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Megan Fox denies 'Tomb Raider' role



Megan Fox has dismissed speculation that she will appear in the forthcoming Tomb Raider movie.

The Transformers star had been tipped to take on the role of daredevil archaeologist Lara Croft, made famous by Angelina Jolie.

However, a representative for the actress has denied the reports, saying: "Megan is not involved in this movie."

Earlier this week, Warner Brothers confirmed that it is developing a third film based on the popular Eidos video game, which will reportedly revamp the character and introduce a new female lead.

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Cera 'on board' for 'Arrested Development'



Michael Cera will star in the Arrested Development movie, according to one of the show's stars Jeffrey Tambor.

A feature version of the critically acclaimed but short-lived sitcom was confirmed in November. Creator Mitch Hurtwitz has since suggested that Cera is the only member of the original cast not to commit to the movie.

However, Tambor told the New York Daily News that the 20-year-old will reprise his role as George-Michael Bluth in the film.

"If I have to call him up and say, 'Get on set right now, young man', he'll be there," Tambor remarked. "The movie is going to happen this year, and Michael Cera is on board. Trust me."

Cera's career has taken off since Arrested finished its run on Fox in 2006. He has starred in Juno, Superbad and this week's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

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Nicholson to pen historical epic '1066'

Bill Nicholson has been hired to write historical epic 1066, reports Variety.

The Gladiator screenwriter's story will centre on King Harold's battle with William, Duke of Normandy, for the English throne. William's eventual victory, which was the last successful invasion of the UK, earned him the name William the Conqueror.

Paul Webster and Stephen Garrett will produce the movie for Shine Pictures, alongside New Regency's Bob Harper and Hutch Parker.

A statement from Webster and Garrett said: "The events of 1066 are some of the most fascinating in history, which have never been portrayed on the big screen before.

"The scale of the piece is emblematic of Shine's ambitions. It's a great way to start off the relationship with New Regency. It will be a big-budget film on an epic scale."

The movie, which faces rivalry from another Battle of Hastings project, is on the fast-track to begin production this year.

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Stevenson to direct Silver's 'He-Man'



John Stevenson has been hired to helm Warner Brothers' He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe.

The Kung Fu Panda director's involvement has laid to rest speculation that the studio had axed the long-discussed project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel Silver will produce through his Silver Pictures banner, while Mattel's Barry Waldo will executive produce.

Based on the 1980s Mattel toy franchise, the storyline will follow He-Man's alter ego Prince Adam on a quest to find his destiny. Along the way, he will stumble upon the magical place of Eternia where he finds the evil Skeletor has raised a technological army intent on eradicating all traces of magic.

"Masters Of The Universe was a billion-dollar franchise for us in the '80s," said Waldo. "There are so few of those in the vault; it's one of the crown jewels."

Justin Marks has penned the first draft script, tentatively titled Grayskull.

The 1987 film starring Dolph Lundgen as He-Man and Frost/Nixon star Frank Langella as Skeletor is the only other live-action version of the character.

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Downey: 'Tropic Thunder was a huge risk'



Robert Downey Jr. has admitted that portraying an African American man in Tropic Thunder was a huge risk.

The 43-year-old stars as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who undergoes plastic surgery to darken his skin for the role of a black soldier fighting in the Vietnam war.

Speaking to This Morning, Downey Jr. said that he worried about being "crucified" by the media for the controversial role.

"My reaction was, like, find someone else who needs to take some big ass risk and get crucified for it," he said. "But then I thought there really is a way if people understand the concept of the movie - to make it entertaining and not make it stupid or offensive. Did I nail it or am I in trouble?"

Downey Jr. picked up a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Lazarus.

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Blunt, Segal in talks for 'Travels'



Emily Blunt and Jason Segal are in negotiations with 20th Century Fox to join Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels, reports Variety.

A 21st Century update of Jonathan Swift's novel, Gulliver's Travels is about a writer who finds himself washed up on an island inhabited by tiny people. Black will play the title role, while Blunt and Segal's parts are that of a princess and Gulliver's friend Horatio respectively.

Shark Tale's Rob Letterman will direct from a script by Nicholas Stoller and Joe Stillman.

British actress Blunt may be forced to drop out of starring in Iron Man 2 to take on the Gulliver role. Fox holds an option on her as part of the deal she signed to star in The Devil Wears Prada.

Blunt's agents are attempting to work out schedules so that the actress can appear in both Gulliver's Travels, which starts shooting in the UK in March, and Iron Man 2, scheduled to begin production in April in California.

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Wheeler hired for 'Shrek' spinoff



Tom Wheeler has been hired to write DreamWorks Animation's Shrek spinoff Puss In Boots, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will follow the adventures of the cat assassin voiced by Antonio Banderas, who first appeared in Shrek 2. Initially sent to kill Shrek, Puss In Boots later become an ally of the green ogre and appeared in Shrek 3.

The spinoff will arrive after Shrek Goes Fourth, due for release on May 21, 2010. No director is attached to Puss In Boots.

Wheeler, a screenwriter and novelist, is also working on ABC pilot Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas and Shawn Levy's Cutlass Island.

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'Potter' stuntman's family thank fans



The family of a stuntman injured on the set of the latest Harry Potter film have thanked well-wishers for their thoughts and prayers.

David Holmes was taken to hospital with a back injury after reportedly falling to the ground on set when a planned aerial stunt went wrong.

Holmes's family said in a statement that they are "trusting in the expertise of the medical staff".

The 25-year-old, who doubles for the film's star Daniel Radcliffe, was working at Leavesden Studios, near Watford, where Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is currently in pre-production.

"We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We are trusting in the expertise of the medical staff," the family's statement read.

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Morgan joins Swank in 'The Resident'



Jeffrey Dean Morgan has reportedly signed to star alongside Hilary Swank in The Resident.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Watchmen actor will star as a landlord who develops a dangerous obsession with one of his residents, a young doctor played by Swank.

Music video director Antti K. Jokinen, who co-wrote the initial script, will helm the project for UK-based production company Hammer Films.

Filming is due to begin in May with a scheduled 2010 release date.

Morgan and Swank previously appeared together in 2007's PS I Love You. His other screen credits include recurring roles in Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural.

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Meyer will not finish fifth 'Twilight' book



Author Stephenie Meyer has no plans to resume work on a fifth book in her Twilight saga.

Meyer abandoned the book last August after an unfinished manuscript for the novel, titled Midnight Sun, found its way online.

"I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, so it is on hold indefinitely," she wrote on her website. "I'd rather my fans not read this version... the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting?"

A representative for Meyer revealed that she is now working on a new novel, saying: "Nothing's changed. Stephenie has no plans to move forward with Midnight Sun at this time.

"Stephenie is working on something else at the moment. But she hasn't announced it yet. It isn't Twilight-related. When she's ready to reveal it, she will. This has been an intense three years for her, and currently she's just focusing on being a writer."

The next instalment in the Twilight film series, New Moon, is scheduled for release in November.

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Run DMC biopic in development

The man behind recent Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious has revealed that he is planning to bring the story of Run DMC to the big screen.

Screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker will adapt Bill Adler's Tougher Than Leather - The Rise Of Run DMC for DJ Classicz, the urban department at Davis Entertainment.

"It's an extraordinary rags-to-riches journey that I'm eager to bring to the screen," DJ Classicz president Dallas Jackson told Reuters.

"I'm hoping to have Run, DMC and Russell Simmons's involvement. This will be a big movie about the 1980s hip-hop movement that took over the world."

The story will follow the ascent of hip-hops pioneering stars Joseph 'Run' Simmons, Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels and Jason 'Jam Master Jay' Mizzell, who rose to fame with hits including 'Walk This Way' and 'It's Like That'.

Run DMC retired following the death of Mizzell in a drive-by shooting outside his studio in October 2002.

The band will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland on April 4.

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Diaz's boyfriend to make movie debut



Cameron Diaz's British boyfriend has reportedly landed his debut movie role.

According to The Sun, Paul Sculfor has joined the cast of forthcoming horror film Vivid.

The Essex-born model will star alongside former Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter and ex-Darkness singer Justin Hawkins.

"Cameron has shown him the tricks of the trade," revealed an insider.

Vivid tells the story of an American novelist who moves to the English countryside and begins having visions of a massacre that happened years ago.

The movie, which will film on location in London and Somerset, began production earlier this week.

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Astley writing Hollywood musical



Rick Astley has announced that he is writing a script based around his songs.

The singer has teamed up with a friend to create a big screen musical.

"My wife's now a movie producer so I read a lot of scripts and I’m really passionate about films," he told The Times.

"One day I thought, 'Well, why don't I write one?' And it turned into a musical - but not for the stage. It's dominated by the songs I've written - they tell the stories - so I hooked up with a guy in California and we wrote the script together. We're at the point of speaking to a few different agents and getting people to read."

"I'm not fooling myself - nothing may come of it and I totally understand that, but as a process I have loved it. When you're writing frothy pop songs the lyrics can be a bit 'whatever', they are hooky and you just sing them because they work. But writing these songs… Do they call that a libretto?"

Astley added that he did not take offence to being the subject of "Rickrolling", the recent phenomenon that sees internet users misdirected to the star's 'Never Going To Give You Up' video.

"It's not about me, is it? It probably started with some kid in Smallsville Arizona who wanted a naff '80s video to trick his friend with, and he chose mine," he joked.

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SAG to resume actors' pay negotiations

The Screen Actors Guild will resume negotiations with major Hollywood studios next week in a bid to end the dispute over actors' pay.

The union and the studios' representative, the Alliance of Motion Picture And Television Producers, are scheduled to begin new talks on Tuesday.

SAG members have been without a film and television contract since their old deal expired last June. Contract discussions reportedly stalled after both sides disagreed on how much profit actors should receive from new media, particularly the internet.

However, the union has fired its chief negotiator Doug Allen following a majority vote by members just a few hours after the 15th annual SAG awards.

Allen had been in favour of asking the 120,000 union members if they were happy with the current offer or whether they would prefer to vote for a strike, which would effectively shut down Hollywood.

The new discussions are expected to last for two days.

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Rourke lands 'Broken Horses' role



Mickey Rourke has been cast in Indian filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Hollywood debut Broken Horses.

Details on the project are being kept under wraps, but the movie is a "gangster caper" that will shoot in New Mexico and New York. Chopra will direct from a script by Abhijat Joshi and Jason Richman.

Chopra selected Rourke for a part after seeing him in an early screening of The Wrestler.

"I was bowled over by his performance," the director told The Hollywood Reporter. "Both of us had an instant connect when we met in Los Angeles.

"He was my first choice and was finalised even before he won the Golden Globe; it's great to have him on board for one of the key roles in the film. Mickey deserves all the acclaim he is getting and I hope he wins the Oscar as well."

Chopra, well-known in his native India, has directed Parinda, Mission Kashmir and 2007's Eklavya.

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Johansson wants Tim Burton role



Scarlett Johansson has made known her desire to work with Sweeney Todd director Tim Burton.

Speaking to MTV, the actress revealed that she wants to add Burton to the list of A-list directors she has collaborated with.

"I would love to work with Tim Burton. I am a huge Tim Burton fan," she said.

Johansson has previously appeared in films by Woody Allen, Christopher Nolan, Brian De Palma and Sofia Coppola.

The 24-year-old also hinted that she may take time out from acting to work behind the camera.

"It's kind of the first time in a while that I don't really know what I'm going to be doing," she said. "But I directed a segment for New York, I Love You. That's going to be coming out. I'm hoping to do more development, production and direction. Stuff like that."

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Tykwer, Wachowskis making 'Cloud Atlas'

Tom Tykwer and The Wachowskis will write a film adaptation of David Mitchell's book Cloud Atlas.

Tykwer, the director of Run, Lola, Run and upcoming thriller The International, confirmed his involvement with the project to First Showing.

He said: "I'm trying to adapt a novel called Cloud Atlas, which is a novel by David Mitchell that I'm really completely excited about. And I'm sitting down with the Wachowski Brothers and trying to adapt that for a screenplay. It's very interesting."

Cloud Atlas is made up of six loosely connected narratives which mix history, science, suspense, humour and pathos. Tykwer said that the movie will move "from Melvillean high-seas drama to California noir and dystopian fantasy".

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Stewart 'very excited' about Jett biopic



Kristen Stewart has claimed that she is "exceedingly excited" to be playing Joan Jett in forthcoming biopic The Runaways.

Speaking to MTV, the Twilight actress revealed that she has been spending time with the influential rocker in preparation for the role.

"I spent New Year’s with her. I spent, like hours, just talking to her," she said. "I'm like vibrating. I'm just so excited about that movie.

"I’m really, exceedingly, more excited than normal."

Jett fronted all-girl rock band The Runaways alongside Lita Ford. She is famous for hit songs including 'I Love Rock N' Roll' and 'Bad Reputation'.

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Dakota Blue grateful for 'strong' roles



Dakota Blue Richards has revealed that she is keen to take on more "strong female" roles as she continues with her acting career.

The 14-year-old star rose to fame after taking on the role of Lyra Belacqua in a movie adaptation of Philip Pullman's bestselling novel The Golden Compass in 2007.

Richards is currently promoting her lead part in another fantasy film, The Secret of Moonacre, which is based on Elizabeth Goudge's children's story The Little White Horse.

"I flicked through the script, read the scene I had to learn, auditioned and got the part in the same day," Richards explained in an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post.

"These films both had strong female main characters," she continued. "I like fantasy, but I don't think that there are a lot of strong female characters around."

The Secret of Moonacre is released in cinemas in the UK on February 6.

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Office worker files 'Button' lawsuit



An Italian office worker has reportedly filed a lawsuit claiming that The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is based on a story she wrote.

Adriana Pichini claims that the Oscar-nominated film is based on a tale she wrote in 1994 called Il Ritorno Di Arthur All'innocenza (Arthur's Return To Innocence), not a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Her lawyer Gianni Massaro said a file has been opened with the Rome Tribunal Court, reports Reuters. A judge will view the movie and determine if there are enough similarities to warrant further investigation.

"At this point it's still a matter of principle. What happens next will depend on what the judge rules," Massaro said.

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