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Activision unveils new 'Transformers' game



Activision has revealed that it is working on a video game adaptation of the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie.

Revenge Of The Fallen will be released for the 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS and PSP and will see five individual companies handle development duties for the different versions.

The game will allow players to control both Autobots and Decepticons in locations from the movie such as Cairo and Shanghai.

Activision Blizzard’s Rob Kostich also revealed that Revenge Of The Fallen will be the first Transformers title to be playable online.

"We are thrilled to announce that after experiencing the rush of commanding colossal robots on their own, players can challenge their friends for the first time ever in full-featured, blistering multiplayer action as their favourite character," he said.

Dreamworks and Paramount's Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen will be released this summer, with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox reprising their roles as Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes.

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James Whitmore dies, aged 87

James Whitmore has died from lung cancer at the age of 87.

The veteran US actor was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Harry Truman in the 1975 film Give 'Em Hell Harry!.

Famed for his one-man shows and his career as a character actor, Whitmore's last major role was that of librarian Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption.

Other film roles included that of the head of the simian assembly in the original Planet Of The Apes.

Whitmore was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2008 and died yesterday at his home in Malibu, California.

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'Punisher' game given spring release



ZEN Studios has announced a spring 2009 release window for its downloadable PS3 shooter Punisher: No Mercy.

It was originally thought that the first-person shooter would arrive alongside recent film release Punisher: War Zone, but a tie-in with the DVD launch on March 17 could still be a possibility.

The title was designed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, the same technology behind Gears Of War and Hours Of Victory. A host of villains from the original comics, including Jigsaw, Silver Sable, Bushwhacker and Barracuda, will appear in the game.

Although the Budapest-based ZEN Studios has no prior experience with first-person shooters. it has handled licensed games before, such as its Rocky & Bullwinkle title for Xbox 360.

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Lynch dialogue features in short film



Cult filmmaker David Lynch has featured in a short film from Brazilian writer and director Davi De Oliveira Pinheiro.

The Twin Peaks creator's voice has been edited into a short called The Soul Detective, the fifth and final episode of the Boundaries Of Thought: Think Tank web series.

De Oliveira Pinheiro said: "The interview was not made to be a piece of cinéma vérité (cinema of truth), but as a sound and vision experiment, to see how an opinion can become a fiction completely different from its original intent."

He added that the short film uses free association and was structured over atmosphere and instinct.

The Soul Detective is a nine-minute film which finds a detective using telepathic powers to enter the mind of a recently-dead man before his memories disappear.

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'Wanted' game gets all-star voice cast



A number of Hollywood actors will play voice-over parts in the upcoming film tie-in Wanted: Weapons Of Fate.

Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and actor Common (American Gangster, Smokin' Aces), Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Transsiberian), Spanish star Paz Vega (Spanglish, The Spirit) and Terence Stamp (Superman II, Yes Man) will all voice characters in the game.

Kretschmann and Stamp will reprise their film roles, while Common will play an arms dealer and Vega a seductive Spanish assassin. Peter Stormare (Constantine, Nacho Libre) will also appear in the game, voicing The Immortal, the leader of a French society of assassins.

Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is scheduled for a March release for PS3, PC and Xbox 360.

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Stars prepare for London BAFTAs



Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep are among the stars due to grace the red carpet at tonight's BAFTAs in London.

Mickey Rourke, Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet are also among the list of confirmed guests, reports PA.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire lead the BAFTA nominations, with 11 nods apiece.

The award ceremony, hosted by Jonathan Ross, takes place at London's Royal Opera House. Daniel Craig, Emma Watson and Goldie Hawn are expected to present awards at the ceremony, as are Michael Sheen, Sharon Stone and Patrick Stewart.

The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC Two from 8pm before switching to BBC One for the final hour at 9pm.

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Rourke to play hitman in 'St. Vincent'



Mickey Rourke has reportedly signed to play the lead role in Walter Hill's forthcoming thriller St. Vincent.

The 56-year-old made his long-awaited big screen comeback with his portrayal of faded star Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.

Rourke's performance won him a Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

According to Variety, the New Yorker will play an assassin who returns to the Big Apple to complete a botched hit in St. Vincent, which is slated to begin shooting later this year.

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Gere's 'Hunting Party' hailed for realism



Former war reporter Martin Bell has praised Richard Gere's movie The Hunting Party for its realism.

The film revolves around a group of journalists as they attempt to capture a war criminal known as The Fox in Bosnia.

Bell praised the movie, which also stars Terrence Howard and Diane Kruger, for its realistic portrayal of the Balkans conflict.

The 70-year-old told ITN: "I've walked out of nearly every movie about any war I've ever reported on, including Apocalypse Now, which was Vietnam.

"But I sat through this and I was really interested. It brought it all back to me in a way that I hadn't seen in a war movie before."

The Richard Shepard-helmed film was released in 2007 and received its premiere at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.

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'Into You' heads US box office



Jennifer Aniston's He's Just Not That Into You has topped the US box office on its first weekend on release.

The ensemble comedy's $27 million haul was enough to hold off competition from Liam Neeson's Taken, which slips to number two.

The box office also sees new entries from Henry Selick's 3-D stop motion Coraline at three, Steve Martin comedy sequel The Pink Panther 2 at four, and superhero drama Push in sixth place.

The US top ten in full:

1. (-) He's Just Not That Into You - $27,465,000
2. (1) Taken - $20,300,000
3. (-) Coraline - $16,335,000
4. (-) The Pink Panther 2 - $12,000,000
5. (2) Paul Blart: Mall Cop
6. (-) Push
7. (5) Gran Torino
8. (6) Slumdog Millionaire
9. (3) The Uninvited
10. (4) Hotel For Dogs

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Mangold to helm legal thriller



James Mangold will direct an untitled legal thriller for Bold Films, according to Variety.

The story revolves around two lawyers who take on one of the world's largest oil companies by representing the families of workers killed when an oil rig sinks in the South China Sea.

Grind producer Casey La Scala has penned the script alongside actor-turned-writer Sasha Jenson.

No cast or production dates have been announced yet.

Mangold previously directed Walk The Line and 3:10 To Yuma.

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Blanchett for 'Nottingham' Maid Marian?



Mark Strong has hinted that Cate Blanchett will star as Maid Marian in Ridley Scott's Nottingham.

Strong, who has signed up to play Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the production, revealed the casting news at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards.

"I think Cate Blanchett is set to take the Maid Marian part," he told The Telegraph. "She is a wonderful actress and it would make it a much classier film if she was in it."

Sienna Miller, who was originally going to play Marian, quit the heavily-delayed project earlier this year amid rumours that she fell out with Russell Crowe, who is playing both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Nottingham is scheduled to begin shooting in March.

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Ratner to helm 'Youngblood' adaptation



Brett Ratner has closed a deal with Reliance Big Entertainment to direct an adaptation of Rob Liefeld's comic Youngblood.

The flagship book for Image Comics, Youngblood centres on a team of superheroes who are sanctioned and overseen by the government. Indian firm Reliance paid six figures to secure the movie rights.

Speaking to Variety, Ratner described Youngblood as one of the best comic books that has not been turned into a feature film.

"Most of the great graphic novels are gone, and Youngblood is one of the few comic books left with tentpole potential," he said.

"It was a real personal passion project for me, and a lot of people wanted [it], but the amazing thing about the guys at Reliance is the speed with which they're able to move."

Ratner has previously directed X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour movies.

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Besson to remake French hit 'Tell No One'



Luc Besson's production company is close to a deal to remake the French thriller Tell No One.

According to Variety, EuropaCorp, the firm Besson runs with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, is nearing an agreement with two major US studios to have an English-language remake in production by the end of the year.

Tell No One, which was adapted from Harlan Coben's novel by French filmmaker Guillaume Canet in 2006, stars François Cluzet as a doctor who discovers that his wife, thought to be murdered eight years ago, may still be alive.

The movie grossed more than $17 million in its first month on release in France and recently crossed the $6 million mark in the US. Tell No One was also a hit when it was released in the UK in summer 2007.

EuropaCorp is also in negotiations with a US studio to remake action movie District B13, about a cop and ex-crook attempting to diffuse a neutron bomb in Paris.

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Watson 'nervous' about Potter kiss



Emma Watson has admitted that she is feeling nervous about her upcoming screen kiss with Harry Potter co-star Rupert Grint.

The British actress, who stars as Hermione Granger in the hit movies, will have to lock lips with Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

"Well I've never had to do it before so I can't say I have any techniques. I've never had to kiss anyone on screen so it is all new to me," she told the Daily Telegraph at last night's BAFTA awards.

"Of course I am nervous about it. But, apparently it gets quite boring after a couple of takes, that's what Dan [Radcliffe] said to me anyway."

Last month, Grint revealed that he was also dreading the impending kiss, saying: "As I've known Emma for so long, I reckon it will be ten times worse."

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'Underworld' scribes adapt 'ZMD' comic

Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans scribes Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain have been hired to adapt Red 5's comic ZMD: Zombies Of Mass Destruction for Benderspink.

The story revolves around a group of elite soliders who are sent to a hostile territory in the Middle East, where they encounter a government-created army of zombies, claims The Hollywood Reporter.

Benderspink's Jake Weiner and Josh Feldman will oversee the project, based on the original comic by Underworld creator Kevin Grevioux.

Blackman and McCain previously worked together on 2008's Outlander.

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Terry Gilliam: 'Ledger was a genius'



Terry Gilliam has described the late Heath Ledger as a "genius" who deserved greater recognition when he was alive.

The director was speaking after being named the winner of the Academy Fellowship at last night's BAFTA ceremony.

Gilliam said: "It would have been nice if Heath had won more awards when he was alive.

"Heath was a genius, I think there was nothing he could not do."

He added that despite the praise given to the star's performances, people could not imagine how good he would have been in the future.

Ledger, who won a posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor for his part in The Dark Knight, died during the filming of Gilliam's upcoming movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Gilliam has previously described Ledger as "fearless" and the "best actor of his generation".

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Cyrus to preview new film at White House



Miley Cyrus has been invited to preview her new movie at the White House.

Speaking to The Insider, the teenager revealed that she had been asked to stage a special screening of Hannah Montana: The Movie for President Obama's two young daughters.

When asked how the invite had arisen, she replied: "When I was doing the inauguration obviously. They want me to come show them my new movie so hopefully I would like to do that."

Discussing the opportunity to visit the White House, she said: "[It's] totally cool, so I'm stoked."

Hannah Montana: The Movie will be released in the UK on May 1.

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'Pride And Prejudice' takes on zombies



Jane Austen's celebrated novel Pride And Prejudice is to be reworked as a zombie movie, reports The Sunday Times.

Hollywood studios are reportedly bidding for the opportunity to adapt Seth Grahame-Smith's forthcoming parody novel Pride And Prejudice And Zombies into a major motion picture.

"It quickly became obvious that Jane [Austen] had laid down the blueprint for a zombie novel," said Grahame-Smith.

"Why else in the original should a regiment arrive on Lizzie Bennet’s doorstep when they should have been off fighting Napoleon? It was to protect the family from an invasion of brain-eaters, obviously.”

The storyline sees the five Bennet sisters recast as zombie slayers, with Mr. Darcy taking on the role of a ninja expert as they battle against a force of cannabalistic predators.

"About 85% is the original Jane Austen text," said Grahame-Smith. "I hated her when I was forced to read Austen in school, but when I started rereading I realised she was a brutal, but very funny, satirist. I can only aspire to be as mean-spirited as she could be."

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies will be published through Quirk Books in April.

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Dench eager for Q, Moneypenny return



Judi Dench has called for former James Bond regulars Q and Moneypenny to return to the series.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the actress joined Daniel Craig in asking producers to bring the characters, franchise staples until 2006's Casino Royale, back into the Bond adventures.

"That would be good if it was thought right to bring back those characters," she remarked, adding that she would like to see Samantha Bond and John Cleese reprise their roles as MI6's secretary and gadget expert respectively.

Bond played Moneypenny during Pierce Brosnan's 007 reign, following Caroline Bliss and Lois Maxwell in the role. Cleese succeeded Desmond Llewelyn as Q in 2002's Die Another Day.

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Rourke makes racy BAFTA speech



Mickey Rourke's acceptance speech for his Best Actor BAFTA reportedly raised a few eyebrows at Sunday's awards ceremony.

Rourke credited The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky for rescuing his reputation by giving him the role of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson.

Rourke said: "Darren Aronofsky gave me a second chance after I f**ked up my career for 15 years.

"I want to thank my publicist Paula for having the hardest job in showbiz - telling me where to go, what to do, when to do it. What to eat, what to dress, what to f**k. It's such a pleasure to be here and back out of the darkness.

"Marisa Tomei for putting up with me - she's a hell of a talent and was very brave for taking her clothes off all the time. I enjoyed looking at her!"

Rourke dedicated the win to the late actor and his "great friend" Richard Harris, who died of cancer in 2002.

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