News Archive

Katy Perry to star in 3D concert film?

Anything Justin Bieber can do, Katy Perry can, well, emulate. The I Kissed A Girl singer will be hitting cinema screens this summer as the star of a 3D concert movie. According to Deadline, director Nanette Bernstein has already shot the film - Imagine Entertainment and AEG filmed Perry as she performed late last year with 3D cameras.

Following in the footsteps of Paramount's Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the studio appears to be the frontrunner to land the job of distributing the film which will combine concert footage with the story of her rise to global stardom. The film is scheduled for release in gloriously predictable 3D in June or July.

Ridley Scott enters talks for McCarthy's Counsellor

Well, what do you know: Ridley Scott has jumped at the opportunity to helm Cormac McCarthy's first original film script, The Counsellor. Deadline reports that the Gladiator director has entered talks to direct the film.

McCarthy's script follows a respected lawyer who gets sucked into a world of criminality after dabbling in the drugs trade. Of course, Scott has the small issue of releasing Prometheus to contend with first, while a Gertrude Bell biopic and Child 44 are still on his radar. But with Scott the first director attached to The Counsellor, expect others to throw their hats into the ring too.

Emma Watson to hear Your Voice In My Head?

She may have left Hermione and Hogwarts behind, but Emma Watson could be teaming up again with Harry Potter director David Yates for his upcoming film, Your Voice In My Head. Yates, who so successfully brought the last four Potter films to the screen, has been in discussions with his former leading lady to star in his adaptation of Emma Forrest's book.

According to Deadline, Watson could play the lead role of a young woman whose suicide attempt is thwarted by a cancer-stricken psychiatrist. Studio Warner Bros is hopeful that the role of the psychiatrist will be taken up by an actor of the calibre of Tom Hanks or George Clooney. Meanwhile, though Yates is set to direct Voice as his first post-Potter project, his name is still linked to helming a potential Doctor Who film.

Pacino will be a Stand Up Guy

He may be single-handedly attempting to shred his credibility this week by starring in Jack And Jill, but Al Pacino has his sights set on another comedy: Stand Up Guys. The Hollywood Reporter informs us that Pacino, Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken will star together in the film that was formerly titled Old Timers.

The film tells the story of an ageing criminal who is considering taking a job where he must kill one of his fellow crooked pals. The two friends reunite for one final night of mayhem-filled fun, including a brothel and a police chase, while also working out those great big questions about life. It isn't clear yet which of the roles the three actors will take, but Fisher Stevens will be the man behind the camera for this one.

Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall sign on for international thriller

Awkwardness between ex-lovers is to be expected, but imagine if that tension were present during a terrorist trial. That's what Focus Features and Working Title Films' new international suspense thriller will be asking of audiences in their untitled film starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall.

Director John Crowley (Boy A) is set to begin shooting in April in the UK from a script by Steven Knight. The Hollywood Reporter informs us that the story will follow a pair of ex-lovers who find their lives at risk when they end up working together on a terrorism trial. Bana has been relatively quiet of late, although he did do dome sterling work in Hanna last year, while Hall was last seen in The Awakening and will pop up again later this year in Stephen Frears' Lay The Favourite.

Insidious 2 is on the way

When a film made on a meagre budget becomes outstandingly successful at the box office then you can bet your Hollywood studio socks that a sequel will be in the works faster than you can say Clerks II. So it is that a follow-up to last year's supernatural horror Insidious has been announced with original directors James Wan and Leigh Wannell in talks to return.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the sequel will begin shooting this year for a 2013 release, but Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson, the two leads from the first film, are yet to sign on. Meanwhile, Bloody Disgusting has the following statement from Whannell: "Insidious was the most fun project I've ever worked on," he says. "From start to finish it was an absolute joy... James and I both feel that we can mine more terror from the world we created and know that if we assemble every member of the original team, we will have an amazing continuation of the story for fans of the first film. See you in The Further."

Avengers in love story?

Can you imagine The Hulk and Black Widow getting it on? Well fear not, for this is not a plot spoiler for that upcoming slice of awesomeness that is The Avengers, but rather a nice romantic film entitled Can A Song Save Your Life?

Scarlett Johansson, who is soon to hit the screens in We Bought A Zoo and that small scale Marvel film, will play a struggling musician who is dumped by her boyfriend and heads to NYC to launch her career. Fortunately though, there is an unlucky music producer, namely Mark Ruffalo, of The Kids Are All Right fame, who is on hand to give her a leg up while slowly falling in love with her. One, two, three: ahhhh...

Chronicle superpowers its way to the top

Super hero flick Chronicle used every power at its disposal to see off supernatural shocker The Woman In Black to bag itself the top spot in the US Box Office. The high school superhero tale took over $22million, just edging out the British ghost chiller by $1million.

The new entries saw Liam Neeson and his wolfish antics in The Grey fall down to three, while another animal extravangza, Big Miracle, beached at four.

Elsewhere Kate Beckinsale was slipping into the darkness with Underworld: Awakening down to five, while One For The Money and Red Tails were at sixes and sevens.

Gorgeous George was continuing his renaissance for The Descendants at eight, while Man On A Ledge was perilously close to dropping out of the chart at nine, and Extremely Loud and Incredible Close had less to shout about at ten.

Harrison back for Blade Runner?

Now take a deep breath, but apparently Harrison Ford is in talks to reprise his role as the legendary Rick Deckard in a follow up to the classic Blade Runner - or so claim Twitch Film.

It would certainly be a surprise if the Indy star was cast, after producer Andrew Kosove stated last year: "In no way do I speak for Ridley Scott, but if you're asking me will this movie have anything to do with Harrison Ford, the answer is no.

"This is a total reinvention. In my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting."

Speculation suggests that Ridley Scott, who helmed the original and is currently working on Alien-related movie Prometheus, is looking to film a sequel rather than a reboot or prequel. Either way, we can't wait!

Chronicle flies to UK No.1

Telekinesis may give you the ability to play car park pranks and frighten children, but it can also be a pretty big box office draw. That's what the team behind Chronicle have discovered as the film about a trio of teenagers with superpowers flew to the top of the UK chart at the weekend. Earning a hefty £2.19 million, Chronicle beat Dwayne Johnson and co in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island at two, while George Clooney's The Descendants descended to three. War Horse finally gave up the race to fall to four, and Adam Sandler in a girdle was only just disturbing enough to gain a top five slot for Jack And Jill.

Man On A Ledge inched its way to a sixth-placed debut; The Grey howled after dropping four places to seven; while A Monster In Paris is still terrorising the chart and the French capital at eight. Oscar contender The Artist slipped silently to nine with Carnage propping up the chart at ten.

Blade Runner producer denies Ford return

It sounded too good to be true - and it turns out, it was! Blade Runner sequel producer Andrew Kosove has reacted to rumours that Harrison Ford was in talks to star in the film by publicly denying that any meeting has taken place. Oh well.

"It is absolutely patently false that there has been any discussion about Harrison Ford being in Blade Runner," Kosove told Deadline. "To be clear, what we are trying to do with Ridley now is go through the painstaking process of trying to break the back of the story, figure out the direction we're going to take the movie and find a writer to work on it. The casting of the movie could not be further from our minds at this moment."

However, just to keep those dying embers of a Rick Deckard return alive, Kosove then went on to concede that Ford could still appear. "In advance of knowing what we're going to do, I suppose you could say yes, [Ford] could [return]," Kosove admits. "But I think it is quite unlikely."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directing debut to star Scarlett Johansson

It's no secret that we're big fans of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in our office; in fact, if there were room next to our Zac Efron calendar then we'd definitely have some kind of JGL memento there too. Anyway, we've been given even more reason to admire the 50/50 star as it's been confirmed that he will be directing his first film.

Gordon-Levitt has also written and will star in the untitled comedy alongside Scarlett Johansson. Speaking to Deadline, the 30-year-old said: "I wrote myself a helluva role, one that people wouldn't necessarily thought of me for." He admitted he will be playing a "selfish di*k", but wouldn't be drawn on any further plot details.

Talking about his desire to get behind the camera, Gordon-Levitt said: ""I was a child actor for years and quit at 19, went to school a while, and a big part of why I came back was that I ultimately wanted to make movies," he explained. "I spent a year working with Chris Nolan, Rian Johnson, Steven Spielberg, and I did my best to pay attention. I've also been making short films for a long time now, I've directed a ton of them, and that is a huge part of why I feel comfortable and confident in this."

However, his own directing commitments may prevent JGL from taking up his small part in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. "It will be tricky schedule-wise, but I was honest with Quentin upfront. He was so cool and encouraging. He said, 'You strike me as the kind of guy who would want to direct,' and I took that as high praise."

Wahlberg and Washington to shoot it out in 2 Guns?

After teaming up with Justin Beiber for an upcoming film, Mark Wahlberg could be about to partner himself with a far more 'suitable' co-star for future project 2 Guns: Denzel Washington. The Oscar-winner is in talks to star with Wahlberg in an adaptation of the graphic novel.

Deadline reports that Steven Grant's Boom! Studios is backing the film, which follows the story of a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer investigating each other for stealing mob money. Contraband director Baltasar Kormákur will be the man directing after David O. Russell dropped out. Denzel fans will be next able to catch sight of their man in Safe House, which opens on these shores on February 24th.

Billy Connolly joins The Hobbit

As if Peter Jackson's duo of Hobbit films didn't have enough dwarves already, Billy Connolly has thrown his hat into the (lord of the) ring. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Connolly will play Dain Ironfoot, cousin to Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield, and one of the most fearsome warriors in dwarvish history.

Jackson has proclaimed that with the addition of the Scotsman he now has all his cast members in place. "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot," said Jackson, "the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield!"

As if you didn't know already, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens on 14 December 2012.

Arnie confirmed to enter Tomb with Sly

If you enjoyed the three and half minutes of screen time that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone shared in The Expendables, then prepare for a hootenanny of action fun as the pair has re-teamed for Mikael Hafstrom's The Tomb.

Coming Soon confirmed that the rumours swirling around earlier are true; Sly will play the world's greatest high-tech prison designer who is forced to escape from a prison he designed, while Arnie will play a sage old-timer in the prison doling out advice like Murray mints.

"I am thrilled to be making The Tomb with these two film icons," said producer Mark Canton. "It is the perfect pairing for this high octane thriller. We have been working long and hard to bring them together for this dynamic project." The Tomb will start shooting in Spring, but fans can get their fix of sexagenarian skirmishes when Arnie and Sly appear together in The Expendables 2, released August 17.

Naomi Watts will play Princess Diana

British female icons are all the rage right now! With Margaret Thatcher getting the big screen treatment last month, next up is Princess Diana, as portrayed by Naomi Watts in Caught In Flight. The Australian actress pipped Jessica Chastain to the role after there had been reports linking her to the part.

Downfall's Oliver Hirschbiegel is the man directing the film, which will focus on the final two years of Diana's life. Watts said of her casting, "It is such an honour to be able to play this iconic role - Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on-screen."

Hirschbiegel added: "I am delighted to have such a truly exceptional actress who embodies the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon as Princess Diana."

Morgan Freeman enters Oblivion with Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise, along with the rest of Hollywood, may still be uncertain that his new film will definitely be called Oblivion, but one thing we can confirm is that it will star Morgan Freeman. Deadline reports that 'The Voice' has signed on to appear alongside Cruise in the sci-fi drama directed by Joseph Kosinski.

The story follows Cruise as a man repairing drone ships on a post-apocalyptic Earth who meets a mysterious woman (Andrea Riseborough). As he tries to help her his worldview is changed, affecting his life and relationship with his lover (Olga Kurylenko). Freeman's role is yet to be specified, but shooting will begin next month, in preparation for a July 2013 release. Meanwhile, we'll next see Freeman reprise the role of Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Rises this summer.

The Vow keeps its promise by topping US Box Office

American cinemagoers said "I do" in droves to The Vow this weekend, taking it to the top of the US Box Office in its opening week. The romantic weepy starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams earned a mighty $41.7 million, edging out Denzel Washington and his Safe House at number two with $39.3 million. Dwayne Johnson and his young stars took Journey 2 to number three, while a three-dimensional Jar Jar Binks wasn't enough to deter Star Wars fans from sending The Phantom Menace in 3D to four. Last week's number one, Chronicle, parachuted down to five.

The Woman In Black was looking decidedly less scary in the cold light of sixth place; The Grey maintained our not-so-colourful theme at seven; and Big Miracle had a whale of a time at eight. The Descendants climbed down the family tree to nine, while Underworld Awakening prepared to be put to sleep at ten.

The Artist leaves rivals speechless with seven BAFTAs

The Artist's bandwagon rolls on (and gets heavier with awards) as the black and white silent movie won seven trophies at the Orange BAFTA Film Awards last night. Best Film, Actor and Director were among the film's haul, while Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Help and The Iron Lady took two gongs each, including Best Actress for Meryl Streep who lost a shoe on her walk up to the stage, but gained a kiss from Colin Firth who came to her rescue.

See below for a full list of the winners:

Film: The Artist

Actor: Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Actress: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Director: Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Supporting actress: Octavia Spencer - The Help

Supporting actor: Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Animated film: Rango

Documentary: Senna

Outstanding British film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Film not in the English language: The Skin I Live In

Outstanding debut: Tyrannosaur

Adapted screenplay: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan

Original screenplay: The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Production design: Hugo - Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo

Cinematography: The Artist - Guillaume Schiffman

Makeup and hair: The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan

Costume design: The Artist - Mark Bridges

Editing: Senna - Gregers Sall and Chris King

Sound: Hugo - Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley

Original score: The Artist - Ludovic Bource

Rising star award: Adam Deacon

Academy fellowship: Martin Scorsese

Outstanding contribution to British cinema: John Hurt

Special visual effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler and David Vickery

Short animation: A Morning Stroll - Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

Short film: Pitch Black Heist - John Maclean and Geraldine O'Flynn

Bay signs on for Transformers 4

Expect plenty more Bayhem (sigh) as the dean of destruction, the commander of carnage, the earl of explosions will be returning to direct a fourth Transformers film. Yes, it has been revealed that Michael Bay is locked in to direct at least one more film of the robot ruckus franchise. According to Variety, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura let it slip to MTV that Paramount has signed Bay on for another film.

He also revealed a few details about what we should expect from Transformers 4. "I think we really are going to do a reboot there," Di Bonaventura says. "But what that's going to be, we don't even know yet… We've got to get a story first." The cast is also yet to be confirmed, while Shia LaBeouf is unlikely to return. "It's a hybrid because there's still continuity going on, and there will be a lot of new cast," he said. "Whether there's anybody from the first cast, we don't even know yet. But it's going to be a whole new story."

Radcliffe's Woman In Black casts shadow over UK Box Office

Daniel Radcliffe made a confident start to life after Hogwarts as his first post-Potter role in The Woman In Black earned him the number one slot at the UK Box Office. Pocketing over £3 million, the horror brushed aside the challenge of the resurgent Muppets at two, with Star Wars: Episode 1's three dimensions could only yield a third place debut. The Valentine's Day effect came too early for The Vow at four, while Chronicle fell from the summit to crash land at five.

Journey 2 made a voyage down to six; The Descendants clambered down to seven; and War Horse could almost see the finish line at eight. A double dose of Adam Sandler in Jack & Jill couldn't prevent its slide to nine, while Man On A Ledge teetered on the brink at ten

Dominic Cooper travels to Cities to replace Clive Owen

Trading in for a younger model - we've all done it, and now, it seems Hollywood is doing it too. Variety reports that British leading man Clive Owen has been replaced in director Roger Donaldson's international thriller by Dominic Cooper who is 14 years his junior.

Owen was forced to drop out due to scheduling problems, while Cooper will join a cast that already includes Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst and Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor. The film will have a multi-narrative storyline following people from all over the world before the recent financial crisis hit. Before seeing him in this ensemble piece, Cooper fans will be able to catch their man in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Cage could have been Carrey's sidekick in Dumb & Dumber

Although Jeff Daniels did a fine job playing Harry opposite Jim Carrey's Lloyd in the Farrelly brothers' hit comedy Dumb & Dumber, we can't help wondering what the film would have been like if Nicolas Cage was the one with his tongue stuck to an icy pole….

Cage revealed to the Huffington Post that he and Carrey - who used to be good friends before they "fell out of conversation" - could have been the goofy pair in the film. "Well, we talked at length about trying to do a movie together. In fact, he wanted me to be in Dumb & Dumber with him. And then I wanted to do a much smaller movie instead called Leaving Las Vegas."

Well, that much smaller movie went on to earn Cage his only Oscar, although he has no plans to try to win another. "It isn't important to me," he admitted. "In fact, I think that if you go about making movies to win Oscars, you're really going about it the wrong way. I think that it's ... right now, what I'm excited about is trying to create a [pauses] kind of a cultural understanding through my muse that is part of the zeitgeist that isn't motivated by vanity or magazine covers or awards. It's more, not countercultural, but counter-critical. I would like to find a way to embrace what Led Zeppelin did, in filmmaking." Like Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance, for example?

Forest Whitaker to play Desmond Tutu

It seems that Forest Whitaker has a knack of playing real people - even if they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. His portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin earned him an Oscar and he will be hoping to repeat the trick when he plays the altogether more beloved Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Roland Joffe's The Archbishop And The Antichrist.

Screen Daily reports that Whitaker has signed on for Joffe's film, which will be an adaptation of Michael Ashton's play, placing Tutu in a fictional tale about him meeting a bigoted South African mass murderer named Piet Blomfeld who claims he's seeking redemption. The story is set during Tutu's work with the South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation hearings. Before Joffe sets to work on that project, however, he still has sci-fi romantic drama Singularity with Josh Hartnett and Neve Campbell to get off the ground.

Roberts and Streep pair up for August: Osage County

Oscar-winning ladies, unite! Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts have officially signed to play matriarch Violet Weston and oldest daughter Barbara Fordham in Harvey Weinstein's adaptation of Pulitzer and Tony-winning play August: Osage County. According to Deadline, the high-profile pair has finally thrashed out a deal to star in the film directed by John Wells after a year of negotiations.

August tells the tale of the Weston family, presided over by matriarch Violet (Streep) who is reliant on drugs and alcohol to get her through the daily drudge. Her daughter Barbara, who is going through a marriage crisis of her own, returns home with her sisters when Violet's husband disappears. Original playwright Tracey Letts will be penning the script herself with shooting expected to start next summer.

Sienna Miller could drink A Case Of You

Joni Mitchell jokes aside, Sienna Miller has signed on for online romance comedy A Case Of You. Variety reports that Miller has joined a cast that already includes Brendan Fraser, Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood. Long, who starred in his own long-distance rom-com with Drew Barrymore in Going The Distance, is the man behind the script, along with younger brother Christian and Keir O'Donnell.

The plot follows a young writer trying to woo a girl by lying in his online dating profile. Yet, when she falls for his charming untruths, he is forced to maintain his fake persona in order to keep her on side. There are no more details yet about which characters anyone will play (although we're hoping Brendan Fraser isn't the romantic lead…). While Fraser was last seen making a punt for Oscar glory in Furry Vengeance, Miller hasn't been on our screens since 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra.

Gael Garcia Bernal is Zorro Reborn!

Step aside, Banderas: there's a new Zorro in town! Gael Garcia Bernal will be swishing his sword all over the place in 20th Century Fox's new post-apocalyptic version of the Zorro legend in Zorro Reborn. Variety reports that Bernal's Zorro will be a masked vigilante out for revenge in a desolate landscape of the future.

The object of his vengeance is being kept a mystery for now. There is no director attached yet, while the script comes courtesy of Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy. Bernal fans will be able to see the Mexican heartthrob next with Will Ferrell in comedy Casa De Mi Padre.

Is RDJ a Mason?

Rumours abound that sometime Sherlock Robert Downey Jr is looking to take on another case, this time in the form of Perry Mason.

The supersleuth is eyeing the role made famous by cuddly actor Raymond Burr, reports The Hollywood Reporter, after Green Lantern scriptwriter Marc Guggenheim decided to have a chinwag with the pint-sized A-lister.

The story is expected to take place in 1930s Los Angeles, and, for anyone unaware of the TV series or Erle Stanley Gardner's books, Perry Mason is a fictitious lawyer.

However RDJ has the small matter of The Avengers to get out of the way first.

Denzel's as Safe as Houses at the box office

Denzel Washington's latest vehicle, Safe House, smashed into the top spot at the US Box Office this weekend for its second week. The Washington/Reynolds combo proved too much for schmaltz fest The Vow, which slipped down to second as Valentine's lovebirds disappeared.

Crazy eyes Cage tore into third spot with that flaming sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, sending Journey 2: The Mysterious Island to four, while new entry This Means War, starring Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon, opened at five.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D used the force to stay at six, while Chronicle had to rely on its staying power to remain in the chart at seven.

Elsewhere supernatural chiller The Woman In Black, animation The Secret World Of Arrietty and Liam Neeson wolf-off The Grey round out the top ten.

Orlando Bloom gears up for Zulu

Let's make this clear: Orlando Bloom will not be starring in a remake of Michael Caine's classic film. He will, however, be teaming up with Djimon Honsou for director Jerome Salle's crime thriller, Zulu, reports Screen Daily.

Based on Caryl Ferey's novel, set in post-Apartheid South Africa, the plot follows a pair of policemen trying to find the murderer of 18-year-old Nicole Wiese, the daughter of a championship Springbok rugby player. Filming is due to begin in Cape Town this July and should see Bloom sporting less hairspray than in his last film, The Three Musketeers.

The Woman In Black scares off UK Box Office rivals again

Darkening the doorstep of cinemas across the land, The Woman In Black frightened away its competition to stay top of the UK Box Office chart for a second week. Daniel Radcliffe's post-Potter project pocketed £3.5 million, keeping The Muppets at bay in second place, while Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance roared into number three. Star Wars: Episode 1 continued to underwhelm in three dimensions at four, and Dwayne Johnson was feeling less than Rock solid as Journey 2 took a trip to number five.

The Vow promised so much but could only muster the strength to get to six; Chronicle's super powers couldn't prevent a slide to seven; while The Descendants began bidding farewell to its Hawaiian summer at eight. The Artist tap-danced back into the top ten at nine, with War Horse's gallant gallop almost coming to an end at ten.

Fassbender confirmed for The Counsellor

Could Michael Fassbender be the new Russell Crowe? Ridley Scott appears to have swapped muses; after working with Fassbender in the Alien-influenced Prometheus recently, the director has now signed on the in-demand Irishman for the lead role in his next project, The Counsellor.

Deadline reports that Fassbender will play a lawyer who becomes embroiled in the illegal drugs business. The screenplay comes directly from the pen of Nobel Prize winner Cormac McCarthy and is the reclusive novelist's first attempt at writing for the big screen. Producer Steven Schwartz enthused: "Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with his sexual obsessions. It's a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy's wit and humour in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy's most disturbing and powerful works."

Those lead female roles are yet to be decided, while rumours abound regarding the identity of Fassbender's on-screen antagonist. They'll have to get a move on though as shooting is expected to start in May.

Seth Rogen takes on The Apocalypse

He's dealt with an unexpected pregnancy, a best friend with cancer and the box office flop that was The Green Hornet, but he's about to take on his biggest challenge yet: the end of the world! Rogen's first stab at directing sees him take the helm of The Apocalypse, based on a short film-cum-spec trailer he created five years ago with his Knocked Up co-star Jay Baruchel, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Under its original title, Jay and Seth Versus The Apocalypse saw the pair playing themselves having witnessed the end of mankind, while sat in a grotty apartment considering their next move. The clip finishes with the words 'COMING SOON' but since then, all has been quiet on the apocalyptical front.

However, the boys appear to have been busy while waiting for the end of the world, as it has just been announced that the film will start shooting in the Spring with Rogen and regular collaborator Evan Goldberg in the director's seat. The movie will star Rogen, Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and James Franco, with the gang spending most of their time hanging out and waiting for the end of days at Franco's mansion (reports that it might actually be filmed in Franco's real house are unconfirmed). "The movie takes place in large part inside some huge, crazy, L.A. house," said Baruchel. "It's going to be a bunch of crazy sequences, a bunch of crazy special effects, a lot of the trademark ribald humor that this group is known for. It should just be fun as hell."

We wonder if there's space for us?

A Good Day to announce Die Hard's young lead

The say baldness is hereditary, so we wish Jai Courtney the best of luck in maintaining his mane. The little-known Australian actor has been picked as the young man to play Bruce Willis's son in the upcoming fifth Die Hard film, A Good Day To Die Hard.

Deadline reports that Bruce Willis, director John Moore and 20th Century Fox are all in agreement that Courtney is their Jack McClane (John's son). The film will see the McClane men taking on the local bad guys in Moscow, while working through their own family issues. It's therapy, action-franchise style.

Courtney, who will undoubtedly be pinching himself this morning, has been hacking his way to stardom as Varro in Spartacus: Blood And Sand recently, and is also lined up to star alongside Tom Cruise in One Shot. A Good Day To Die Hard is scheduled to arrive in UK cinemas February 14, 2013.

Edgar the Wright man to direct Depp

From Michael Cera to Johnny Depp; let's just say that Edgar Wright deserves a pat on the back (no offence, Michael). The Scott Pilgrim and Shaun Of The Dead director has signed on to helm Depp's new film The Night Stalker, based on the classic 1970s series.

According to Deadline, Wright will be overseeing Depp as he plays the role of tabloid reporter Carl Kolchak, as made famous by Darren McGavin. The TV movies and spin-off series saw Kolchak get into scrapes involving vampires, aliens and all manner of supernatural antagonists as a result of his investigations. It was cited by X-Files creator Chris Carter as a key influence on his own show.

We can safely assume that The Night Stalker won't be seeing the light of day too soon though as both Depp and Wright are waist-deep in projects right now. We'll next see Depp in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, followed by The Lone Ranger, while Wright juggles Ant Man and The World's End with Simon Pegg.

Dwayne Johnson is our hero Hercules

If there's one man made to play hunk of muscle Greek God Hercules, it has got to be Dwayne Johnson. No? Currently keeping in shape on the set of Michael Bay's Pain And Gain, Johnson has reportedly signed up to work on Brett Ratner's Hercules: The Thracian Wars.

Based on the adaptation of Steve Moore's Radical Publishing comic, the story sees the Thracian King ask Hercules and six pals to turn his army into an unstoppable killing machine. Of course, originally lured by lots of lovely gold, the introspective demi-god soon sees the error of his ways.

The muscled deity has been a bit of an obsession of Ratner's for a while and he was reportedly attached to one Hercules film earlier in the year, though it was revealed that he had only read the script, before being signed up to direct The Thracian Wars.

With Johnson currently working on Pain And Gain and with Fast Six due to star filming in the Summer, when the project will start shooting is anyone's guess.

New cast added to Bigelow's Bin Laden movie

Just as we thought the line-up for director Kathryn Bigelow's yet-to-be named Bin Laden thriller couldn't get any better, they go and add more amazing actors to the cast. With Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong, Edgar Ramirez and Kyle Chandler already on board, Jennifer Ehle (The Ides Of March), Harold Perrineau (Lost) and Nash Edgerton, Joel's brother, have just been announced as joining the already-impressive line-up, EW reports.

Bigelow and The Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal were already working on a project about the hunt for Bin Laden when news broke that Navy Seals had found and killed him last spring. In light of the change in events, Bigelow and Boal rushed to change the script.

Little is known about the movie, except that it will focus on the Navy Seals responsible for Osama Bin Laden's historic death and is expected to start filming shortly with a release date of 19 December.

Mum's the word as silent pic makes big noise at 84th Academy Awards

There are so few genuine surprises these days when it comes to doling out the Oscars. The writing's been on the wall for a good few weeks and last night's 84th Academy Awards did not disappoint with major gongs meted out to The Artist, The Help and The Iron Lady.

Despite Sascha Baron Cohen showering Red Carpet host Ryan Seacrest with Kim-Jung Ill's remains, there was little to write home about...but here goes anyway.

Silent pic The Artist nabbed the big prizes for Best Picture, Best Actor for Jean Dujardin and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius. Meryl Streep waltzed away with the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. It was a 17th Oscar nomination in total. Octavia Spencer helped herself to the Best Supporting Actress award for her turn in The Help and Christopher Plummer, the octogenarian staple of cinema, bagged the top prize in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Best Picture

The Artist WINNER

The Descendants

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir in A Better Life

George Clooney in The Descendants

Jean Dujardin in The Artist WINNER

Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt in Moneyball

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn

Jonah Hill in Moneyball

Nick Nolte in Warrior

Christopher Plummer in Beginners WINNER

Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis in The Help

Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady WINNER

Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn

Actress in a Supporting Role

Berenice Bejo in The Artist

Jessica Chastain in The Help

Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer in The Help WINNER

Directing

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius WINNER

The Descendants, Alexander Payne

Hugo, Martin Scorsese

Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick

Animated Feature Film

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss In Boots

Rango WINNER

Foreign Language Film

Bullhead, Belgium

Footnote, Israel

In Darkness, Poland

Monsieur Lazhar, Canada

A Separation, Iran WINNER

Act of Valour makes it rain at the US Box Office!

As the tagline attests; 'this is not a game'. Effectively a bout of Call Of Duty writ large, the much talked about documentary Act of Valour has gone straight in at number one with a bullet. Tracking a team of US Navy SEALs, the fast-paced and close quarters doc indeed showed no quarter whatsoever as it raked in $24.7 million in it opening weekend and consigned Tyler Perry's Good Deeds to the runners-up spot.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is not quite so enigmatic now as it drops to 3 alongside Denzel Washington's sociopath in Safe House at 4. Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams are making promises they can't keep at 5 with The Vow and Nic 'Crazy Eyes' Cage is all out of gas at 6 with his Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy's 'bro down' in This Means War falls to 7 and its bad news bears for Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as their new comedy, Wanderlust is DOA on its opening weekend with just $6.6 million at 8. That's a positively thunderous result though compared to Amanda Seyfried's Gone, which is something it might well wish it had done thanks to a paltry $5 million debut at 9. It's just left to Studio Ghibli anime Arrietty to prop up the table at 10.

Woman In Black ghosts from strength to strength

Supernatural chiller The Woman In Black scared off the opposition once again to go top of the UK Box Office. Now in its third week, the Daniel Radcliffe movie has now spooked the British public out of £14.6million after bagging another £2.4million this weekend, just edging out old timers The Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Denzel was feeling anything less than safe as his actioner Safe House opened in third, and elsewhere The Muppets continued to cause mayhem in fourth spot while Nic Cage was riding off into the sunset at five with his second instalment of Ghost Rider.

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum's Vow held at six, while Dwayne Johnson's Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was trudging back down the chart to seven.

Star Wars: Episode 1, The Artist and new Katherine Heigl entry One For The Money complete the top ten.

Hill reteams with Pitt for another True Story

You know what they say; truth can be stranger than fiction...but no stranger than Jonah Hill's sudden weightloss and increasingly svelte figure. The Moneyball star is certainly getting caught up in this 'proper acting' malarkey and looks set to reteam with life coach Brad Pitt for the aptly titled True Story.

Fresh off the back of their acclaimed work on baseball drama Moneyball, Hill and Pitt will be hoping for another home run with this one. So confident are they of success they've also bagged James Franco to co-star!

Hill will play journalist Michael Finkel, who was a writer for The New York Times in 2002 when he learned that Christian Longo (Franco) was captured in Mexico after making the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for killing his own family. It transpired that Longo was in fact using the alias of one Mr. 'Michael Finkel' and this was reason enough to get the real Finkel fired.

However, Longo refused to talk to any journalist other than Finkel and thereby giving the young journo a shot at redemption. Pitt will produce via his Plan B Entertainment and is currently deciding whether or not to take up a supporting role in the venture according to Deadline.