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James Franco has admitted that he had no idea who Harvey Milk was before starring in the biopic of his life.

The actor, who plays boyfriend Scott Smith in the movie Milk, was forced to research the politician's life and learn about the gay rights movement before accepting the role.

"I wasn't aware of him, which is sad I think, especially considering I grew up less than an hour away from San Fransisco," he told Attitude.

"So when I heard that Gus Van Sant was doing this movie about this guy called Harvey Milk, I did some research and learned what the story was. It was surprising I didn't know anything about him before.

"I saw that as one of the more important aspects of the movie that it would really get his story out; they're not going to teach it in schools, you know."

Franco added that doing extensive research had helped him get into the character's role.

"I was just focusing on who he was and he didn't seem like a particularly flamboyant personality. I never thought 'I'm playing a gay character and I had better indicate that.'"

Milk is out now in cinemas nationwide and is released on DVD on June 1.

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Sam Rockwell has joined the cast of Hilary Swank's legal drama Betty Anne Waters, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, based on a true story, centres on an unemployed single mother who spends ten years earning a law degree to prove that her jailed brother is innocent of murder.

Minnie Driver is also among the cast as a law student with a chequered past. Tony Goldwyn will direct from a script by Richard LaGravenese and Pamela Gray.

Frost/Nixon star Rockwell recently signed up to play villain Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2

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Will Smith has been named the most bankable performer in Hollywood.

The I Am Legend star topped the inaugural Forbes Star Currency List, which measures an actor's overall financial success in the industry.

Around 150 entertainment industry members were asked to fill out the survey, which provided a scale for ranking over 1,400 actors.

The final list was based on a combination of box office figures, ability to attract funding and distribtion and whether their presence in a film could "significantly drive box office performance".

John Burman, special projects director for Forbes, said that Smith could "star in any movie genre", adding: "He can move from doing the pop film to an Ali to a Seven Pounds to The Pursuit of Happyness, so he's able to play in all worlds and I think people just like watching him on screen."

Smith received a perfect ten, beating competition from Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who all tied for second place with a score of 9.89.

The only women in the top 20 were Julia Roberts (11) and Meryl Streep (16). Transformers star Shia LaBeouf was the youngest star to make the list, coming in at number 33.

Smith's films, including Independence Day, Men In Black and Hancock, have grossed more than $5.2 billion worldwide.

The top ten most bankable stars in Hollywood are:

1. Will Smith
2. Johnny Depp
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
4. Angelina Jolie
5. Brad Pitt
6. Tom Hanks
7. George Clooney
8. Denzel Washington
9. Matt Damon
10. Jack Nicholson

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Zachary Levi has been cast in Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Levi, the star of NBC's action series Chuck, will appear opposite the singing rodents in the Betty Thomas-helmed sequel. He will play the cousin of Jason Lee's character from the first movie.

Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney will return to voice the Chipmunks, while their rivals the Chipettes (Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor) will be introduced in the sequel.

The first Chipmunks movie was a surprise success on its release in 2007, pulling in more than $350 million at the worldwide box office.

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Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Kevin James will lead the cast of a new comedy project from Columbia.

According to Variety, the trio are in talks to star in the movie along with Rob Schneider and David Spade. The story centres on five high school friends who reunite 30 years after graduation for an Independence Day weekend.

Sandler worked on the screenplay with Fred Wolf, the writer behind Spade's Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Dennis Dugan, who helmed Sandler's You Don't Mess With The Zohan, is attached to direct.

The five actors have all crossed paths over their careers, but this will be the first time they have all featured in the same film. Sandler's recent hairdresser comedy Zohan included appearances from Schneider, James and Rock.

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Screenwriter Tony Kushner has claimed that Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln biopic may be in cinemas by Christmas.

According to Hollywood Elsewhere, Kushner revealed at a Harvard discussion on the 16th US President that DreamWorks will make a decision on the film this week and, should it receive a greenlight, it will be completed and ready for release by the end of the year.

Kushner said that his script "covers two months of his life" and the 13th Amendment - the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude - plays a significant part in the story.

Liam Neeson is attached to play Lincoln, who was assassinated on April 15, 1865, while Sally Field has been rumoured for the role of First Lady Mary and Harrison Ford as Vice President and eventual White House successor Andrew Johnson.

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The Departed writer William Monahan will reportedly direct crime thriller Heist, based on the life of career criminal Myles Connor.

According to Variety, Monahan has acquired the rights to Connor's forthcoming memoirs in partnership with producer Quentin Curtis.

The Art Of The Heist: Confessions Of A Master Thief, Rock-And-Roller And Prodigal Son will follow Connor, who began his career as a backing musician for Roy Orbison, as he becomes an accomplished art and antiques thief in Boston in the 1970s and '80s.

Monahan, who won an Oscar for writing The Departed, has not revealed whether he will be penning the script for Heist.

He will make his directorial debut with London Boulevard, which begins production this June.

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Audrey Hepburn has been named the ultimate screen beauty in a survey of Hollywood actresses through the years.

The Breakfast At Tiffany's star, who died in 1993, beat competition from Angelina Jolie and Grace Kelly to be named the most beautiful screen siren of all time.

Around 2,000 movie fans took part in the survey which was commissioned by Sky+ HD.

"A great cinematic beauty by definition has to look amazing in motion, not just in pictures," Vogue's Nicola Moulton told the Daily Telegraph. "Audrey Hepburn is clearly a timeless beauty, explaining why she is the nation's choice."

Only four British actresses made the top 20: Catherine Zeta Jones (6), Elizabeth Taylor (7), Keira Knightley (8) and Vivien Leigh (12).

Modern stars to make the list included Halle Berry (9), Julia Roberts (11), Cameron Diaz (14) and Jennifer Aniston (18).

The ten most timeless beauties are:

1. Audrey Hepburn
2. Angelina Jolie
3. Grace Kelly
4. Marilyn Monroe
5. Sophia Loren
6. Catherine Zeta Jones
7. Elizabeth Taylor
8. Keira Knightley
9. Halle Berry
10. Brigitte Bardot

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Celebrities attending this year's Academy Awards have reportedly been asked to avoid the red carpet.

Oscars organisers are hoping that some stars will use an "off camera" back entrance in a bid to inject surprise into the ceremony and boost slumping viewing figures, according to the LA Times.

However, the report has sparked outrage among some members of the fashion community who rely on the red carpet to promote their brands, as well as media outlets who cover the pre-show arrivals.

Academy spokesperson Lesley Unger denied that all guests have been told to boycott their traditional entrance but admitted that "there is a hope that some of the people who present will be a surprise".

She added: "I can tell you that there will definitely be actors and actresses on the red carpet... This isn't a fashion show, and it's not the first consideration when producers make creative decisions about the show."

The report comes after organisers revealed that this year's ceremony will be completely revamped. Among the confirmed changes are the axing of the opening monologue, keeping presenters top secret and shaking up how nominees are introduced.

"There are presenters walking. There will just be some surprises," said Melody Korenbrot, who works for the PR firm that promotes films for Oscar campaigns. "I don't think these publicists know what's happening, and they're just trying to figure it all out.

"A secret has been kept, which is amusing in this town."

The 81st annual Academy Awards will take place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 22.

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A GI Joe game that ties in with the summer blockbuster is to arrive on consoles and handhelds.

Published by Electronic Arts and Hasbro, the game will pick up after the events of the film and use aspects from the franchise's history.

Game senior producer Matt Marsala told Eurogamer: "Fortunately for us, Hasbro was very open to our ideas, so they opened the vaults for us when it came time to decide what content we wanted for the game.

"They allowed us to pull from the last four decades of GI Joe history, which included some of the coolest characters and vehicles, many of which have never been seen in a game before."

Developed by Double Helix, who worked on Silent Hill: Homecoming, the title will be released on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2, PSP and mobiles.

It is expected to be released by the film's arrival on August 7.

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Leonardo DiCaprio has been honoured for his role in combatting global warming.

The Revolutionary Road star was given the International Green Film Award at the eighth annual Cinema For Peace Gala in Berlin, Germany.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev presented the trophy in recognition of DiCaprio's efforts to promote green living through his environmental documentary The 11th Hour.

Accepting his award, DiCaprio praised new US President Barack Obama, predicting that the Democratic leader will prove an influential figure in the fight to stop global warming.

"In America, we finally have an administration in Washington that wants to fight alongside you," he said. "I sincerely believe that President Obama will be proactive in combatting some of the most complex environmental issues facing us.

"Realising the opportunities of a green revolution for our country will hopefully make America an environmental leader."

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Halle Berry has revealed that she is going bald for her next movie.

The X-Men star told Essence that she is shaving her head in preparation for her role in Nappily Ever After.

"I'm shaving it off!" she said. "I know. Here comes the controversy, but... it'll grow back - I hope!"

Berry plays a woman called Venus Johnson who shaves her head and changes her life after she splits with her boyfriend when he will not propose.

Explaining her decision to take the part, she said: "I don't want my daughter to look back at my work and think, 'Mum sold out'.

"I want to leave a legacy that she can be proud of. A film has to be really special for me to leave the house. I have to love it. I mean really, really love it."

The actress is mum to 11-month-old daughter Nahla, her first child with model partner Gabriel Aubry.

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Holy bad news, Batfans. Looks like a Dark Knight sequel is at least two years away.
Director Christopher Nolan has inked a deal with Warner Bros. to helm Inception, based on his own screenplay. The sci-fi action film "set within the architecture of the mind" aims to begin shooting this summer and hit theaters in summer 2010, according to studio.
In case anyone's forgotten, Knight was a box-office monster, scoring the second-highest gross of all time. Additionally, deceased star Heath Ledger has scored a Best Supporting Actor prize in nearly every award show this season, with only the Oscars to go.
Batman lovers should be used to exercising patience though. Three years passed between the first Christian Bale-fronted venture, 2005's Batman Begins, and last year's The Dark Knight. During that span Nolan released the fantasy thriller The Prestige, starring Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians.

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Chris Martin has admitted that he found an Oscar form in his house and used it to vote for Mickey Rourke.

The Coldplay singer told radio station Key 103 that he read the instructions on the document, which explained how Academy members are supposed to fill it out.

Martin said: "You've got to put your top five in order and if the number one that you've chosen isn't really doing very well, then they move on to your number two and include that with the one that is doing well.

"I did get a say on that form. I got to put a vote in. I voted for Mickey Rourke. Isn't he great in that film?"

Rourke won the Best Actor award at last weekend's BAFTAs for his part in The Wrestler and is up for the same prize at the Oscars later this month.

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Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures has acquired remake rights to two European horror films.

According to Variety, the Spider-Man director wants to launch English-language versions of Spanish film Anguish and Danish horror Room 205.

Anguish, written and directed by Bigas Luna, centres on two girls who find that their lives are beginning to follow the plot of the horror film they are watching. Jake Wade Wall has written the adaptation.

Room 205, meanwhile, revolves around a college freshman whose finds that her room is haunted. Original director Martin Barnewitz will oversee the remake, to be titled The Dorm, from a script by The Grudge's Stephen Susco.

Raimi, who rose to attention in Hollywood directing the Evil Dead series, will return to the horror genre with this May's Drag Me To Hell.

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Joaquin Phoenix has claimed that he will not turn his back on his fledgling music career and return to acting.

Despite rumours that his interest in rapping is a hoax, Phoenix insisted that upcoming movie Two Lovers will be his last.

He told The AP: "I'm not one of those people, like, when I break up with my girlfriend, I don't ever see her again.

"I see her as friends, but do I ever think about getting back together? No, when I do something, I do it. So I have no intention."

Two Lovers director John Gray expressed disappointment that Phoenix would not act again and confirmed that he has seen the star's home studio.

"If he's not serious about it then he really went to ridiculous lengths," he said.

Phoenix added that he enjoys the wordplay, storytelling and "raw emotion" of hip-hop music, but conceded that people will make fun of his new career no matter how well he performs.

Earlier this week, the former actor said that his bedraggled look was a deliberate attempt to separate himself from his movie star persona.

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Director Brett Ratner has insisted that his new Beverly Hills Cop movie will not be toned down from the original.

Ratner told MTV that the fourth instalment in the action-comedy series, which will see Eddie Murphy reprise his role as Axel Foley, will not be watered down to appeal to a broader audience.

"It's a hard R," Ratner said, referring to the movie's intended US rating classification.

The director added that he plans to drop 'IV' from the title because it will be a "reinvention" of the series.

"I'm going to reintroduce it to a contemporary audience," he explained. "I'm going to take the best of the first two films and put it into the new one."

The original Beverly Hills Cop grossed $316 million worldwide on its 1984 release and spawned two sequels, the last of which arrived in cinemas 15 years ago.

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A new sequel in the Alien Vs. Predator series will be published by Sega.

The Japanese publisher has confirmed that Rebellion, creator of the original Aliens Vs. Predator game, will return as the developer.

The franchise, which has spanned several movies and comics, became a critically acclaimed first-person PC game in 1999 that allowed players to play as either a Predator, Alien or human soldier.

The independant Oxford-based developer recently made The Simpsons Game and the PlayStation 2 version of Call Of Duty: World At War.

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Samuel Bayer has signed up to direct the Nightmare On Elm Street remake, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The horror movie, greenlit last month by New Line, will be a reimagining of the Wes Craven-created Freddy Krueger series, which centred on a serial killer who attacks his victims in their own dreams.

Bayer has yet to direct a feature film but has an extensive track record helming music videos. His work includes Nirvana's iconic 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' promo and Robbie Willams's 'Angels'. He is also attached to direct noir thriller Fiasco Heights and the Near Dark remake.

Platinum Dunes trio Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form will produce Elm Street from a script by Wesley Strick.

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The Wachowski Brothers have been offered the chance to direct a new Superman trilogy, according to Ain't It Cool News.

Speaking at the Berlin Film Festival, frequent Wachowski collaborator James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) said that Warner Bros has approached the pair about steering the superhero franchise after Superman Returns helmer Bryan Singer declined an offer to reboot the series.

McTeigue, who has worked with the Matrix pair on six movies, admitted that he is enthusiastic about the prospect of the brothers working on a new Superman, but said that they are still considering the offer.

The Wachowskis, who last directed Speed Racer, also have comic book adaptation Plastic Man lined up. McTeigue added that he will likely direct Plastic Man and provide second unit support on Superman should the brothers decide to helm the latter movie.

The Superman franchise has grossed more than $800 million since the release of the first Christopher Reeve-led adventure in 1978.