance has not been confirmed.

In a webcast, Schwarzenegger told blogger Bill Bradley: "I made it very clear that I don't have the time to do the movie.

"I said that I would be willing to be in the movie if they get the technology together, and so they are working on that right now."

He added: "I think it's cool to continue on with the franchise...in case I want to jump over again and get into the acting after I'm through here."

Terminator Salvation hits cinema screens on June 3.

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Emma Watson has said that it will be a sad occasion when filming ends on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

The actress told Interview that her co-stars are like "siblings" to her, though they do not see much of one another off-set.

Of the end of Potter, Watson said: "I will be uncontrollable. It's been half of our lives. It's made us, it's formed us.

"It's such a big part of my life, so it will be really sad - and so much of the crew who have been there since the beginning are like my family."

She added: "We will always be very important to each other. But, at the same time, after eight Harry Potter films, we'll be ready to go and do other things, and be other people, and have time for ourselves."

The latest movie in the series, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, arrives in cinemas on July 17.

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Sex And The City: The Movie star Gilles Marini has admitted that he would love to reprise his role in the upcoming sequel to the hit film.

The French actor, who played Samantha Jones's (Kim Cattrall) neighbour Dante, told OK! that he wanted the opportunity to explore the character's personality more.

"There's a lot of talks. I’m not sure what’s going on yet. Only [writer/director] Michael Patrick King will tell me the future in a phone call - 'What about this?' And whatever he says, I will say, 'What about yes!'", he explained.

"I owe the movie a lot and I know there’s much more to the character to show to the people and we saw one side. We’ll see another and whatever he writes, if I am or not, I’m super proud to have been working with him."

Marini, who is currently appearing in ABC's Dancing With The Stars, added that he had been practicising his English and would have no problem getting to grips with more dialogue.

"Lines will come naturally. For example, I did Nip/Tuck with Vanessa Redgrave recently. Playing opposite her was brilliant and yes, there was a lot of lines there. It was emotional and difficult. So, yes, lines are here and offers are here. I just have to show my performing side. I’m ready."

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Fast & Furious has knocked Zac Efron's 17 Again from the top of the Australian box office.

The car-centric action film, which reunites Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, debuts with an impressive $7.9 million to take the box office lead.

Monsters Vs. Aliens maintains its place at number two, while 17 Again, Race To Witch Mountain and The Boat That Rocked complete the top five.

Elsewhere, Paul Blart: Mall Cop climbs a place to number nine, while Inkheart re-enters the chart, landing at ten.

The box office top ten in full (figures in Australian dollars):

1. (-) Fast & Furious - $7,996,484
2. (2) Monsters Vs. Aliens - $3,251,743
3. (1) 17 Again - $2,387,505
4. (4) Race To Witch Mountain - $1,323,919
5. (3) The Boat That Rocked - $1,028,421
6. (2) Knowing - $498,494
7. (6) Dragonball Evolution - $457,123
8. (7) The Pink Panther 2 - $396,872
9. (10) Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $245,496
10. (12) Inkheart - $223,214

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Disney is to debut footage from Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The first look at Robert Zemeckis's 3-D motion capture adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale will be shown on May 18 on the Croisette, the studio has announced.

Director Zemeckis, stars Carrey and Colin Firth and producers Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke will be on hand to present the footage.

In the new version of Dickens's story, Carrey takes on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Firth will star as Scrooge's nephew Fred, while Gary Oldman plays Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim.

Pixar's Up! will open Cannes on May 13, while Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds will also gets its world premiere at the prestigious festival.

A Christmas Carol will be released in IMAX 3-D and conventional cinemas on November 6, 2009.

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Ray Winstone, Naomie Harris and Noel Clarke have been added to the cast of Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.

The trio will be joined by Olivia Williams, Toby Jones, MacKenzie Crook and Bill Milner in the movie, which takes its name from one of Dury's biggest hits with his band The Blockheads.

Andy Serkis is already on board to play Dury, with Arthur Darvill, James Jagger, Tom Hughes, Shakraj Soornack, Clifford Samuel and Joe Kennedy starring as The Blockheads.

Mat Whitecross is directing the film, previously described as an unconventional biopic, from a script by Paul Viragh. It will arrive in cinemas in 2010.

Dury, who suffered from polio as a child, passed away in 2000 from cancer.

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State Of Play director Kevin Macdonald has admitted that he "left behind" the BBC miniseries when making the big screen adaptation.

Speaking to DS at the thriller's UK premiere, Macdonald said: "[I] deliberately left it behind. What we did was take some of the basic elements that were in the story then reinvent the rest of it and make it into its own thing. It can only live and breathe if it feels original, different."

Discussing the shift in focus from politics to journalism, he added: "I wanted to make a film about the state of journalism and what's going on with newspapers. There's a real crisis, newspapers are under threat of closing down. That seemed like a really important topic to get to grips with."

Russell Crowe, who plays old-school reporter Cal McAffrey, said that he admired the quick pace of the movie.

"It's really exciting. I think it just goes from moment to moment, it pulses along really fast," he commented. "The story's really interesting, it's contemporised in a very specific way: the privatisation of war, the blurred line between news and trivia, friendship, loyalty. On top of that the rise of new media against traditional media."

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The third instalment in the Da Vinci Code franchise has been given the green light.

Author Dan Brown’s upcoming novel The Lost Symbol has already been optioned by Columbia Pictures.

The sequel to Brown's bestselling book is not due to hit shelves until September, but the studio wanted to lock in a deal to acquire the rights, reports Variety.

The 2006 big screen adaptation of The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks grossed more than £523 million worldwide.

Prequel Angels & Demons is due in cinemas next month.

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Summit Entertainment has played down reports that Breaking Dawn, the fourth instalment in the Twilight franchise, has been given an early green light.

According to The Wrap, studio bosses had given the vampire sequel the go-ahead to begin production next year, with a tentative release date of 2011.

However, speaking to Access Hollywood, Summit representative Paul Pflug said that the studio had "no comment on that rumour at this time", while screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg told Entertainment Weekly that "the most I've heard is 're-read it and start thinking about it'".

Twilight, the first film in the Stephenie Meyer saga, has grossed over $370 million at the worldwide box office so far. Second instalment New Moon is currently being filmed, with a slated release date of November.

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Vanessa Hudgens has signed up to star in Beastly, a modern-day spin on the Beauty And The Beast fairytale.

According to Entertainment Tonight, the High School Musical star will play the female lead in the CBS Films project.

The Manhattan-set movie will revolve around a rich young man who has a curse placed on him after standing up a date. The hideous transformation means that he must convince Hudgens's character that real beauty lies underneath.

Hudgens, who is also signed up for Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, will film Beastly this summer.