Spending time supervising Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code clearly didn’t put Vera Farmiga off the idea of playing authority figures – she’s just agreed to join the cast of Safe House, signing on to play Ryan Reynolds’ CIA overseer.

You might recall Safe House as the drama that was born from David Guggenheim’s hot script, and which snagged Reynolds and Denzel Washington to play a CIA operative and a dangerous criminal who must find safe haven when the agency secure location they’re in is attacked. The pair goes on the run, a situation not helped by the fact that there are plenty of violent types who would like nothing more than to see Washington’s character dead and will quite happily kill Reynolds to make it happen.

Given that the Farrelly brothers have picked actors primarily known for TV work as Larry Fine and Curly Howard in The Three Stooges, it should come as no real surprise that they’re leaning towards a telly veteran in Chris Diamantopoulos for Moe Howard.

Variety reports that the actor (we’re going to have to come up with some sort of word processing macro to avoid typing that name out all the time) is now the front-runner for the choice part, the patriarch of the trio.

One day, hopefully in the near future, Lionsgate will decide to turn off the Hunger Games casting spigot and info-gushes about the film will stop flowing onto the Interwebs. That day is not today. Now comes word that John C Reilly has been offered the role of Haymitch Abernathy in the film, and that Deadwood/Caprica actress Paula Malcolmson has locked in one of the key early roles – that of Everdeen Katniss’ mother.

Vulture reports that Reilly hasn’t actually received a final offer just yet, but that he’s definitely wanted to play the boozy delinquent, who also just so happens to be the only living person from District 12 to have won/survived the games. So, somewhat naturally, he comes a reluctant mentor to Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Even though Riley’s casting isn’t locked in yet, he certainly seems to fit the role to a tee.

Malcolmson, who has a habit of showing up in quality TV shows (she was last seen on the goggle box in Sons of Anarchy), will play the grieving, depressed mother of the heroine, a woman torn apart by her husband’s death a few years ago in a mining accident and terrified of her daughters entering the Games.

The rest of the cast so far includes Liam Hemsworth, Amandla Stenberg, Dayo Okeniyi, Leven Rambin, Jack Quaid and – assuming her deal, like Reilly’s, goes through – Elizabeth Banks. Gary Ross will kick off directing next month.

F

The last time Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst worked together, they brought us Marie Antoinette, which arrived to mixed reviews and unspectacular box office. So the pair – who first collaborated on Coppola’s debut, The Virgin Suicides – will no doubt be hoping for better results with their next reunion, the just-announced project called Secret Door.

The plot right now is a mystery, and even that title could change, since it might well be a working name for the project (though given that Coppola’s last film, Somewhere, ended up released with its working title as its actual name, it may just stick with it).

According to the tweet from Coppola’s father’s company American Zoetrope, which will be backing the film in its early stages, the script is still being finished. It offered no details as to what Dunst will be playing other than the fact that she accepted an unspecified role.

A hit tip here to the keen eyes of the gang at The Playlist, who spotted the tweet and speculated that the title doesn’t seem to relate to any of the projects Coppola had bubbling away, so hopefully this is something new and intriguing from the Lost in Translation writer/director.

Update! In response to the news, Coppola herself decided to release some script pages for the film, which we now know is set in 1940s Paris and finds a young actress, Luna (the role Dunst may well play), another young woman, Calanthe, and a seemingly suicidal man, Jolette. That's about it for now, but it's certainly a good tease...

SOURCE: EMPIRE ONLINE

(Reuters)

"Rio" led the Easter box office in North America for a second weekend, and remained the top choice internationally for a third round as the worldwide haul for the Brazilian bird cartoon flew toward $300 million.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Rio" sold an estimated $26.8 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada during the three days beginning April 22. After 10 days, the film has earned $81.3 million.

It also earned $44.2 million from 67 foreign markets, taking its overseas total to $204.7 million. The worldwide total stands at $286 million.

"Rio," which cost about $90 million to make, revolves around Blu, a rare blue macaw (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg), who returns home to Brazil after a coddled existence as a smuggled pet in the United States. It was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

"Madea's Big Happy Family," the latest outing from prolific actor/writer/director Tyler Perry, opened at No. 2 in North America with $25.8 million.

The debut was in line with expectations but fell short of Perry's previous comedies about the brassy black woman. "Madea Goes to Jail" opened to $41 million in 2009, and "Madea's Family Reunion" to $30 million in 2006.

WOMEN RUSH TO NEW FILMS

As usual, the Lionsgate release played almost exclusively to older black women and was a major event in such cities as Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Fox's "Water for Elephants," a romantic drama starring Reese Witherspoon and "Twilight" hunk Robert Pattinson, came in at No. 3 with $17.5 million, also in line with expectations. Similarly, its appeal was to female fans of the underlying best-selling book by Sara Gruen.

Witherspoon, fresh from the costly Christmas flop "How Do You Know," stars as Depression-era circus performer who does stunts on an elephant. "Twilight" hunk Pattinson plays her forbidden lover. Top critics mostly ridiculed the film.

Also new, at No. 6, was the Walt Disney nature documentary "African Cats," with a respectable $6.4 million.

The Easter Bunny live-action/animated hybrid "Hop" slipped one place to No. 4 with $12.5 million in its fourth weekend; its total rose to $100.5 million. "Hop" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp-controlled NBC Universal.

The horror sequel "Scream 4" tumbled three to No. 5 with $7.2 million in its second weekend; the 10-day tally rose to $31.2 million -- still short of the opening-weekend tallies of either "Scream 3" or "Scream 2." The series was released by Dimension Films, a unit of the closely held Weinstein Co.(Reuters)

Valerie Macon/Getty Images

Katniss and Prim’s mother has been cast in Lionsgate’s Hunger Games movie adaptation.

Paula Malcomson, who recently starred in Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, has landed the role, joining Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) and Willow Shields (Prim) as her daughters.

In the books, Katniss and Prim’s mother is grieving after her husband’s death, living in fear that her daughters will participate in the deadly Hunger Games.

Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Amandla Stenberg, Dayo Okeniyi, Leven Rambin and Jack Quaid round out the rest of the cast so far for the Gary Ross-directed film, which is produced by Nina Jacobson and Color Force. Elizabeth Banks is in talks to play Effie.

Malcomson, who has also appeared in HBO’s Deadwood and FX’s Sons of Anarchy, is repped by UTA and Seven Summits.

The film is in theaters March 23, 2012.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images                        SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

The trio will be recognized at a luncheon May 4 in Beverly Hills.

Actress Teri Polo, industry consultant Jennifer Feiken and philanthropist Judy Felsenthal will be honored by the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America at the group's fourth annual Women of Distinction Luncheon.

Polo, whose credits include the Meet the Parents film franchise and co-stars in the ABC comedy pilot Man Up! is being recognized for her involvement in the We Promise Foundation, an organization that works to fulfill the dreams of children struggling with degenerative, life-threatening, debilitating or chronic illnesses or those facing tremendous hardship. Polo also stars in Hallmark Channel's upcoming movie A Taste of Romance.

Feiken has worked in theatrical business affairs at 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Morgan Creek Productions. She also has worked for AOL Time Warner's strategic development group and at Google. Now an independent adviser, Feiken, who has ulcerative colitis, is a member of the CCFA National Board of Trustees.

Felsenthalis a past chair of the Women in Science program for the Southern California region of the American Committee for the Weitzman Institute of Science, where she is on the Southern California Executive Council, president of Amie Karen Cancer Fund for Children and board member of Jewish Vocational Services. She also is on the executive council for the Board of Governors Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Sound of My Voice

Apparently, Fox Searchlight wasn't quite finished with its Sundance shopping. The indie label grabbed its fifth festival title when it closed a deal Wednesday to take rights to all English-speaking territories for Sound of My Voice.

Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius and Avery Pohl star in the story of a young Los Angeles couple that infiltrates a cult led by a charismatic young woman. Zal Batmanglij directed the film and wrote the script with Marling. Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin and Marling produced.

Surpin of Surpin & Mayersohn LLP, David Flynn and Rena Ronson of UTA’s Independent Film Group, CAA and Danielle Robinson of Alan Siegel Entertainment negotiated the deal for the filmmakers. UTA reps Batmanglij; CAA reps Marling.

During the January festival, Fox Searchlight took most worldwide rights to the high school comedy Homework (now titled The Art of Getting By), which it will release in June, worldwide rights to the dark drama Martha Marcy May Marlene, worldwide remake rights to the documentary The Bengali Detective and English-speaking territory rights to the drama Another Earth. This last, which also starred and was written and produced by Marling, will be released in July.

As it happens, Martha Marcy May Marlene also involves a cult, with Elizabeth Olsen playing a young woman who escapes and tries to readjust to a normal life.

 SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Marty Ingels will exec produce 'Gotti: Three Generations'; Nick Cassavetes will direct from script by Leo Rossi.

John Travolta is set to play John Gotti Sr., the mobster known as the Dapper Don, in the indie pic Gotti: Three Generations.
Nick Cassavetes will direct the screenplay by Leo Rossi, which focuses on the relationship between John Gotti Sr., the head of the Gambino crime family who died in prison in 2002, and his son John Gotti Jr., who took over the family business for his father, served time in prison, but then successfully escaped conviction in four subsequent racketeering trials.
PHOTOS: Biggest Box Office Bombs
Marc Fiore is producing for his Fiore Films. Marty Ingels, the former comic turned talent broker, has come on board the project as executive producer.
Gotti Jr., who's given his blessing to the project, plans to join the producers, Travolta and Cassavetes at a press conference on April 12 at the Sheraton New York Hotel.

SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Getty Images

She was originally being eyed for the role of Victoria Gotti.

Lindsay Lohan is joining the big screen Gotti family as the wife of John Gotti Jr. in a biopic of one of New York's most infamous families.
She called her casting in Gotti: Three Generations a huge honor and told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the film is an opportunity to prove herself as an actress again.

"I'm really excited to be back on set and clear up all the misinterpretations about me and show this is what I love to do," Lohan said.

John Travolta has been cast to play John Gotti Sr., the mob family's patriarch who had a flair for style and a knack for avoiding convictions that earned him the name "Teflon Don." Joe Pesci will play one of his deputies.

The younger Gotti has insisted he left the mob life in the 1990s, but has been unsuccessfully tried four times on racketeering charges.

He sold the rights to his life story to Fiore Films, which is developing the film focusing on Junior Gotti's relationship with his father. It will be shot in New York and is set for a 2012 release.

Lohan made a surprise appearance at a press conference last week and was expected to be in the running to play the elder Gotti's daughter, Victoria. By Wednesday discussions for Lohan playing that role had ended, but the actress successfully lobbied to remain on the project.

"I think it's such an iconic story," Lohan told the AP. "I think it's a great story to be told. I'm honored to be working with John Travolta and Joe Pesci."

Lohan's role as Kim Gotti has parallels to her own life, she said.

"You don't get to see the heart behind the story and the real side of people," she said of most mob movies, which she said veer toward shoot-'em-up fare. "I can relate to that because I think that I've been portrayed in a certain light. I just want to do my best to show what their family really went through."

Like the Gotti family, Lohan is no stranger to criminal troubles. She faces a felony grand theft case in Los Angeles after a jewelry store accused her of stealing a $2,500 necklace, and is due in court for a hearing on Friday.

She has rejected two plea deals in that case with guaranteed jail time, and could be incarcerated for violating her probation on a 2007 drunken driving case.

She said her legal troubles won't be a distraction.

"I think in the past, I had a lot of distractions," she said. "I've learned a lot. I've lived a lot. When I'm on set, it's about the film."

Fiore Films is making a commitment to Lohan, who is a former Disney child star and once headlined films, but for nearly four years has been known more for making the tabloids than acting.

In addition to the Gotti project, Lohan will also appear in Mob Street, a movie based on a screenplay by Chazz Palminteri.

"We're very pleased to have Lindsay on-board for both of these films," said Marc Fiore, who is executive producer of the "Gotti" film. "She has been very enthusiastic about the Gotti project, and after resuming discussions with her, we were impressed by her commitment to the film and felt she would be the perfect Kim Gotti."

Lohan also said she is excited about filming in her native New York.

"The energy of filming there — it just brings so much more life to the film," she said.

source: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"

"Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," "Tangled" and "Country Strong" are among the titles in the top five.

Warner Home Video’s Harry Potter franchise worked its wizardry on the sales charts the week ended April 17. Not only did the newly released Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 1 top Nielsen Videoscan’s First Alert sales chart for the week, but the six previous films also re-emerged in the top 20, the result of an aggressive campaign to re-promote the titles.

The tally of Deathly Hallows, which had been released on a Friday and thus was on shelves only three days, is even more impressive considering the No. 2 title, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in its first full week in stores, managed to accumulate only 18.2 percent of the top title’s total. Warner had primetime television ads emphasizing the movie was unavailable at kiosks and Netflix. Also noteworthy is Deathly Hallows’ availability for digital sell-through April 11 and VOD on April 15.

Also impressive: thanks to Harry Potter re-promotions focusing on Blu-ray, about 70 percent of Potter catalog sales were of the Blu-ray format. About 46 percent of Deathly Hallows sales were on Blu-ray.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Tangled dropped a spot to No. 3 for the week, while the previous week’s top title, Disney’s Tron: Legacy, slipped to No. 4. Sony Pictures’ Country Strong debuted at No. 5.

As a result of the HD interest for the week, Blu-ray accounted for about 44 percent of sales among all titles in the First Alert top 20.

Deathly Hallows and Dawn Treader finished in the top two spots on Nielsen’s Blu-ray Disc chart as well, with Tron: Legacy at No. 3 and Disney’s Blu-ray release of The Incredibles at No. 4. The previous Potter films took spots 8-12 on the Blu-ray chart.

Due to the 28-day embargo keeping Deathly Hallows and Dawn Treader away from kiosks and Netflix, Country Strong snuck into the top spot on Home Media Magazine’s rental chart.

If this trailer for The Help is any indication, Emma Stone's days of teen angst flicks are long behind her.

Her new film, which takes place in 1960s Mississippi, has her putting on her best Southern drawl as a journalist named Skeeter. She's setting out to expose the rampant racism in her hometown, much to the chagrin of one resident Stepford wife, played fantastically by Bryce Dallas Howard.

"You said to write about what disturbs me, particularly if it bothers no one else?" Stone bravely declares to her editor. "I'd like to write something from the point of view of the help."

The Help is based off a 2009 novel of the same name, and chronicles Skeeter's struggle to tell the stories of the African-American maids in her community and the unlikely friendships she forms as a result of her efforts. Check out the clip to see what all the buzz is about!. SOURCE: E!ONLINE

SOURCE: HUFINGTON POST

Robert Pattinson wants to make one thing clear: those weren't snot sniffles during his "Water For Elephants" sex scene. He was just truly emotional.

Extra caught up with Pattinson and his "Elephants" co-star Reese Witherspoon at the film's Sunday premiere, and Witherspoon did her best to disavow her earlier comments that her on-screen forbidden lover was suffering from a disgusting cold during their big love scene.

"I mean, sexy doesn't cover it. I don't know how we got this rating, that's all I'm gonna say," Witherspoon deadpanned. Pattinson took it a step further. "I was actually crying at how sexy Reese was in the scene."

"It's true, I was making a coverup for him," Witherspoon jokingly admitted.

"She thought it was embarrassing for me to be crying, but I think it's more embarrassing to be sniffing. I'm totally okay with crying at her beauty."

Speaking to In Touch Magazine, Witherspoon originally said, "Rob possibly had the most hideous horrible cold of any co-star I've ever had to do a love scene with ever in my entire life. He was literally snorting and snotting through every second of it - and it was not appealing. I'm talking green, infectious, disgusting - I'm not kidding!"

In the unlikely event that the crying excuse is true, it wouldn't actually be a surprise coming from Pattinson; after all, he plays a perpetually sexually frustrated virgin vampire in "The Twilight Saga." Then again, he looked perfectly happy kissing his "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart at the premiere, so we just may never know.

ABC Family/Andrew Eccles                               SOURCE: E-ONLINE

Pretty Little Liars may be getting their musical or ballet on.

Producers of the hit ABC Family show have not only "talked about" shooting a musical episode, says show creator Marlene King,


"We've actually thought about doing a Black Swan episode because three out of the four Pretty Little Liars are ballet dancers," King says. "We're thinking of maybe incorporating that into the show. They also all sing. They're mutiltalented."

Shay Mitchell, who plays Emily, is all for it. "Love it," she says. "I love dancing, so why not?! Let's do all three—acting, singing and dancing!"

And how fun is it that I got to break the news of a possible musical episode to Lucy Hale. "Are you kidding me?" she says. "This is news to me."

Not that she's against it. "I sang on the show last season, so it would be awesome," Hale says. "Actually, all the girls have really nice voices. We're going to Glee it up on Pretty Little Liars!"

Now, I wanna hear from you. Does Musical Liars sound like a good idea? Does a Black Swan-inspired episode make you jump for joyness? Chime in below.

Alex Bailey/Focus Features

Final numbers tallied Monday show Focus Features’ thriller grossed $7.28 million over the weekend to come in No. 4, instead of No. 5.

For the second week in a row, Focus Features’ smart thriller Hanna overtook its nearest competitor and moved up the box office chart after final numbers were tallied Monday.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images /HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

She would play Effie Trinket in the adaptation, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

Elizabeth Banks is in talks to join the growing cast of The Hunger Games, Lionsgate's adaptation of Suzanne Collins' popular book series. Gary Ross is directing the movie, being produced by Color Force.

If a deal makes, Banks will play Effie Trinket, a pink-haired showbiz type who becomes the handler of Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence.

Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth are already cast as love interests, while relative newcomers Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi were cast earlier Monday as Rue and Thresh, respectively.

Banks was last seen in The Next Three Days and is currently shooting Welcome to People, the directorial debut of screenwriter Alex Kurtzman.

GOOGLE/IMAGES                      EMPIRE ONLINE

Because he doesn’t already have enough films in development with his name attached to them, James Franco has lined up another job, signing on for a drama called The Stare alongside Winona Ryder.

Jay Anania, who just worked with Franco on a film called Shadows & Lies (and happens to be one of his teachers at NYU) is directing The Stare, which finds Ryder back in Black Swan territory, albeit this time focusing on a playwright.

She’ll be the writer struggling to launch her next show and who suddenly starts to find her mind playing tricks on her. She’s driven slowly crazy by visions and twisted dreams of being watched, but doesn’t know if she’s just going mad or it’s part of a devious plot against her. See what we mean about sounding like Black Swan? As for Franco, he’ll be playing one of the actors in the play that Ryder’s character is trying to stage.

Lest you think this is doomed to vanish off into the mire of a thousand possible Franco projects, it would appear that he’s squeezing it into his packed schedule and shooting his role when filming kicks off next month. Teacher’s pet!

SORUCE: EMPIRE ONLINE

You might think that successfully navigating the choppy waters of re-making one of the most acclaimed vampire films in recent years would be enough to make anyone swear off tackling the fang fiends for life. But nope, Let Me In director Matt Reeves has decided that he wants to find more of them, lining up to make an adaptation of Justin Cronin’s novel The Passage.

The plot sounds a little like I Am Legend, focusing on a group of terminally ill cancer patients who suddenly recover after being bitten by South American bats. Cue the government seeing the possibilities of this as a cure, and the disastrous results, with a powerful group of telepathic vampires roaming the country and infecting the rest of humanity. And no one sparkles.

Cronin’s book, which is the first of a mooted series, arrived last year, but Fox 2000 actually picked the rights up in 2007, back when he first pitched the idea to publishers on the back of a 400 page sample and the outline for more of a story. John Logan has been writing the script drafts up until now, but he’s dug in cranking out work on Bond 23, so Reeves will supervise another writer brought in to polish the vampire tale.

Reeves is certainly loading up on the possible projects – it was only last week that he became attached to a film version of Ray Nelson’s 8 O’Clock in the Morning, with Universal spearheading the new take on the story that inspired John Carpenter’s They Live. The race to see which project makes it to the starting line (along with Reeves' other planned ideas), starts now…