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Tony Gilroy hired for 'Bourne Legacy'

Tony Gilroy has been hired to write the script for The Bourne Legacy, Universal Pictures has announced.

Gilroy, who worked on The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, has also been enlisted to pen a "franchise bible" to guide future sequels.

Gilroy also wrote and directed the George Clooney thriller Michael Clayton and last year's Duplicity.

Legacy will not be based on the Eric Lustabader-penned novel in Robert Ludlum's Bourne series.

Star Matt Damon has previously said that he won't return to the role without director Paul Greengrass, who has ruled out making further instalments in the spy franchise.

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Officials scale back 'Transformers' shoot

The National Park Service has reportedly asked Michael Bay to scale back his production plans for Transformers 3.

The director was planning to shoot a car race or chase scene on the National Mall's gravel paths in Washington, DC, and to simulate explosions on Pennsylvania and Independence Avenues, reports The Washington Post.

The sequel's producers "have asked to do some things that simply are not done on the National Mall", according to Park Service spokesman Bill Line.

Line added: "A lot of this could be more appropriately shot in a Hollywood studio. The National Mall is not an area in which Americans come to see high-tech action movies being shot."

Bay and crew still plan to shoot scenes in the area. The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development expects Transformers 3 to possibly have the greatest economic impact on the city of any movie filmed there.

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F. Gary Gray to direct 'Kane & Lynch'?

F. Gary Gray is reportedly in talks to direct video game adaptation Kane & Lynch.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Law Abiding Citizen helmer is in line to direct Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx in the upcoming action film.

An official offer has not been made yet. Wayne Kramer (The Cooler) and Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job) are also on studio Nu Image/Millenium's shortlist to direct the picture.

Willis will star as Kane, a death row inmate who is sprung from prison with Lynch (Foxx), a schizophrenic killer, as they embark on a mission to find a stolen fortune.

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Angelina Jolie wanted for Cleopatra role

Angelina Jolie could portray Cleopatra in a future film about the Egyptian ruler.

Producer Scott Rudin has purchased the film rights to new biography Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life and wants Jolie to star in it, reports USA Today.

Rudin confirmed that the adaptation is "being developed for and with Jolie".

The author of the biography Stacy Schiff gave the idea her blessing.

"Physically, she's the perfect look," she said.

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Bay responds to 'Transformers' criticism

Michael Bay has taken the blame for some of the criticism levelled at Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

However, the 45-year-old director insisted that Transformers 3 had addressed the failings of the previous film.

"I'll take some of the criticism [for the sequel]," Bay told USA Today. "It was very hard to put it together that quickly after the writers' strike [of 2007-08]."

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said: "We tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn't give enough time in any one of them. We were constantly jumping to the next piece of information, the next place."

Bay called the second film's villain, The Fallen, "kind of an [expletive] character" and promised to get rid of the "dorky comedy" for Transformers 3.

He also confirmed that the film will come out in 3D, having previously expressed apprehension about using the cinematic technique in his work.

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'Titans' sequel eyes director, start date

The Clash Of The Titans sequel could begin production next January under the direction of Jonathan Liebesman, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Warner Bros is keen to begin work on the follow-up quickly in order to bring back star Sam Worthington before he goes to work on Avatar 2.

The studio has singled out Liebesman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) - to replace original director Louis Leterrier - after the filmmaker moved into the action genre with the upcoming Battle: Los Angeles.

Clash Of The Titans 2 will be shot in 3D as opposed to going through a post-production conversion.

Despite largely unfavourable reviews, Titans generated $325 million in box office revenue.

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Jennifer Garner in talks for Brand's 'Arthur'

Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte are in talks to join Russell Brand in the Arthur remake, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The pair would join Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig in the comedy, based on the 1981 Dudley Moore film. which is about a wealthy drunk (Brand) who must marry a rich girl of his mother's choosing or else lose his inheritance.

Garner is being eyed for the role of the heiress that Brand's character must wed, while Nolte will play her father.

Modern Family's Jason Winer is directing Arthur for Warner Bros.

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Del Toro to steer 'Van Helsing' movie

Guillermo del Toro will supervise a new Van Helsing movie, reports Pajiba.

Universal has enlisted the former Hobbit director to write a treatment for and develop an "action horror story" blockbuster about the vampire hunter.

Abraham Van Helsing first appeared as the protagonist in Bram Stoker's Dracula and has featured in various film, TV, comic and book incarnations. Del Toro's version will not be related to 2004's Van Helsing, which starred Hugh Jackman in the title role.

Del Toro previously directed the second Blade vampire movie and used the creatures as the basis for his novel The Strain.

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LaBeouf misses 'Transformers' co-star Fox

Shia LaBeouf has said that he misses working with Megan Fox on the set of Transformers 3.

Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced Fox as LaBeouf's character's love interest in the upcoming sequel.

"I love Megan and I miss the girl, but Sam and Mikaela became one character, and here... you have discovery again from a new perspective," the 23-year-old told USA Today.

LaBeouf also revealed that Transformers 3 features a definitive end for the film series.

"As a trilogy, it really ends. It could be rebooted again, but I think it has a really killer ending," he said.

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Brian Bendis turns down 'Venom'?

Rumours that Brian Michael Bendis turned down the opportunity to write a Venom movie are in circulation.

During a recent Word Balloon podcast, the celebrated scribe revealed that Sony Pictures offered him the chance to script a Spider-Man tie-in project.

Bendis explained that the proposed film was set "in the same universe" as the Spider-Man series, giving rise to speculation that the studio is attempting to push forward with its previously announced Venom solo film.

The writer went on to say that he believes his refusal to accept the position may have hurt his chances of acting as script consultant on the upcoming Spider-Man series reboot.

Previous reports suggest that Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have submitted scripts for Venom.

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Laid-back Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges turns on the charm and talks about latest movie 'Crazy Heart'

By GEORGE HADLEY-GARCIA
Special to The Japan Times
HOLLYWOOD — "My next movie is a sequel to the one I did where I play a guy trapped inside a video game," says Jeff Bridges, veteran of over 60 films.

The film he's referring to is "TRON: Legacy," a sequel to "TRON," from 1982.

"It was kind of weird doing this, because it's some 28 years after the fact. When I did the first one, I was young. Now look what's happened," he snickers.

Bridges, son of TV and film star Lloyd Bridges and younger brother of actor Beau Bridges, is now 60. He is also the belated winner of an Academy Award for Best Actor, having received the prize earlier this year for his role as country and Western singer Bad Blake in "Crazy Heart." It was Bridges' fifth nomination.

He got his first shot at an Oscar when he was age 22 for "The Last Picture Show" (1971). "I couldn't believe I'd been nominated. I sort of asked some people, 'What for? Why did they nominate me?'

"There were some big hitters in that movie. Some got nominated, and I think one of them won. . . . Am I right, man? Sorry."

Bridges chuckles, explaining that although he admires his more talented peers, he's not "real heavy into awards and keeping track of who's won, who's been nominated, who hasn't been nominated, and etc." (Cloris Leachman won a Best Supporting Actress Award for "The Last Picture Show.")

Bridges continues, "When I made 'TRON,' the idea of being stuck in a video game was pretty wild. It was total fiction. But today, it seems like a lot of kids are stuck inside computers. I have one grandkid who . . . well, anyway, if I had to get trapped inside something, I'd rather it be a guitar or even a temporary marijuana haze than in a video game, and certainly not in a computer."

There were those who felt Bridges was endangering his chances of award recognition by mentioning in press and even TV interviews that "from time to time" he likes "to smoke a joint."

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'Mean Girls' sequel confirmed

A sequel to Lindsay Lohan's 2004 comedy Mean Girls has been confirmed.

A press release advertising for extras revealed that Mean Girls 2 will be directed by the Emmy-Award-winning Melanie Mayron.

A synopsis for the Paramount Famous Productions movie suggested that the update will not include any of the original cast which included Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams.

"The story revolves around a new high school student, Jo, who agrees to befriend an outcast, Abby, at the urging of Abby's wealthy father in exchange for paying all of Jo's costs for the college of her dreams. Jo and Abby team up to take on the school's mean girls, the Plastics," the press release said.

"The story becomes a high stakes battle of loyalty that ultimately comes to a head when one of our heroines finds out that her friendship has been bought and paid for."

The stars of the new movie, which will begin shooting in Atlanta next month, have yet to be announced.

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Angelina Jolie confirmed for 'Cleopatra'

Angelina Jolie has signed a deal to appear as Cleopatra in an upcoming film based on a historical biography of the ancient Egyptian.

Producer Scott Rudin recently acquired the screen rights of Stacy Schiff's Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life and had his eye on Jolie for the lead role, reports US Weekly.

"Angelina Jolie radiates grace and power, exactly the qualities that Stacy Schiff finds in her biography of the most intriguing ruler who ever lived," said Michael Pietsch of Little, Brown, the book's publishing company.

The author previously gave her approval of the casting, saying that Jolie has "the perfect look" for the part.

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Reilly 'will turn violent' for film role

John C Reilly has revealed just how determined he is to land the lead role in Guy's Ritchie proposed remake of big screen musical Guys and Dolls.

The Step Brothers funnyman joked that physical violence awaited his rivals for the part of Nathan Detroit, played by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 original.

"I will scratch the eyes out of anyone who tries to get between me and Nathan Detroit, I swear to God!" he told WENN.

"That movie is like the holy grail. I would love to do it. I guess the rights are somewhat complicated, from what I heard, but, boy, that would be a great one to do."

Stars rumoured to be appearing in the upcoming movie include Jessica Biel, who appeared in a recent Los Angeles production of the musical, and her partner Justin Timberlake, who previously agreed to work with Ritchie on an upcoming project.

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By KAORI SHOJI
Laurent Cantet's films are highly detailed, meticulously observed and they almost always take place in work situations.


Laurent Cantet
His 2000 film, "Human Resources," for example, had been about a young, earnest manager at odds with his factory's labor force. Cantet's latest, "Entre les murs," (winner of the 2008 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival) also portrays the rift between inspired ideas and actual execution, and the personal risk involved in workplace idealism, this time set in a school.

It seems that Cantet's interference on the set was minimal. He let the force of his nonprofessional actors carry the story, partly because he knew the film needed it, and partly because of the supreme confidence he had in cowriter and lead actor Francois Begaudeau, who plays the class teacher.

"Of everyone in the film, Francois is most naturally like himself. His personality anchors the story, even when all around him, chaos reigns," says Cantet.

A self-professed "watcher of human beings," Cantet loves to step back and just look at people and then let his observations seep into his stories.

"I'm always asking my cast to act less, and be a little more boring and therefore real!" he says.

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'Batman 3' filming date revealed?

Christopher Nolan will begin filming Batman 3 next March, according to a US journalist.

Los Angeles Times reporter Geoff Bucher revealed that he would be probing the Inception director about the follow-up to 2008's The Dark Knight at the Hero Complex Film Festival this weekend, and seemingly confirmed when shooting on the much-anticipated sequel would commence.

Bucher wrote on his blog: "The future looks fascinating for this 39-year-old auteur, and I plan to ask him about the third Batman film, which starts shooting in March."

Warner Brothers recently announced that the third instalment of Nolan's Batman franchise will be released on July 20, 2012, almost four years after The Dark Knight broke box office records.

Nolan has confirmed that the role of the Joker will not be recast following the death of Heath Ledger.

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Taraji P Henson: 'Jaden Smith did it all'

Taraji P Henson has praised Jaden Smith's performance in The Karate Kid.

The Oscar-nominated actress, who appears as Smith's mother in the remake of the 1984 cult film, has insisted that the 11-year-old worked diligently to master kung fu skills for the movie.

The 39-year-old told Vibe: "I play a single mother from Detroit who loses her job, and she’s the only one in the [auto factory] who gets offered a job in Beijing. She gotta pay her bills. So she takes her son [Dre, played by Jaden] and moves to this foreign land. The original Karate Kid was more fantasy. This really plays up what it’s like to be bullied. It really shows what happens to a child’s psyche when they’re afraid to go to school, [like] they lose their appetite. It deals with that on a deeper, more realistic level."

She continued: "Jaden trained with Jackie Chan [who plays Mr Han] and kung fu trainers every day. He did a lot of the [physical work] on his own, running up and down the steps of the Great Wall. There are a lot of very intense fight scenes. And there’s a scene where he did a split on a pole on top of a [tall] building. He did it all. He wanted it to look real."

Henson added: "I’m glad we have a black karate kid because our kids need to see that. Just imagine this character and what he can accomplish now in life. He’s gone to China and had this experience, he’s unstoppable. The message is get out of your zip code. There’s a big world out there for you. If you stay true to yourself, you can go to China and become a kung fu master if you want to."

The Karate Kid is currently playing in the US and is released in the UK on July 16.

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Reilly: 'Aniston sex scene was awkward'

John C Reilly has revealed that co-star Jennifer Aniston felt uneasy during the filming of their sex scene in The Good Girl.

The actor, who played Aniston's husband in the 2002 dramedy, has admitted that he ended up feeling humiliated due to the actress's demands to avoid contact during the intimate scene, reports Contactmusic.

Reilly said: "It's all dark and she's a little tense 'cause a sex scene is going to happen. So I get there and she's under the covers and I'm like, 'OK, I guess they just want me to get in position here'. So I climb into the bed, she opens up the sheet and I swear, she had two pairs of sweatpants on, winter socks, a long-sleeved t-shirt. Her body is basically like a burqa from the neck down.

"And I go, 'OK, I guess I'll just get on top of you now', and she's like, 'Can I get the chastity pillow please?' I'm like what the hell is a chastity pillow? And they bring out this big black pillow that she puts between her legs. And from that moment on, I went from Robert Palmer to the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. 'I'm sorry, I guess I'll just hump the pillow!'"

Reilly recently revealed that he is determined to land the lead role in Guy Ritchie's proposed remake of Guys and Dolls.

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Biel: 'Nice being only girl on A-Team'

Jessica Biel has admitted that it felt "nice" being the only girl in The A-Team cast.

The actress has revealed that at first it was "nerve-racking" to be the sole female in an all male cast, but she quickly learned to be herself around co-stars Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson.

In an interview with Total Film, the 28-year-old said: "It's always nerve-racking to come onto a new movie, and especially if it's full of guys. You feel a little bit like, 'Heeeeey, what's going on? It's okay. You can say your fart jokes'. But it was kind of nice, being one of the only girls."

Despite enjoying her experience filming the movie, she insisted she needed a testosterone break, adding: "There were days when it was just man joke after man joke, sports and beer. At that point, you think, 'Alright guys, I'm going to do a yoga class see you tomorrow'."

Biel recently revealed that she shares qualities with her character.

The A-Team is currently playing in US cinemas and arrives in the UK on July 30.

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Model Gemma Ward cast in 'Pirates 4'

Australian supermodel Gemma Ward has boarded the cast of Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

According to The Courier Mail, the 22-year-old will play a mermaid in the blockbuster and shoot her scenes in Hawaii this August.

Ward's acting credits include The Black Balloon and horror movie The Strangers.

The latest Pirates film will begin filming this week under the direction of Chicago helmer Rob Marshall. Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush are returning to the cast, joined by franchise newcomers Penelope Cruz, Stephen Graham, Sam Claflin and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey

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