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Dominic Monaghan has revealed that producers of The Hobbit want him and his fellow halflings to return for the Lord Of The Rings prequels.

The actor told MTV that although his character Merry and friends such as Pippin are not in JRR Tolkien's book, bosses want to thank loyal fans by bringing them back.

He said: "They really want us to come back, and I think there's a really strong chance that we might be back.

"We're not in The Hobbit, no, but I think the idea in [the producers'] heads is that the trilogy of the Lord Of The Rings films was so beloved by the fans that they're really keen to try to say thank you for the support that they gave to the Lord Of The Rings movies and possibly bring back some of those characters that they know and love."

Director Guillermo del Toro recently dismissed rumours that The Hobbit has been delayed until 2012, insisting that filming of the adaptation is still on track to get underway in New Zealand in the coming months.

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Heath Ledger watched the first six minutes of The Dark Knight, according to the movie's producer.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly as part of a special tribute, Charles Roven revealed that the actor had been "thrilled" by the footage.

"I showed Heath the first six minutes of The Dark Knight, the bank heist sequence, on an IMAX screen in London," he said.

"I said, 'You have to see this. You haven't seen yourself be the Joker!' He watched it, and it just blew his mind. He was so thrilled, he was just laughing.

"He said, 'I want to see it again!' It's not an easy thing to rethread an IMAX, so it took about 15 minutes but we showed it to him again. That was the last time I saw him."

Ledger passed away on January 22 last year, following an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Earlier this month, he was awarded a posthumous supporting actor Golden Globe for his work in the film.

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Katie Holmes and Kevin Kline have signed on to star in forthcoming comedy The Extra Man, reports Variety.

Based on a novel by Jonathan Ames, the story follows a failed playwright (Kline) who works as an escort for rich widows in New York and strikes up a friendship with a wannabe writer.

There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano and Step Brothers actor John C. Reilly will also star.

"This is a film for our times, these hilarious characters living on the edge of enormous wealth, scrapping for small pieces of the pie. I suspect a lot of people will be able to identify nowadays," said producer Anthony Bregman.

The Nanny Diaries' Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini will direct.

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Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson's Bride Wars has debuted at number one at the Australian box office.

The comedy beat Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd's Role Models, which entered at two. Last week's number one, Jim Carrey's Yes Man, falls to third.

Elsewhere, Slumdog Millionaire climbs to fifth on the back of its Golden Globes success, while family comedy Hotel For Dogs charts at eight.

The top ten in full:

1. (-) Bride Wars - $3,129,086
2. (-) Role Models - $1,793,814
3. (1) Yes Man - $1,261,148
4. (3) Bolt - $1,885,138
5. (10) Slumdog Millionaire - 1,173,047
6. (2) Seven Pounds - $1,093,903
7. (5) Bedtime Stories - $1,068,451
8. (-) Hotel For Dogs - $1,055,162
9. (6) The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - $1,028,113
10. (4) Marley & Me - $944,539

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Daniel Craig has been voted the most convincing action man of 2008, according to a poll by Hello!.

The Quantum Of Solace star beat stiff competition from Shia LaBeouf and Christian Bale to be named the nation's favourite action hero.

Thousands of votes were cast in the survey, which saw the James Bond star win 27% of the public vote and second place LaBeouf nab 25%.

Only 20 votes separated third-placed Christian Bale and fourth-placed Robert Downey Jr.

The top ten most convincing action men of 2008 are:

1. Daniel Craig - Quantum Of Solace
2. Shia LaBeouf - Eagle Eye
3. Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
4. Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man
5. James McAvoy - Wanted
6. Brendan Fraser - The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
7. Ben Barnes - The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
8. Mark Wahlburg - Max Payne
9. Will Smith - Hancock
10. Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

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Brandon Routh has joined the cast of Edgar Wright's forthcoming comic book adaptation Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

Based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O' Malley, the story centres on Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who meets the woman of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends before he can have her.

Superman Returns star Routh will play Todd Ingram, a rocker with vegan psychic powers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Also joining the cast will be United States Of Tara actress Brie Larson, who will play Pilgrim's ex-girlfriend Envy Adams.

Yesterday, Sunshine star Chris Evans was confirmed to play pro skateboarder turned movie star Lucas Lee.

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has dismissed claims that a Shazam! movie will never happen.

Earlier this month, the film's writer John August stated that the Captain Marvel project was "dead", but admitted that "it may come back in another incarnation, with another writer".

Speaking to Collider, Johnson confirmed that the movie was still awaiting a draft script and insisted that the project was "doing good".

"I'm not too sure where that is right now [because] I haven't had the opportunity to speak with [director] Pete [Segal] about that in some time in a couple of months," he said.

"Much like a lot of material in Hollywood, it will go round and round and I'm sure it will find its way back to us. And I'm sure one day if it all fits perfectly, then we'll do [it]."

The star admitted that he "loved the idea of playing" the evil Black Adam, adding: "I was very excited about that."

Shazam! tells the story of teenager Billy Batson, who is selected by the wizard Shazam to have powers that can help save the Earth.

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Lord Of The Rings actor Andy Serkis has confirmed that he is working on a biopic about Ian Dury.

Serkis told Cinema Blend that he begins shooting the project about the punk singer in April.

"I'm actually doing a film about the life of Ian Dury, who's a proto-punk rocker in the 1970s," he said. "He's an amazing character, a real poet."

He added: "He sort of came up out of the British pub rock scene. He sort of pre-empted the Sex Pistols and the whole punk movement. And he was a polio sufferer, so he basically didn't have much use of his left leg or his left arm. He was one of the first disabled punk rockers ever. I'm really looking forward to that."

Dury released 12 studio albums during his career, including five with The Blockheads, which featured the hits 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll', 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' and 'Sweet Gene Vincent'. He died in March 2000, aged 57.

Serkis is also scheduled to reprise his role as Gollum in The Hobbit and is cast as Captain Haddock in the forthcoming TinTin movie.

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Oliver! actor Mark Lester will return to film after a 30-year absence to star in the medieval epic 1066.

Lester, whose last big screen appearance was in 1977's Crossed Swords, will portray King Harold II in the historical drama. Lester's son Felix will also appear in 1066 as Harold's son Godwin.

Director and co-writer Robin Jacob said: "The rapport between father and son will add great authenticity to the film."

Ian Whyte (Alien vs. Predator), Martin Klebba (Pirates Of The Caribbean) and Gary Daniels (Tekken) are also among the cast.

The film will centre on events that unfolded on October 14, 1066, when the Norman and Anglo-Saxon armies fought the decisive Battle of Hastings which saw the Normans conquer England.

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Derek Luke has revealed that a phone call from Sean 'Diddy' Combs convinced him to star as the hip-hop mogul in Notorious.

Luke admitted that his reluctance to appear as Diddy in the biopic of late rapper Christopher 'Biggie Smalls' Wallace was down to a lack of preparation time.

He said: "I was the last person cast. I had a week, Jamal (Woolard, who plays Smalls) had like six months. I wish I had six months. As a matter of fact, I kind of turned the project down a few times because I felt like I didn't have enough time... I wanted to do it right.

"It wasn't until I got the call from Mr Combs that I decided this was the thing to do. I didn't want to mess it up.

"I'll do anybody else's story, but I did not want to do this story because it's like Biggie's not dead, so I didn't want to touch it."

Notorious B.I.G., whose hits include 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems', was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997.

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Tom Cruise has revealed that he is interested in turning last week's Hudson River plane crash into a movie.

A US Airways plane en route to North Carolina was forced to make a crash landing in the New York river on January 15 after colliding with a flock of geese on departure.

Pilot Chelsey B. Sullenberger became a national hero when all 155 passengers and crew were rescued safely.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the Valkyrie star said that he is considering adapting the incident for flim.

"It's remarkable," he said. "I was with people today and they said, 'There's a movie in here'. I'm thinking about that."

Cruise, who earned his private pilot's licence in 1994, praised Sullenberger for doing a "heroic" job, saying: "I know what it's like, because we train for emergencies and then for it to happen and to have it turn out the way it did - that's how we want them all to end."

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50 Cent has launched his own film production company.

The rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, told Reuters that Cheetah Vision has already bought eight scripts.

"They are all different types of movies that I bought the rights to, and we're developing projects. You will see different things from me in the future," he said.

The company's first project will be The Dance, starring Nicolas Cage. Jackson revealed that Cage plays "the founder of a boxing program", while he himself stars as "a fighter who goes to state prison".

When asked how the credit crunch will impact future production, he replied: "I don't think it will affect me as much as it will the other people that are out there because I'm not afraid to finance some of these things myself if I have to."

Jackson made his directorial debut earlier this year with Before I Self Destruct, the story of an inner city boy, which will be given away free with his upcoming LP.

Earlier this year, he appeared in Righteous Kill alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

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Iron Maiden have announced that they will release a feature-length documentary later this year.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 - The Movie will follow the band on the first leg of their 'Somewhere Back In Time' tour.

Documentary-makers Banger Productions were given full and exclusive access to the rockers over two months in 2008 as they played to over half a million fans.

The film will also include footage of singer Bruce Dickinson flying the specially customised Iron Maiden jumbo jet to each tour destination.

The 'Somewhere Back In Time' tour kicked off in Mumbai on February 1 last year and is scheduled to end in Buenos Aires on March 28 this year.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 will be available from April 21.

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Peter Sellers's portrayal of President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove has topped a list of the best film presidents.

He beat competition from Harrison Ford and John Travolta to be named the best fictional or real life US leader by CNN.

Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove saw Sellers's president dealing with the consequences of an accidental nuclear attack.

The only real-life leader to make the list was outgoing US President George Bush.

The top ten film presidents are as follows:

1. Peter Sellers - President Merkin Muffley (Dr Strangelove)
2. Harrison Ford - President James Marshall (Air Force One)
3. Kevin Kline - President William H. Mitchell (Dave)
4. John Travolta - Governor Jack Stanton (Primary Colors)
5. Michael Douglas - President Andrew Shepherd (The American President)
6. Bill Pullman - President Thomas J. Whitmore (Independence Day)
7. Morgan Freeman - President Tom Beck (Deep Impact)
8. Jack Nicholson - President James Dale (Mars Attacks!)
9. Donald Pleasence - President (Escape From New York)
10. Josh Brolin - President George W. Bush (W.)

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Emily Blunt will lead the cast of David Riker's drama The Girl, reports Variety.

The story centres on a young Texan (Blunt) whose life changes when she meets a girl from Mexico.

The film will be Riker's first since 1998's The City. He wrote the script for The Girl and currently lives in Mexico.

Blunt, who made her movie breakthrough in lesbian drama My Summer Of Love, is rumoured to be playing The Black Widow in Iron Man 2.

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Michael Cera has described the forthcoming Arrested Development movie as "more hypothetical than people think".

Despite Fox Searchlight already signing a deal to adapt the sitcom for the big screen, Cera insisted that the project is still in a very early stage.

Speaking to MTV, he said: "There's no script or anything, so the movie, I think, is more hypothetical than people think."

Referencing speculation that he was "holding out" on committing to the movie, he joked: "I'd possibly play [George Michael Bluth], I'd possibly put the script in my shredder. I may buy a shredder.

"People have asked me about it more than I've heard about it [in an official capacity] but I'd be very interested to see what the story is with it."

Arrested Development aired on Fox from 2003 until 2006.

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Seth Rogen has emerged as the favourite to play Jesus in forthcoming comedy The Gospel According To Jimmy.

Mirrors director Alexandre Aja told Sci-Fi Wire that the Knocked Up star was his top choice for the role.

Based on a French novel, the story centres around an LA pool cleaner called Jimmy who finds out that he is a clone of Jesus, made from DNA taken from the Turin shroud.

However, Aja admitted that the project was in a very early stage, saying: "[I'm] taking my time, trying to find the best writer, because I don't have the time to write it myself. I don't know how and when I'm going to do it."

Aja's next project, horror film Piranha 3D, will be released in the UK on July 24.

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Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford will star in MGM/UA's horror project The Cabin In The Woods, says The Hollywood Reporter.

A tight lid is being kept on the movie's story, written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, though it is expected to provide a twist on a classic genre in a similar way to Goddard's Cloverfield.

Jenkins (The Visitor) and Whitford (The West Wing) will play co-workers with a connection to the titular cabin.

"It's really just your basic typecasting: When you need two actors to run through the woods in low-cut nighties, you immediately think of Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford," joked Goddard.

Whedon added: "They're the first proof that though The Cabin In The Woods is a classic horror film, it isn't one you've seen before."

The Cabin In The Woods begins shooting this spring for a February 5, 2010 release.

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Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio has objected to the proposed remake of his '80s martial arts movie.

Speaking to MTV, Macchio confessed that he was happy to see the new version being met with a cool reception by fans of the original.

"It feels pretty good that some people are pretty angry that they're trying to remake The Karate Kid," he said. "It feels good that the public feels you don't touch certain things. Some times you go back to that, and probably shouldn't."

Macchio starred in 1984's The Karate Kid and two sequels before handing over the franchise's title role to Hilary Swank.

The 47-year-old claimed that replacing the late Pat Morita as karate mentor Mr Miyagi will be the biggest challenge the remake faces.

"From my personal view, the filling the void of what Mr. Miyagi was - and the magic of that character - is going to be the toughest task," he commented.

Jaden Smith will lead the cast of the new Karate Kid with Jackie Chan in the Miyagi role. The Pink Panther 2's Harald Zwart is directing, with Will Smith on board in a producer capacity.

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The giant 16ft piano used in Tom Hanks's movie Big has been given to a museum in Philadelphia.

The instrument was used in a memorable scene in the 1988 film, which featured Hanks and Robert Loggia performing the tune 'Chopsticks'. Inventor Remo Saraceni christened his invention a Walking Piano.

It was handed over to the Please Touch Museum by Joseph and Janet Shein, who purchased it after the film's release.

"We love this piece," Joseph told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We felt it was a new direction for electronic sculpture."

The couple used to keep the Walking Piano in their music room and allowed visiting children to play on it as a treat for Halloween.