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Nicholson to replace Murray in Brooks romcom

Jack Nicholson is in talks to replace Bill Murray in James L. Brooks's latest movie, reports Variety.

The ensemble comedy, believed to be titled How Do You Know?, will star Paul Rudd as an executive competing with Owen Wilson's pro baseball pitcher for the attentions of Reese Witherspoon.

Murray was close to agreeing a deal to play the father of Rudd's character, but he reportedly lost interest in the project and dropped out.

Brooks will write, direct and produce How Do You Know?, his first movie since 2004's Spanglish.

He previously worked with Nicholson on Broadcast News, Terms Of Endearment and As Good As It Gets, the latter two resulting in Oscars for the 72-year-old actor.


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Wimmer scripting 'Total Recall' remake

Kurt Wimmer has been hired to write Columbia's remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's sci-fi hit Total Recall.

The 1990 original was directed by Paul Verhoeven and based on the Philip K. Dick short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. It involves a construction worker having memories of Mars implanted into his mind by a company called Rekall Inc, leading him to believe that he is a secret agent.

Neal H. Moritz and his Original Films company are producing the revived version.

Wimmer wrote and directed the Christian Bale action film Equilibrium and also worked on Angelina Jolie vehicle Salt.


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Amanda Bynes to star in 'Easy A'

Amanda Bynes has been cast in Screen Gems's high school comedy Easy A.

The project, written by playwright Bert V. Royal and to be directed by Fired Up's Will Gluck, will centre on a student who is taunted at school after rumours surface claiming that she's not a virgin. Emma Stone will play the lead, who exploits the gossip to her own advantage.

Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper said of Bynes: "She's one of the few who can make that graceful transition from kid to adult star because she has such strong comic chops."

Bynes will also appear in a second Screen Gems project as part of the Easy A deal, which Culpepper will devise as a starring vehicle for her.


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Weinstein eyes Pattinson for gangster role

Robert Pattinson has emerged as a contender to play mobster Joe Gallo in a potential adapation of biography The Mad Ones.

Speaking to Us Weekly, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein admitted that he had been enamoured by the Twilight star after forcing him to auction kisses at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Rob Pattinson - I made him kiss girls in Cannes! He's the most charming, wonderful young man," he said.

"He really cared about the charity, and that's not an easy thing to do. That's a sweet, sweetheart thing to do. And then we got two bids."

However, Weinstein admitted that the actor, who raised $40,000 from his kisses, might not be author Tom Folsom's first choice for the role.

"I was talking to Tom about who he wants to play Joe Gallo if you make this book into a movie. He said one of the ones he really wants is Leonardo DiCaprio. So, Rob Pattinson, James Franco, Leo...there's a bunch of guys."

Pattinson picked up the best male breakthrough prize at this year's MTV Movie Awards for his role in the vampire romance.


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Sedgwick: 'Crawford has big shoes to fill'

Kyra Sedgwick has said that Chace Crawford "has big shoes to fill" in his portrayal of her husband Kevin Bacon’s iconic Footloose role.

The Closer actress also said that she was "thrilled" that Crawford had been cast in the forthcoming remake of the hit 1984 movie, People reports.

"It's that Chace Crawford guy, right?" Sedgwick said. "We're thrilled! [Daughter] Sosie is a big fan. We met him at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Kevin and he had a chat. He's very sweet.

"He has big shoes to fill!"

Last month, the Gossip Girl star said that Bacon had given him his "blessing" in taking on the part of Ren McCormack.

Footloose is scheduled to begin production in March 2010.


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Singer 'regrets X-Men departure'

Bryan Singer has revealed that he regrets walking away from the X-Men films.

The director said that "it’s a shame" he decided to hand over the superhero mutant franchise in order to helm Superman Returns, MTV reports.

"I’m eternally intertwined with X-Men now," he told Total Film. "What takes an audience four hours to watch - the first two movies - took six years of my life. So, to not be part of it...it’s a shame."

Singer also admitted that he has a hard time watching Brett Ratner’s version of the cinematic world he helped to create.

"It’s weird for me to watch it, because I’m so close to the universe," he said. "And also Brett [Ratner] is a good friend of mine. But, of course, I would love to return to that universe."

Due to the lacklustre box office response to the reboot and Warner Bros announcement that it plans to start the franchise from scratch, future Superman projects are currently in question.

"I don’t know, I don’t know. There are still issues," the helmer said of his possible involvement. "It’s one of those things where...it's so weird talking about stuff unless I’m about to ramp up and shoot it."

Singer recently directed Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise, and is rumoured to take on vigilante thriller The Prisoners as his next project.


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Boyle plans 'Maximum' Mumbai return

Danny Boyle is planning to make another film in India.

The British director, whose Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars earlier this year, has picked up the movie rights to Suketu Mehta's book Maximum City: Bombay Lost And Found, reports The Times.

Part travelogue and part autobiography, the book delves into Mumbai's dense criminal underworld, the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party, the city's slums and the Bollywood industry.

Discussing Slumdog's production in India last year, Boyle referred to Mehta's non-fiction work as "my bible, really. I took it with me everywhere". The author has declined to comment on Boyle's involvement in a movie adaptation of his non-fiction book.

Slumdog Millionaire, about a boy from Mumbai's slums who wins the jackpot on India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, grossed $353 million at the worldwide box office and won eight Academy Awards, including best film and best director for Boyle.


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Weaver joins 'You Again', 'Paul'

Sigourney Weaver has joined the cast of comedies You Again and Paul.

According to Variety, the Alien actress will first film a role in Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's road trip comedy about two sci-fi geeks who discover an alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) near Area 51.

In director Andy Fickman's You Again, Weaver will play the rich aunt of a woman who is about to walk down the aisle. Kristen Bell will lead the cast as the sister of the groom, who was arch rivals with the bride in high school.

Weaver can next be seen in James Cameron's Avatar, out in cinemas on December 18. She is also expected to reprise her role as Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters 3.


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Three more join Pattinson's 'Remember Me'

Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper and Lost's Emile de Ravin have been added to forthcoming drama Remember Me, says Variety.

The trio will join previously announced star Robert Pattinson in the Summit Entertainment project, helmed by Hollywoodland's Allen Coulter. Lena Olin is also in negotiations to join the ensemble cast.

The story revolves around a young man (Pattinson) whose brother takes his own life, leading his parents (Brosnan and Olin) to separate. De Ravin will play a woman who decides to embrace life after watching her mother be killed, while Cooper will star as her father.

Will Fetters and Rachel's Getting Married's Jenny Lumet have penned the script, with Nick Osbourne and Trevor Engelson producing through Undergound Films.

Production is expected to begin in New York on June 15.


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Olsen, Pettyfer join Hudgens in 'Beastly'

Mary Kate Olsen and Tormented's Alex Pettyfer have joined the cast of upcoming teen romance Beastly, according to Variety.

The duo will join previously announced star Vanessa Hudgens in the Manhattan-based high-school retelling of classic fairtyale Beauty And The Beast.

Olsen has been lined up to star as a transfer student who places a curse on Pettyfer's handsome and egotistical character, causing his outer appearance to resemble his inner nastiness.

The story will then revolve around his attempts to convince Hudgens's character that inner beauty is more important than exterior looks.

Production is scheduled to begin on June 13 in Montreal, with Daniel Barnz directing from his own script.


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Kudrow, Gigandet join Bynes for 'Easy A'

Lisa Kudrow, Stanley Tucci and Twilight's Cam Gigandet are among the latest stars to sign on for Amanda Bynes's Easy A, reports Variety.

The trio join recently confirmed cast members Malcolm McDowell, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Daniel Bird and Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley in the high school comedy.

Playwright Bert V. Royal's script follows a student (Emma Stone) who uses rumours that she is not a virgin to her own advantage, pitting the "puritanical students and teachers against their liberal counterparts".

Fired Up's Will Gluck will direct for Screen Gems.


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Reynolds discusses 'Deadpool' villains

Ryan Reynolds has revealed some of the possible contenders he’d like to do battle with in his proposed Deadpool project.

The Proposal star revealed earlier this week that he has a hand in the creative process of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine spinoff.

Reynolds told MTV that "a lot of different villains" are being considered for the film.

"You could do a whole bunch of villains in [the first film], or you could just have Deadpool going up against one guy. We’ll see," he said.

"I’m hoping Cable will be in it. Look, I’ve made no secret that I love that character."

The actor, 33, also admitted that he’d like to bring back some of the bad guys from the comic book's early days.

"I also love some of the more preliminary characters at the beginning of the series. I like Ajax - that’s an easier character to put in. And Black Tom," he added.

Reynolds is currently working to find a writer and director for Deadpool.

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Hill wants Depp for 'Jump Street' cameo

Jonah Hill has revealed that he would like Johnny Depp to do a cameo in his upcoming movie remake of US TV show 21 Jump Street.

The Edward Scissorhands actor portrayed Officer Tom Hanson on the series from 1987 to 1990, while Hill is hoping to lure the star in for a return to his old stomping ground, MTV reports.

"We wrote a really awesome Johnny Depp cameo," Hill said. "I talked to his agent a few times.

"I've never met the man. He probably won't do it, but if he does, it will be one I think he'd be proud of, and it's a real crowd pleaser. It's not cheesy."

The Superbad actor would not divulge if the proposed walk-on part involves Depp playing his original character.

Hill recently admitted that he would like to do the project as an R-rated action comedy.

Depp can next be seen in Public Enemies, which opens cinemas on July 3.


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Ferrell: 'LOTL won’t upset original fans'

Will Ferrell has said that his new film remake of the 1970’s children's series Land Of The Lost will not upset fans of the original show.

The actor revealed that the adaptation stays mostly true to the classic programme, however also features state-of-the art special effects while the relationship between the time travellers is no longer of a familial nature.

He told MTV: "They can't be too hard on us, because while Land Of The Lost is known to some, it's not known to a wide audience, so we had to kind of expand it."

Ferrell's character Dr Rick Marshall and research assistants Anna Friel and Danny McBride will still have to contend with 'monkey people', lizard-like creatures known as Sleestaks, and dinosaurs, when they are accidentally transported to an alternate dimension.

Ferrell added: "You got Sleestaks, you got Rick, you got Chaka, you got the infamous sign on the rock, 'Beware of Sleestak'. You have Enik, you have crystals, you have Grumpy the T-rex, so I don't want to hear it!"

Land Of The Lost opens on June 5 in the US and on July 31 in the UK.


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Schwarzenegger offered 'Predators' role

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been offered a role in the upcoming Predators movie, according to reports.

The actor has been asked to reprise his role of Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaefer from the original 1987 film, says Movie Hole.

Director Robert Rodriguez, who announced in April that he was planning to reboot the Predator franchise with a new sequel, has "reached out" to Schwarzenegger to make an appearance.

"Robert’s camp has just reached out to Arnie’s [camp]," a source said. "But they haven’t had a response yet."

Another insider added that "they’ve written a role for him".

The first Predator flick featured the star doing battle with a malevolent alien species, before spawning a follow-up in 1990 and two spinoff Aliens Vs. Predator movies.

Predators, produced by Rodriguez, will open in July 2010.


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Chris Pine to join 'Unstoppable'?

Chris Pine is in negotiations to join the cast of Unstoppable, it has been reported.

The Star Trek actor would star alongside Denzel Washington in the film, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The Tony Scott-helmed project reportedly centres around an experienced train engineer (Washington) who is about to be laid-off as part of company cutbacks, with a younger conductor (Pine) hired to replace him.

Production on the movie is scheduled to begin this August for a 2010 release date. Mark Bomback wrote the script.


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Seyfried, Redgrave join 'Letters For Juliet'

Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael García Bernal and Franco Nero have signed up to star in Summit's romantic drama Letters To Juliet, says Variety.

An adaptation of Lise and Ceil Friedman's book, the story will centre on a couple (Seyfried and García) who discover a letter written to Juliet Capulet.

The note's author (Redgrave) writes of a man (Nero) she romanced in Italy while on holiday years ago. Seyfried's character will help the older woman find the man in Tuscany.

Gary Winick is on board to direct Letters based on José Rivera and Tim Sullivan's script.

Mamma Mia! star Seyfried can next be seen opposite Megan Fox in horror film Jennifer's Body.

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Pattinson, Franco want to play Jeff Buckley

Robert Pattinson and James Franco are among the stars eager to play Jeff Buckley in the proposed biopic of the late singer-songwriter.

According to a report in Australia's Courier-Mail newspaper, producers Michelle Sy (Finding Neverland) and Orion Williams (Control) are overseeing the project with Buckley's mother Mary Guibert. Ryane Jeffe has been commissioned to write the movie, which is also attracting interest from Jared Leto and James Marsden.

Guibert revealed that the actor portraying her son, who drowned tragically in 1997, will have to sing and play his own instruments for the role.

"Whoever gets the part will need a lot of self-discipline because they won't be able to fake it," she said. "It's going to take a phenomenal set of skills."

Brad Pitt had previously attempted to make a film about Buckley's life, but the project fell apart when Guibert rejected two script drafts from British writer Emma Forrest.

Buckley experienced a surge in popularity last year when his version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' made it to number two on the UK charts at the time of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's release of the same track.


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Del Toro: 'Hobbit' casting 'very close'

Guillermo del Toro has revealed that he is "very close" to announcing the cast for his adaptation of The Hobbit.

The Hellboy director, who earlier this year had narrowed his search for the character of Bilbo Baggins to only four actors, has told MTV that he is almost ready to unveil his final pick.

"I believe we’re very close now to saying one name," he said, adding that he expects to divulge the film's cast in a matter of weeks.

The Lord Of The Rings prequel will centre around a journey to procure treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug .

The movie will be split into two parts, with Peter Jackson producing while Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis will reprise their roles as Gandalf and Gollum respectively. It is slated for a 2012 release


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'Bridget Jones' to become musical?

Hit romantic comedy Bridget Jones’s Diary will become a stage musical, it has been reported.

Helen Fielding, author of the novel upon which the film is based, has been at work on the production for the past few years, according to Contact Music.

"I've been doing it for two years, and writing the songs," she told The Times.

The 2001 movie starred Renee Zellweger as a single 30-something who avows to change her life one New Year’s Eve.

The flick grossed £188 million worldwide and spawned a sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, in 2004.

Last year, Zellweger said that she would be interested in doing another Bridget Jones movie if the script was right.


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