Picturehouse and Warner Independent close up shop

A little more than two months after Warner Bros. announced that it was absorbing mini-major New Line into a smaller unit of the studio, Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn released a statement today saying that Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures are ceasing operations. (Warner Bros. and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY are both divisions of Time Warner.) "With New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we’re able to handle films across the entire spectrum of genres and budgets without overlapping production, marketing and distribution infrastructures,” Horn said. “After much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies."

According to the statement, management from both studios will be meeting with Warner Bros. executives in coming weeks to determine the status of movies currently in development as well as distribution of already-dated films. Upcoming Picturehouse projects include Mongol (June 6), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (in limited release June 20; wide release July 2), and The Women (Sept. 12).  Warner Independent’s upcoming releases include Towelhead (Aug. 8) and Slumdog Millionaire (limited release Nov. 7).

Actors' talks update: SAG negotiations end with no deal, focus now on AFTRA

After three weeks of "insufficient progress" negotiating with the Screen Actors Guild, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced that it will turn its attention to the other actors union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, starting today. The goal will be to hammer out a new primetime contract for AFTRA-covered shows like Rules of Engagement, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 'Til Death, among others — and, ultimately, to avoid another debilitating Hollywood strike like the writers' walkout that ended in February. The contracts for both SAG and AFTRA expire June 30.

Jonah Hill no longer in talks for 'Transformers 2'

Transformers 2 negotiations between Jonah Hill and DreamWorks have broken down, and the Superbad star is no longer expected play a sidekick to Shia LaBeouf in the upcoming sequel from director Michael Bay.

Word is that he will appear in a cameo role in Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum 2 for director Shawn Levy.

Jonas Brothers to star in a 3-D concert film of their own

If it worked for Miley Cyrus, it might as well work for the Jonas Brothers. Disney announced today that the teen recording group will get their own digital 3-D concert movie in early 2009. The film will follow the same formula that helped the 3-D Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour earn $65.3 million at the domestic box office earlier this year. Bruce Hendricks, the director of the Hannah Montana concert flick, will helm the Jonas Brothers' feature, which promises both live performance footage and behind-the-scenes documentary material chronicling the lives of the three Jonas Brothers.

'Speed Racer' faces roadblocks at the box office

Insiders are questioning whether Speed Racer — a PG-rated take on the cult '60s cartoon from the Wachowski Brothers — will face a few roadblocks at the box office. They point to early tracking numbers that predict an opening in the mid-$30 million range for Racer — which cost $120 million to make and is sandwiched between Iron Man and the Narnia sequel Prince Caspian on the summer release slate. Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution, Dan Fellman, won't comment on box office projections, but he disputes that the film, which graced a recent EW cover, is suffering from low awareness: "Family tracking is great, and we got a bump from 17- to 35-year olds, probably fans of the TV show." Still, those folks likely discovered Racer during its irony-laden mid-'90s renaissance on MTV. The Wachowski version, on the other hand, plays directly to kids with videogame-like F/X, simple dialogue, and lots of scenes with a pet monkey. No caped avengers or flying bullets here — just high-octane family fun. "The Wachowskis have made a lot of R-rated movies," says producer Joel Silver. "They wanted to finally make a film for everybody." The question now is whether everybody will show up. (Additional reporting by Carrie Bell)

Jonah Hill in early talks for 'Transformers 2'

Jonah Hill is in early negotiations to costar opposite Shia LaBeouf in Transformers 2 for DreamWorks and Paramount. Hill (Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) will provide the comic relief as a sidekick to Shia's Sam Witwicky. (A source tells EW.com that he'll play Sam's college roommate, but DreamWorks won't confirm.) The sequel is set to begin shooting this summer.

Hugh Laurie 'stars' in Writers Give Back event

Turns out, Hollywood's writers' strike had at least one upside: It inspired a few writers to be a little more selfless. The organization Writers Give Back, founded during the strike by producer Brian Pines, is now seeking to help people in need and writers in need, often at the same time. Based in Los Angeles, WGB is staging table readings of unproduced screenplays — asking stars to donate their time to play the roles — and then finding creative ways to turn the events into fund-raisers. First out of the gate: House star Hugh Laurie, Ugly Betty star Chris Gorham, and others will perform a table read of Pines' own screenplay, the romantic comedy Now in Paperback, at the Actors Gang Theater in Culver City on Monday, May 5. The event is by invitation to industry insiders only, and guests are asked to bring at least one book as the price of admission. All books will be donated to the children's literacy organization, First Book. And here's the best part: If the screenplay is sold, the writer will donate a percentage of the sale to First Book, too. "We already give 10 percent to our agent, 15 percent to our manager and 5 percent to our lawyers," Pines says. "Why shouldn't we give a percentage to the world at large?"

Wachowski Brothers getting underway on 'Ninja Assassin'

With their Speed Racer movie ready to release on May 9, the Wachowski Brothers have already turned their sights to their next project, Ninja Assassin, starring Korean star Rain. The English-language ninja film, set to begin production today in Berlin, will be produced by the brothers and directed by Wachowski protege James McTeigue (V for Vendetta). "The ninja scenes in Speed Racer gave us the idea to do Ninja Assassin," producer Joel Silver said at the Speed Racer premiere. "I've wanted the brothers to do a full-on martial arts film for a while now, but nothing ever came up. Then we were watching the first dailies of the fight scenes in Speed Racer and they looked at Rain in a whole new way. He's unbelievable as a fighter."

Silver would spill few details on the plot of the film, but we could glean that Ninja Assassin is a revenge-type story and Rain plays opposite Naomie Harris, best known as Tia Dalma in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. "She plays the girl, the beautiful girl who also kicks some butt," Silver said.

Rain, also at the Speed premiere, was equally mum on the details. "They keep telling me that it is very secret and not to say anything about it. I play a ninja and I'm going to fight a lot is all I can tell."  (With reporting by Carrie Bell)

Ewan McGregor in negotiations for 'Angels and Demons'

Casting of Sony Pictures' Da Vinci Code prequel Angels and Demons is shaping up quickly (see yesterday's post about Ayelet Zurer). Ewan McGregor is in negotiations to take on the role of Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca, the Pope's closest aide, who helps Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) with his investigation. McGregor, who will be seen in Fox's Deception, opening Friday, is currently filming I Love You Philip Morris opposite Jim Carrey. Angels and Demons is being directed by Ron Howard from a script by Akiva Goldsman. Brian Grazer and John Calley are producing. Filming is set to begin in Europe in June, with a May 2009 release date.

Guillermo Del Toro hired as director of 'The Hobbit,' at long last

It's finally official: Guillermo Del Toro, the acclaimed writer/director of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, has come aboard The Hobbit, a two-film epic he will direct over the next four years. The long-awaited news was announced today by New Line's new head, Toby Emmerich, and MGM's new head, Mary Parent. Del Toro will move to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and his Wingnut and WETA production teams. (Jackson and his partner, Fran Walsh, will executive produce both movies.) Del Toro will direct the two films back-to-back, with the first movie telling the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's original book and the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The recently downsized New Line will oversee the development and production of the films, cofinancing them with MGM. Warner Bros. will distribute the film domestically, while MGM will handle the international release.

'Angels & Demons': Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer cast opposite Tom Hanks

Ayelet Zurer has landed the coveted role of Vittoria Vetra in Sony Pictures' upcoming Da Vinci Code prequel Angels & Demons. While the studio won't confirm, sources close to the production tell EW.com that the Israeli actress (who played Eric Bana's wife in Munich and was last seen in Sony's Vantage Point) has been cast opposite Tom Hanks in the Ron Howard-directed film. The actress was chosen over more well-known stars, including Naomi Watts, who had been in talks for the role, according to previous reports.

Zurer's character is the daughter of CERN physicist Leonardo Vetra. Following her father's death, Vittoria pairs with Robert Langdon (Hanks) on a journey to uncover the mystery behind her father's murder and stop a terrorist plot. Sony has yet to cast the roles of Maximilian Kohler (director of CERN) and Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca (aide to the Pope). The production was delayed late last year due to the writers strike. It is now set to begin filming in Europe in June, eyeing a May 15, 2009, release date.

Ang Lee and James Schamus turn to 'Taking Woodstock'

Director Ang Lee and his writing/producing partner James Schamus (Brokeback Mountain, Lust, Caution) have chosen their next project. The duo will conquer the true story Taking Woodstock, a comedy based on Elliot Tiber's memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, A Concert, and a Life.

The tale centers around Tiber's unexpected role in making the 1969 Woodstock festival into the iconic happening of its time. Tiber, an interior designer and part-time manager of his family's Catskills motel, had become the local town's issuer of event permits. When he heard that the planned Woodstock concert had been denied a permit in a nearby hamlet, he offered his own. Soon, half a million people were on their way to Tiber's neighbor's farm in upstate New York.

Schamus is currently writing the screenplay. Back in March, Lee told EW that he was looking to make a movie based on some lighter material. Taking Woodstock seems to fit that bill.

New York Comic Con: 'Hulk,' 'Hellboy' goodies

There was a 1,500-pound beast in the room during Marvel's panel at New York Comic Con. We speak, naturally, of The Incredible Hulk...not to mention all the drama behind the movie that's unfolded in recent weeks. Director Louis Leterrier, actor Tim Roth (who plays the soldier-turned-baddie Abomination), and producers Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd largely skirted the issue of star Edward Norton's reported gripes over the pic’s edits. ''I don’t know if you’ve seen Entertainment Weekly,'' Hurd said, defending her lead actor, ''but he is 100 percent behind this movie.'' Noted!

With that business taken care of, talk shifted over to the movie itself. Letterier promised ''many fights, and long ones'' after unleashing footage of an extended smackdown between the Greenie Meanie and Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. the Abomination. A few minutes later, the original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, made a surprise appearance to loud applause, plugging his cameo in the movie. Meanwhile, the Marvel crew unveiled footage of the movie's long-awaited, fan-baiting Iron Man crossover cameo, featuring Robert Downey Jr. He appears as Tony Stark, talking to William Hurt’s General Thunderbolt Ross.

After the jump: Details on Universal's Hellboy II panel, and Guillermo Del Toro's next big idea.

New York Comic Con: Glimpses at 'The Dark Knight,' 'The Spirit,' and more

In terms of headcount and sheer star power, New York Comic Con is hardly akin to San Diego yet. Still, year 3 marks the first time Hollywood has finally started to dip its tentative toes into these here nerd waters. Highlights from a few of Saturday's presentations:

The Dark Knight: DC Comics publisher Paul Levitz introduced, to thunderous approval, the new Dark Knight trailer, which will hit the masses in about two weeks. Yes, Heath Ledger was there as the Joker, all deliciously steely glares and menacing deadpans. He bore knives and guns, then delivered this blunt directive to his crew: ''Kill Batman.'' Still, watching his dark performance, it's hard not to be reminded of the tragedy surrounding Ledger's life and death. So in perhaps a marketing twist, the focus was quickly deflected to the tense dynamics between D.A. Harvey Dent (who'll go on to become the disfigured villain Two-Face and is played by Aaron Eckhart), Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), and Bruce's former flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

The Spirit: With help from moderator Kurt Loder (yes, MTV’s Kurt Loder!) and flirty star Eva Mendes, comics creator-turned-screenwriter/director Frank Miller (pictured, with Mendes) debuted a Sin City-kissed teaser-trailer about the lady-lovin’ vigilante who fights crime in Central City; sincerely emphasized the impact his friend and Spirit creator Will Eisner has had on his work; then offered this nugget when asked why he cast the not-so-well-known Gabriel Macht as the title character: ''Holllywood has produced many male actors, however very few men.''

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Star Wars: Fans filled up the auditorium seats fancying a glimpse at something — anything! — new from the new Indy movie...to no avail. (Apparently, Lucasfilm is stockpiling for San Diego.) Fans did, however, get a look at the Indiana Jones Original Adventures Lego videogame (out June 3, 2008; watch EW.com's First Look here). Think of every iconic Indy scene that you can, only built cutely in Legos, and you've got the idea. On the Star Wars front, the company simply offered more reminders of The Clone Wars movie — that CG-animated take on that intergalactic throwdown that occurred between episodes 2 and 3 — out Aug. 15, and its companion TV series airing on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall. The clincher: an assembly of four or so Clone Troopers, in costume, on the floor. (A videogame, The Force Unleashed, will come out Sept. 16, in which you play Darth Vader's secret apprentice between episodes 3 and 4.) Also there: Seth Green and his Robot Chicken co-creator Matt Senreich, who, in addition to giving EW a shoutout (the duo met after Senreich read in our pages that Green was a geekish toy collector), provided such anecdotes as how one of Lucasfilm's mandates in making Robot Chicken Star Wars was not to use the word penis. (This is no joke.)

After the jump: Prince Caspian and Wall•E.

From New York Comic Con: More 'X-Files' tidbits

X-Files creator Chris Carter and regular franchise writer Frank Spotnitz brought two things to their panel at New York Comic Con yesterday evening: (1) A teaser-trailer for the out-in-July film The X-Files: I Want to Believe that was too short and sharply edited to reveal anything substantial plot-wise (though it did feature the sight of David Duchovny’s Mulder asking Gillian Anderson's Scully for help with something or other); and (2) a determination not to reveal anything else at all about the movie.

As Carter, who directed I Want to Believe, made clear from the start: ''I think everyone wants to be surprised on July 25.'' Fair enough. But that didn't stop various members of the gathered throng trying to get info from the pair — mostly in vain.

Question: Are we going to see the Lone Gunmen?
Carter's answer: ''Deny everything.''

Will we be surprised by the evolution of Mulder and Scully’s relationship?
Carter: ''I don't know.''

On the subject of the sci-fi sequel's much-rumored ''steamy love scene'' between its two principals, Carter joked that the sequence had been neither axed before filming nor cut in the editing room but was actually in the movie. He later made it doubly clear this was a gag by saying that actor Mitch Pileggi, who plays Mulder and Scully’s FBI boss, was in the sequence too. But the pair did let slip a handful of apparently genuine titbits about the movie. Scully’s family, it seems, does not feature in the film, and neither does Lance Henricksen's X-Files-universe character Frank Black. The pair also confirmed that Amanda Peet and Xzibit play FBI agents in the movie, and Spotnitz said that DC Comics would be announcing a new line of X-Files comics the next day (prompting Carter to point out that Spotnitz had basically just announced that himself: ''Don't tell anyone!''). Finally, the genial, silver-haired Carter laughed that he had not read any fan fiction to get inspiration for the movie's presumably non-existent sex scene, but that he appreciated the genre: ''People are living more hot and racy lives than me.'' —Clark Collis

'X-Files' creator Chris Carter wants to believe in a third movie featuring Mulder and Scully

The truth is out there...as a trilogy? X-Files creator Chris Carter has revealed that he has ambitions to make at least one more movie detailing the adventures of Mulder and Scully. "We would like to make another film," Carter told EW.com on Friday, prior to his appearance at this year's New York Comic Con. "We're not under the illusion that it's a given; we've got to perform with [this summer's X-Files: I Want to Believe] in order to give it another day."

Another installment would make three films in the franchise, following 1998's The X-Files and the forthcoming, Carter-directed, I Want to Believe, which debuts in theaters July 25 and is a stand alone monster-of-the-week-type venture. But Carter suggested that a future movie might re-engage with the original TV show's overarching alien-invasion plot. Doing so could be timely given that, according to X-Files mythology, the final stage of said invasion is due to start in December 2012. "Well, we didn't think that one up," Carter said. "That is actually part of the literature. It is a Mayan date. But I think we'd like to revisit that whole storyline."

Isaiah Washington suits up for 'Patriots'

Isaiah Washington is teaming up with Forrest Whitaker in Weinstein Co.’s drama Patriots, which is based on a true story about a Louisiana high school basketball team. Set to begin filming in New Orleans this week, Patriots marks Washington’s first appearance in a studio movie since he exited Grey’s Anatomy last spring. The actor will play Assistant Coach Simmons of John Ehret High, who helps lead his squad to the state championship a year after Hurricane Katrina displaced the school’s students.

Paramount counting on Shyamalan for Fourth of July 2010

Paramount Pictures has greenlit M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender for a July 4, 2010, release. Shyamalan will begin production on the live-action epic adventure, based on Nickelodeon's animated TV series, this August. “I love martial arts and the Japanese culture,”  Shyamalan tells EW. “This particular piece has an intensely spiritual Buddhist substory that I really dug." Airbender is about a world in which civilization is divided into four feuding nations: Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. The film's reluctant hero, Aang, a.k.a. the Last Airbender, undertakes a perilous journey to bring those nations together.

The studio is counting on the writer/director to bring an action-filled family adventure to the big screen, one that has the epic nature of Lord of the Rings and the action and spectacle of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Airbender marks the first project Shyamalan will direct that is based on someone else's material.

On the scene at the 'Harry Potter' trial

Steven Vander Ark, the would-be author of a proposed Harry Potter encyclopedia that is at the center of a trial taking place this week in Manhattan, took the stand today and nearly broke into tears while facing off against J.K. Rowling (pictured), the author of the Potter series. Rowling and Warner Brothers, the movie studio that adapted her books, are suing Michigan publisher RDR Books, which announced last fall that it was publishing a print version of Vander Ark's popular fan site, The Harry Potter Lexicon. When Vander Ark was asked by his lawyer whether he considers himself a part of the Harry Potter community, the 50-year-old witness got choked up and had to look away before answering, "It's been difficult because there's been a lot of criticism and that was never the intention. I understand where that comes from, obviously. This is an important part of my life for the past nine years or so." Vander Ark testified that he read his first Harry Potter book in 1998 and has probably read the series 30 or 40 times since.

The trial, now on its second day, is expected to last most of the week. Rowling, who has in the past openly praised Vander Ark's free fan site, testified on Monday that she feels a for-profit print version of The Harry Potter Lexicon ''constitutes wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work." Vander Ark did reveal that his fan site generated about $7,000 between its launch in 2000 and October 2007, though that sum is considerably less than what a print version of the lexicon would likely pull in, given that Rowling's seven books have sold more than 400 million copies. -- Reporting by Lindsay Soll

'Sex and the City' movie soundtrack features Fergie, Jennifer Hudson

The details of May 30’s Sex and the City: The Movie have been guarded as zealously as Carrie Bradshaw might seek out a private Manolo Blahnik sale. But director Michael Patrick King is starting to spill. He tells EW that Fergie just recorded the film’s opening number. “It’s called ‘Labels & Love,’ ” he says. “It’s an entirely new song with lyrics, but it has the Sex and the City theme as the DNA — on steroids.”

According to King, the singer feared she’d be too busy with two new singles to record the tune. But when New Line (which is releasing Sex) showed her the film, she changed her mind. And since this is a film about mouthy divas, Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie’s assistant, will lend her pipes to the ballad “All Dressed Up in Love” — written by MC Jack Splash and Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo — which plays during the end credits. “She sings it like nobody’s business,” says King. Just as we’d expect.

YouTube sensation 'Eric Brody' actually a marketing stunt for 'Quarantine'

Have you met Eric Brody? He's young, single, just moved to Los Angeles, and works logging evidence at a local police station. He also seems to have stumbled upon a mysterious video of a shooting, titled Case 1017. He posted that clip on his YouTube blog last month and generated more than 1 million views. Thing is, Eric's not real — he's a paid actor named Ben Messmer, promoting Screen Gems' upcoming chiller Quarantine, starring Johnathon Schaech and Jay Hernandez. The 1 million page views are courtesy of a well-placed (and paid for) promotion on the front page of YouTube to give the movie — a remake of the popular Spanish horror film REC — and its teaser trailer (which bows April 10) some back story. Now that Eric, who's not in the movie, has some fans, and the teaser trailer has some context, more people will tune in. At least that's the hope. "[Viewers] think if we're willing to spend this much time creating this alternate world, then the movie must be cool enough to invest in," says Screen Gems marketing president Marc Weinstock. He'll find out if this Cloverfield-like stunt worked when Quarantine hits theaters on Oct. 17.

Matthew McConaughey offered 'Magnum P.I.'

How about this for perfect casting: EW.com has learned that Matthew McConaughey has been offered the role of Thomas Magnum in Universal Pictures' adaptation of Magnum P.I., based on the successful '80s television show that starred Tom Selleck. The character, a former Navy Seal turned reluctant detective, seems a sweet match for the laid-back actor. McConaughey, we're told, is reading the script from writer/director Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball) and will decide shortly. Now the burning questions: Will he grow a mustache for the role? And will our Hawaiian shirts suddenly be cool again? Developing ...

Guillermo Del Toro on 'The Hobbit': 'We are all in sync and eager to move forward'

While interviewing writer-director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) about his upcoming summer sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army, EW.com chatted him up about his involvement with The Hobbit. While no deal has been set —"We're still in these protracted negotiations," Del Toro says —  the fantasy fiend did offer a few promising hints.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So where do things stand with you directing The Hobbit? 
GUILLERMO DEL TORO: There have been a lot of discussions of cast and crew, agreements on the direction the movies would go, and if and when I come on board. But other than that, frankly it's all immaterial until everything is signed and put on paper.

Is the folding of New Line Cinema into Warner Bros. holding things up?
I think it played a role for a few days; being dramatic, I would say a couple of weeks. But the fact is [the movie is] a huge endeavor. It's about a half-a-decade of commitment. It's two movies back-to-back that are massive. So a lot has to be sorted out. All I can say is, creatively we are all in sync and eager to commit and move forward.

Chris O'Donnell lands role in 'Max Payne'

It seems there are advantages to playing Meredith's spurned lover on Grey's Anatomy. Chris O'Donnell, who hasn't headlined a major film since 2000's Vertical Limit, just landed a role opposite Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in Max Payne, Twentieth Century Fox's live-action adaptation of Rockstar Games' shoot-'em-up game. Payne is the story of a cop (Wahlberg), haunted by the death of his family, who's hot on the heels of a series of new murders. O'Donell will play executive Jason Colvin. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) is directing the crime noir drama, which is currently shooting in Toronto, from a script by newcomer Beau Thorne.

Hayden Panettiere to star in 'Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List'

Fox Atomic is plunging further into the Hayden Panettiere business. The Heroes actress is attached to star in Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, an adaptation of a book by authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, which the studio just purchased. (Fox Atomic also recently cast Panettiere in I Love You, Beth Cooper.) No Kiss List centers on teenagers Naomi and her gay best friend Ely, neighbors and soul mates since childhood who have created a roster of people who are absolutely off limits for kissing. Newcomers Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer are writing the script. Alexandra Milchan, Lesley Vogel, and Emily Gerson-Saines will produce. Cohn and Levithan are also the writers behind Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List which Michael Cera and Kat Dennings just wrapped for Sony Pictures.

'Hannah Montana' movie plot is fuzzy, but Miley Cyrus insists it will be 'bigger and better' than the TV show

Apparently, the legions of Hannah Montana fans aren't the only ones dying to know what will happen in the movie version of the TV show, which is due out later this year. So would star Miley Cyrus. "There have been a lot of revisions to the script," confesses the Disney Channel star, who EW.com caught up with at Saturday's Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles. Her costar Mitchel Musso (Oliver) was a lot more blunt: "I don't know anything about the plot. They change the script, like, twice a day." But Cyrus was quick to reassure fans that it'll be worth the wait. "It will be like the TV show, but bigger and better. I just found out that we are for sure shooting in Nashville for two months. I am stoked to go home. I am leaving April 12 for that." Cyrus has no plans to shoot another concert movie but is certainly game if Disney comes knocking for a sequel to their $65 million-grossing hit. "It was fun," Cyrus added. "I don't think it would happen before the Hannah Montana movie, though. We don't want to overdo it." (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic coming together

The cast that will portray President George W. Bush's inner circle in Oliver Stone's upcoming political biopic W is starting to come together. Elizabeth Banks (Definitely, Maybe) will join star Josh Brolin (pictured) as First Lady Laura Bush, James Cromwell is in negotiations to play George Bush Sr., and Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale) is in talks for the role of Colin Powell. But at press time, it was still unclear who will take the role of Vice President Dick Cheney. A source close to the production tells EW that Stone will reach out to Oscar winner Robert Duvall, though the actor's agency says that an offer has not yet been presented. W, which was penned by Stanley Weiser (who co-wrote Wall Street with Stone), aims to explain how Bush 43 went from being a hard-partying college student to the most powerful man in the world. Stone has said that he wants to make "a fair, true portrait of the man," but controversy will likely dog the film, which is described in an internal positioning statement as follows: "W is the improbable story of a man who went to the White House despite getting fewer votes than his opponent; who became commander-in-chief despite having avoided military combat himself; and who became the least popular president ever elected to a second term. W will shock and surprise you and leave you questioning everything you believe to be true." Filming is set to begin on April 21 in Shreveport, La. W is being produced by Moritz Borman (who worked with Stone on World Trade Center and Alexander) and Jon Kilik (Babel and Alexander). QED International is financing the film.

Update on Anthony Pellicano trial

The Anthony Pellicano case has always been somewhat of a tease. With Pellicano accused of illegally wire-tapping and accessing confidential information on major Hollywood players with ties to Tom Cruise, Gary Shandling (pictured), and Sylvester Stallone, you could only imagine the juicy secrets concealed in the private eye’s cache of recorded conversations.  But as the Pellicano trial enters its third week, people are underwhelmed by what has emerged so far. “It really pales in comparison to Eliot Spitzer or the mayor of Detroit,” notes Laurie Levenson, professor of criminal law at Loyola-Marymount University and a former prosecutor.

Last week, on the heels of Gary Shandling’s testimony, Paramount Pictures chief Brad Grey took the stand to talk about whether he knew his attorney, Bert Fields, had hired Pellicano to check up on Shandling and producer Bo Zegna in response to lawsuits they individually filed against Grey. Grey reportedly testified that he was aware of Fields' relationship with Pellicano but that he was not aware that Pellicano had done anything illegal. “Brad Grey’s only on the stand for 20 minutes, you’re not going to get all of the details of Hollywood, and frankly I think we’re not hearing anything particularly new," Levenson said.

But one industry insider disagrees, stressing the magnitude of Grey’s testimony and the entourage of attorneys he brought along for support. “Last time I checked, wasn’t Brad Grey the guy who ran Paramount, the No. 2 to Sumner Redstone? He wasn’t down there for his health, I’ll tell you that. This government has had four years to put together that case. They’re trying to lay the foundation for something. I am convinced that they called him down there for something that we don’t know yet.”

The new 'Breakfast Club'?

If this image looks eerily similar to a movie poster from a simpler, neo-maxi-zoom-dweebier time, it’s not by accident. Paramount Vantage has co-opted the iconic image from John Hughes’ 1985 classic The Breakfast Club to create the teaser poster for its upcoming summer documentary American Teen. Drawing a connection between the two films isn’t just clever marketing. Set at Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana, American Teen chronicles a year in the lives of five very distinct high-school seniors. And just like The Breakfast Club, the doc, which caused a sensation this year at the Sundance Film Festival, examines a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse, but then delves deeper, revealing these real kids to be far more than superficial stereotypes.

It may seem odd to compare a documentary to a feature film, but American Teen writer-director Nanette Burstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture) saw the connection long before Vantage whipped up this poster. “Breakfast Club is one of the few teen fiction films that actually address all those teen storylines: popular girls ruling the school, the Romeo and Juliet love-story, the nerdy kid looking for acceptance,” Burstein says. “I didn’t consciously think about that when I was shooting the movie but afterwards, I realized the similarities.”

Vantage is hoping viewers will, too, and that this poster will help generate buzz that will continue to build before the film is released July 25. “I think it’s really tough for people to look at a documentary and think of it as a film,” says Guy Endore-Kaiser, co-president of marketing for Vantage, which bought the doc for $1 million. “This poster instantly puts it into the space of a movie, not just a documentary. The dream is for people to start referring to American Teen as the real-life version of The Breakfast Club."

Juliette Binoche reflects on friend and director Anthony Minghella

Juliette Binoche has shared with EW.com a poem she wrote upon learning that Anthony Minghella had died on Tuesday. Minghella directed the actress in the 1996 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, The English Patient (for which Binoche won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), as well as in his last completed film, 2006's Breaking and Entering.

To Anthony

I shall learn to live without you.
With all we’ve done and undone
with all the missing parts I’ll have to carry on hoping
you were the bedrock of fun, the laugh that made me laugh
and your hand came with love and care
I could see your thoughts going faster and faster
ahead in their curved complex understanding
your excitements became my excitement in the joy of sharing
my friend of art
you’ve gone missing
we shared a heart beating in this inner world of creation
and your ideas became real to me
I was your angel and you opened my wings
and you were the words I could fly into
my friend of heart
I will carry the unsaid
I will cherish my forgiveness until I see you
and please forgive me for my painful silence
magnetic eyes of yours with its sparkling needles
we dared a gift to the unknown
the search for truth in the battle of being
we attempted a glimpse on the other side
with joy with joy

JB

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in talks for '500 Days of Summer'

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are in negotiations to play the leads in Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer, sources say. Gordon-Levitt, who will next be seen in Paramount's Iraq-war drama Stop-Loss (out March 28) will play a guy who falls in love with a girl (Deschanel, soon to appear in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening) who doesn't believe in love. Acclaimed music video director Marc Webb will make his feature directorial debut from a script by Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter (The Pink Panther 2). The movie is expected to begin filming this spring. Fox Searchlight declined comment.

'Enchanted' director to helm 'The Spook's Apprentice'

Kevin Lima, the director of the recent hit Enchanted, is on board to direct the Warner Bros. movie adaptation of The Spook's Apprentice. Based on the first book in the Wardstone Chronicles trilogy by British author Joseph Delaney, the story centers on Thomas Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son who is being trained to be an exorcist in the 1700s. Lima previously directed 102 Dalmations and Tarzan, and he can only hope that this project, a beloved title in the U.K. with significant franchise potential, winds up faring more like Harry Potter than The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Vince Vaughn fires his agent and manager

Vince Vaughn has fired his longtime agency, UTA, and his manager, Eric Gold, stirring speculation as to what the actor will do next. He retains his lawyer Debbie Klein, and insiders believe he may represent himself. Others think CAA may scoop him up, as it has other UTA comedic clients like Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell.

TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE: Vaughn has signed with CAA.

'Iron Man' star Robert Downey Jr. ponders his future as the next great action hero

Heartened as he is by the blogosphere's embrace of his forthcoming Iron Man (opening May 2), Robert Downey Jr. isn't prepared to commit to a complete career reinvention as an action badass. That's what EW.com learned when we caught up with the actor at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas last week. There, Downey accepted the Male Star of the Year award and kibbitzed with Ben Stiller while presenting footage from their August comedy Tropic Thunder, in which Downey portrays an actor who dyes his skin in order to play an African American. He also took a moment to respond to our query: Do these back-to-back gigs in a comic-book thriller and a Vietnam War sendup mean that the star of significantly quieter fare like Chaplin, Restoration, and Two Girls and a Guy is about to go all Nicolas Cage on us and appear in nothing but Jerry Bruckheimer explosion-fests from now on? "Mmmm, you mean Nicolas Cage, who also in the middle of all of that did The Weather Man, [Gore] Verbinski's greatest movie?" Downey replied, without missing a beat. "And Matchstick Men! That's so great. Here's what I would say: You know, I'm in my early 40s and it's kind of great to have this whole area of expression and excitement now — I probably won't burn out until I'm at least 50 now."

'Speed Racer' footage unspools as Wachowskis drive to bring F/X across the finish line

During its final-day presentation at ShoWest on Thursday, Warner Bros. introduced movie-theater owners to what may very well be the weirdest release of the summer: Larry and Andy Wachowski's big-screen version of the classic cartoon Speed Racer (opening May 9). Producer Joel Silver (who also worked with the brothers on the Matrix movies and V for Vendetta) and stars Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, and Christina Ricci took the stage to introduce four minutes and 10 seconds of footage from the kandy-kolored family film. (No, the Wachowskis didn't show up, duh.) What did it look like? Imagine a chaotic mash-up of The Matrix, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Cars, and you might be able to get the dizzying picture.

The dizziness continues behind the scenes, it turns out. Later in the evening, when EW.com caught up with Speed Racer himself, Emile Hirsch, the actor said that the Brothers are gunning their engines to get the film done. "Occasionally I'll call Larry or Andy and they'll give me the crazy update," Hirsch said. "They're scrambling to complete the visual effects. They have 2,000 visual-effects shots [in the film]...and they're getting, like, 100 shots a day at this point. They have to go through 100 shots and put them into the movie. So they're just scrambling, it's a mad dash to the finish line."

Is Jodie Foster looking to get 'Flora Plum' rolling... finally?

Flora Plum, Jodie Foster's long-in-the-works, much-cursed Depression-era circus movie, could still become a reality. The film, which would mark the actor's third feature as a director, nearly got off the ground in 2000, but was derailed when then-star Russell Crowe suffered an injury while preparing for his role. It's had other starts and stops in the intervening years as well. Then, when EW.com caught up with Foster at ShoWest on Thursday (where she was promoting her upcoming family film Nim's Island with Abigail Breslin), we asked what she has on tap next, and the actress suggested that the door is open to give Flora another shot. "We'll see, we'll see," Foster answered when asked about the project. "I've decided now I no longer talk about this — because as soon as I talk about it, then it always ends up tanking, and then I have to explain why it tanked." As it happens, Flora Plum isn't the only project Foster has had a hard time bringing to the big screen: When EW interviewed her last fall, she said that Sugarland, a movie about migrant workers that she was to make with Robert De Niro, had also fallen apart.

Sarah Jessica Parker says 'Sex and the City' trailer is open to interpretation

After Sarah Jessica Parker and everybody else behind the Sex and the City movie attempted — and largely succeeded — in keeping plot details under wraps during production on the film, fans were glad when the SATC trailer seemed to reveal hints about what will happen when the movie debuts on May 30. "Seemed to" being the operative phrase here, as Parker suggests that the trailer may appear to give away more about the plot than it actually does. "Some things were revealed," Parker told EW.com at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas on Thursday evening. "It's very curious to hear how people have interpreted the trailer."

It's no surprise that Parker (who, as a producer on the film, is still knee-deep in post-production matters regarding marketing plans and "massive amounts of just perfunctory minutia that would bore you") was picking her words carefully. The teaser, she said, aimed to tell some of the story without giving away too much, of course. But, she added cryptically, "we also knew that people would make decisions about what that trailer meant and what those words meant and who knows what order we put it in and why. I think in large part we did it because photographs had already [leaked] out and so people were telling us the movie that we were making — which was wonderful, but no one has yet told us actually the story that we're telling. So it's all out there in the trailer, but it's not really the story."

So does that mean that there were fake-outs in the trailer? Were fans duped? "Um, yeah, there are fake-outs. I mean, not like a bait-and-switch — people aren't going to come to the theater and feel hoodwinked or taken advantage of. We just had to be careful because it's a movie with an ending that we wanted to keep protected. So we had to be a little clever and a little stealth with the trailer, but we also had to give people a trailer. It's not enough to just give you the images and music — I would be perfectly fine with that, but apparently that's not acceptable!"

ShoWest: Brendan Fraser introduces 'Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D'

Brendan Fraser, executive producer and star of Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D, the first live-action digital 3-D movie to hit the big screen this summer, introduced his new movie to the throngs of exhibitors at ShoWest yesterday. Along with his stunning Icelandic co-star Anita Briem, the actor told audiences to strap into the 5-point harness for the thrill ride from first-time director Eric Brevig. And the movie didn't disappoint: Complete with high-quality 3-D gimmicks, such as a view from the drain when Fraser spits water, flying fish soaring right toward your face, and a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex coming for your throat, Journey was a family-friendly tale that 8-year-olds (and their parents) will enjoy. Centering on a scientist and his nephew, who go on a venture to Iceland and come across a major discovery that takes them to the center of the earth, Journey should be a solid money-maker this summer. Set to release July 11, the movie, which was once supposed to debut solely in the 1,000 or so digital 3-D screens, will now get a 2-D release as well, to fill out its theater count. Expect a 2-D trailer to be hitting the movie theaters shortly.

The film is likely to mark the final project from the current New Line staff. (The 40-year studio is being folded into its parent company, Warner Bros.) New Line's post-screening party for Journey should have been a celebratory occasion, considering how well this 3-D gamble seemed to screen. But given that some 75 percent of the staff is expected to lose their jobs, there was very little celebrating among the New Line rank-and-file at the Risque club in the Paris hotel on Wednesday. Most employees are tired of the constant flow of rumors, which seem to change daily. They did find out the severance package for non-contract employees, but no decision has been made on who will run the division under Warner Bros., or what that division may look like. The common understanding is people will keep their jobs, at least on the marketing and distribution side of the company, until July 11 when Journey is released.

ShoWest: 3-D is hot. Animated feature 'Fly Me to the Moon' is unveiled

In the second of three 3-D presentations that have been scheduled for this week's ShoWest conference, 10 minutes of footage from the animated summer flick Fly Me to the Moon unspooled for movie industry dignitaries on Wednesday morning in Las Vegas. Produced mostly in Belgium but fully in English (and with a few all-American patriotic touches to boot), the family film looks charming enough — it follows three adorable house flies who hitch a ride on Apollo 11 during the first moon landing in 1969. But the real appeal will be the movie's 3-D presentation: Even ordinarily mundane things — e.g. shards of glass flying through weightless space or dust being kicked up under Neil Armstrong's boots — appear remarkably realistic when seen through those plastic 3-D specs. Question is, how important will that cool factor be to kids (the film's target demographic) when the movie opens on August 22nd?

Mike Myers, Jessica Alba introduce 'The Love Guru' at ShoWest

Mike Myers and (a very pregnant) Jessica Alba made a surprise appearance at ShoWest in Las Vegas on Tuesday night to present clips from their summer comedy The Love Guru. After some cutesy banter in which Myers claimed to be Alba's baby daddy, the pair introduced four scenes from the film, which appears to be a return to the live-action shtick that Myers perfected before he turned into a jolly green animated ogre several years ago. This time, he stars as a Hollywood guru named Pitka, who plays "More Than Words" and "The Joker" on a sitar (you've got to imagine that Myers has always wanted to say "pompatus" in a movie), starts a bar fight, and hosts Alba's character at a dinner where they eat something resembling testicles. (Also popping up: Stephen Colbert as a hockey announcer and erstwhile "Mini-Me" Verne Troyer.)

The crowd seemed charmed enough by all that, but it was Justin Timberlake's performance as a Celine Dion-loving Quebecois celebrity that had them in stitches (his corny rendition of "Because You Love Me" could become a classic). If Mike Myers no longer clicks with audiences, Timberlake may just be what saves The Love Guru when it opens on June 20.

Michael Bay may spawn a new 'Rosemary's Baby'

Rosemary's Baby may soon get an evil twin. Paramount has partnered with Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes to develop a remake of Roman Polanski's 1968 classic, about a young woman unwittingly impregnated with the devil's child. The original, of course, starred Mia Farrow and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ruth Gordon. Although Polanski doesn't have any contractual control over a new version, Paramount has reached out to the director for his blessing, according to a studio insider. (It hasn't been resolved whether Polanski would retain any official credit on the film, but he will most likely not be creatively involved.) "We certainly come to [the project] with trepidation because of how important [the original] film is," says Dunes partner Brad Fuller. "But we're going to see if there's a great way to tell that story." To that end, Fuller and co-partner Andrew Form are currently taking pitches from screenwriters around town. Adam Fields (Donnie Darko) is also producing. Fuller doesn’t expect that Bay, currently set to helm Transformers 2 for summer 2009, will direct this Baby.

Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. trade barbs at 'Tropic Thunder' party in Las Vegas

No topic was too sensitive for Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. as they bantered while introducing two extended clips from their upcoming comedy Tropic Thunder on Tuesday night. At a party that unveiled snippets of the R-rated summer flick for ShoWest attendees, Stiller and Downey riffed on such verboten topics as jail time, drug use, and failed movies. "Hmm, Mystery Men, I don't know that movie," Downey said. "Oh really, maybe it came out when you were in jail," Stiller replied. Then, later: "My kid woke up screaming in the middle of the night," Downey said. "Oh really, why?" asked Stiller. "He dreamed we had to go see The Heartbreak Kid again," Downey quipped. And so it went.

The no-holds-barred chitchat may have been the perfect setup for a movie that appears to defy social convention (as was the evening's party, at the Planet Hollywood casino's swanky sushi joint Koi, which featured erotic dancers shaking their hips in skimpy, camouflaged ensembles). Tropic Thunder centers on a group of actors (including Stiller, Downey, and Jack Black) who get dropped into the jungle by a director (Steve Coogan) who is tired of their canned performances in his Vietnam War film. Downey (as you may have read) plays a white actor who dyes his skin black for his role — and recites the theme song to The Jeffersons for added authenticity. Meanwhile, Black's tortured thespian craves drugs and Stiller's character eats the blood of his recently blown-apart director. Indeed, Tropic Thunder has the potential to be that outrageous summer flick that keeps audiences talking for weeks — which is exactly what Paramount will be counting on when the film opens on Aug. 15.

'Monsters vs. Aliens' 3-D footage thrills at ShoWest

A sneak preview of scenes from DreamWorks Animation's 2009 release Monsters vs. Aliens was met with riotous applause at ShoWest on Tuesday. Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg presented the footage from the kiddie flick, which stars the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, and Stephen Colbert (as the President of the United States, of course), and he couldn't have expected a better reception. After all, in recent years at ShoWest, movie industry insiders have spent a lot of time predicting a coming 3-D revolution, but it has yet to arrive. So why was this presentation so successful? Credit a process that DreamWorks Animation has dubbed "Ultimate 3-D," which has the effect of bringing the viewer into the world of the movie, rather than having stuff pop off the screen. (Really, you have to see it to believe it.) Also key: Monsters vs. Aliens is the first movie to be completely made with 3-D software, as opposed to its predecessors, which were converted to 3-D only in postproduction. No wonder Katzenberg has been lobbying theater chains to put in more digital screens for 3-D.

Morgan Spurlock at SXSW: This buzz's for you

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock was really looking to create a buzz with his South By Southwest screening of Where in The World is Osama Bin Laden? During inclement weather, which knocked out the  power 15 minutes into the film, the Super Size Me star launched an impassioned chant for "free beer" before deciding to buy a round of Tecate to all 180 festival-attendees waiting patienty in their seats for the restart. "This one's on Harvey Weinstein," he announced to resounding cheers as cases were brought in to the theater.

Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert film 'Shine a Light' screens at ShoWest

Everybody is familiar with Mick Jagger's lips, but a select crowd of about 100 VIPs got an up-close glimpse at all of the rock legend's dubious dental features late last night at ShoWest, the movie industry's annual convention in Las Vegas. At a special early IMAX screening of Shine a Light — Martin Scorsese's feature film chronicling two concerts that the Rolling Stones played in New York in 2006 — audience members were treated to a rambunctious version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash," a strange take on "As Tears Go By," and an extremely intimate look at the grizzled features of Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Charlie Watts. (Keith Richards' face on a seven-story-tall screen? Thanks, IMAX!) Also writ ultra-large: special guests Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jack White, and Christina Aguilera.

Dignitaries in attendance included Steve Bing (who was a producer on the film) and Heidi Fleiss (who sat next to said producer on the film). Some skipped out early (it was well after midnight, after all), but they'll have a chance to see Shine a Light in theaters with the rest of the country when it opens on April 4.

Biggie Smalls biopic casts lead

Rapper Jamal Woolard (a.k.a. Gravy, pictured) has landed the lead in the biopic Notorious, based on the life of rapper Notorious B.I.G., killed in 1997. Woolard won the role after a nationwide search that began online in August, and stars Angela Bassett, who plays Biggie's mom, Voletta Wallace; Anthony Mackie (We Are Marshall), who's been cast as Wallace's rival Tupac Shakur; and Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) as Sean Combs. George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor) will direct the Fox Searchlight film, which begins shooting March 24 in New York City. Woolard gained notoriety in 2006 when he was shot in the buttocks on his way to an interview at NYC radio station Hot 97. He finished the appearance before being taken to the hospital. Ouch.

MPAA study finds movies cost more than ever: Ticket buyers beware

In advance of the movie industry's annual ShoWest gathering in Las Vegas next week, the Motion Picture Association of America has released its Theatrical Market Statistics Report for 2007, which details all the basic facts and figures of the film business. The big news is that the total cost of making and releasing a movie is at an all-time high: Last year, Hollywood studios spent $70.8 million to produce the average release and $35.9 mil to market it — a whopping $106.6 mil total price tag. (The previous high was $105.8 mil in 2003.) The sums for what the MPAA calls "subsidiaries/affiliates" (ie. specialty divisions like Fox Searchlight and Miramax) saw an even bigger jump: It cost $74.8 mil to make and market the typical indie movie, up from a previous high of $62 mil in 2003. Meanwhile, the average cost of a movie ticket rose 5 percent to $6.88, the largest such leap in seven years. And remember, we're talking averages here — the cost of a standard summer blockbuster, like a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, is much higher (usually well north of $200 mil), and theater admissions in major metropolitan areas tend to cost a whole lot more.

Stars fill government's witness list in Pellicano trial

The U.S. Attorney's office has filed a list of 80 to 100 people it "intends to call" as witnesses in the wiretapping trial of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano, which started Wednesday in L.A. The list included: Farah Fawcett, Keith Carradine, Bert Fields, Brad Grey, Kevin Huvane, Bryan Lourd, John McTiernan, Michael Ovitz, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Sylvester Stallone, and Vincent Bo Zenga. The government will deliver an opening statemtent Thursday morning. Check out EW.com for further updates.

AFTRA gives SAG an ultimatium

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists president Roberta Reardon sent a letter to Screen Actors Guild prez Alan Rosenberg on Monday saying that SAG needs to decide by March 10 whether it will jointly negotiate its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers with AFTRA. As previously mentioned, the two actors’ entities have a 27-year-old agreement to negotiate their TV and film contracts together as a leveraging tactic. But yesterday, a source close to the situation confirmed that a start date for talks hasn't been set yet and said that part of the problem has to do with whether SAG and AFTRA will continue to negotiate jointly. “SAG has obstacles on the table,” the source said.

SAG has two major considerations to ponder: 1) if SAG decides on a divorce, AFTRA will likely begin negotiations on its own as soon as possible, which could deflate SAG’s proposals. 2) SAG brought up a separation in the first place, because it didn’t want to split the negotiating committee with AFTRA 50/50, so backing down now may send a mixed message to its members about its hard-line negotiating tactics. Stay tuned for SAG’s decision…

Ellen Page drops out of Sam Raimi's 'Drag Me to Hell'

Ellen Page and Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) are collaborators no more. The Juno star has backed out of Raimi's upcoming horror movie Drag Me to Hell because of scheduling conflicts. A new star has not been named. "We were racing to start production so that we could accommodate Ellen's schedule," says a joint statement from the two production companies behind the film, Ghost House Pictures and Mandate Pictures. "But like so many other productions trying to start before the potential [Screen Actors Guild] strike date, this one needed more time and we had to push back the start of production." It is not clear if the movie will move forward before the potential strike in June if a new star can be cast.

Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne out at New Line

Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, the maverick co-chairs of New Line, are out of jobs as of today as part of a consolidation move that makes New Line a unit of Warner Bros. (Entertainment Weekly is a unit of Time Warner.) The news comes after months of speculation that the duo was in jeopardy. The studio hasn't had a big hit since the massive success of the Peter Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings trilogy. Most recently, New Line tried to launch a new franchise with the Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig-starrer The Golden Compass, but the pricey pic based on the successful book series by Philip Pullman grossed only $69 million domestically.

Time Warner's CEO Jeff Bewkes said today that New Line will maintain its own brand identity along with separate development, production, marketing, and distribution divisions but that there will be lay-offs. In a note to New Line staffers, Lynne and Shaye said that while it was a painful decision to step down, "We intend to remain actively involved in the industry in an entrepreneurial capacity." Shaye began New Line out of his apartment more than 40 years ago, and the industry will certainly be watching whatever he does next.

Oscars: 'We may have to get used to smaller audiences,' says Academy exec

On Sunday, Feb. 24, the Academy Awards telecast earned its lowest audience rating on record, plummeting 21 percent from last year. Is the Oscars in crisis? And what, if anything, can the Academy do to turn the tide? EW.com spoke with Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was the reaction at the Academy when you got the ratings numbers on Monday?
BRUCE DAVIS: That's kind of a foggy day for a lot of us, but there was some phoning back and forth. We were startled that they were as low as they were. Because we had small and dark pictures this year, we all thought we wouldn't hit 40 million [viewers] again. But I never talked to anyone here who expected it to fall off as much as it did.

Can you tell from the ratings when people tuned in, and when they tuned off?
There was a lot of shuffling, people tuning in and then moving away and then coming back. But the main problem was that a huge part of the traditional audience just never showed up.

The price of gold: Oscar-winning films spend big cash on marketing

While No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood were the big winners at the Academy Awards, those Oscar statues came at a hefty price. Sources tell Hollywood Insider that Miramax spent some $55 million on prints and advertising for its U.S. release of No Country; one Miramax insider puts the price tag closer to $45 million. Regardless, either figure cuts significantly into the $64 million the film has grossed domestically. Meanwhile, for Blood's Daniel Day-Lewis to take home "the handsomest bludgeon in town," Paramount Vantage spent in the low $40 million range. That movie has only earned $35 million at the box office. (The studio had no comment.) What's so telling about these figures is that the marketing bills have now exceeded the $30 million that it cost to produce each of these movies. The money hasn't stopped flowing either -- at least not from Miramax's coffers: Though No Country has already been in theaters for 16 weeks, this weekend marks its widest release yet, on some 2,000 screens.

Todd Haynes' next project: Tipping back a Heineken. Plus: Rainn Wilson dishes on new 'Office" episodes; Allison Janney preps for Broadway

On the arrivals carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards, writer-director Todd Haynes (I'm Not There) told EW.com that his next directing project won't be a film; it'll be a commercial. "My first," he chuckled. "It's Heinekin. A great product, right? It's all these different little segments of unlikely people handing beer to each other, entering new worlds. It sort of has an Obama theme to it, in my mind." Haynes explained that the decision "had nothing to do with the writer's strike; it has something to do with me wanting to make some money." The ad will shoot in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Spirit Awards host Rainn Wilson says he's read the first script for the six post-strike episodes of The Office. "It's called 'The Dinner Party.' It's like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf meets The Office. It promises to be spectacular -- I say that with all sincerity."

And fellow Juno castmate Allison Janney has just signed onto American Beauty director Sam Mendes' next, untitled project. Written by David Eggers and his wife, Vendela Vida, the film is a romantic comedy road picture. In July, Janney will go to work in a stage adaptation of the 1980 comedy 9 to 5. "Dolly Parton is writing the music and Joe Mantello is directing," Janney says. "I'm doing the Lily Tomlin part. I'm trying to get my voice and my body in shape to do a musical." The show will preview first in Los Angeles before moving to Broadway.

Spielberg's 'Chicago 7' delayed

The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was supposed to be Steven Spielberg's next film, has been delayed. The movie, which explores the infamous trial of the protesters from the 1968 Democratic convention, had tentatively been scheduled to begin production in April. According to Spielberg's longtime spokesman, Marvin Levy, Chicago still may be Spielberg's next endeavor -- it's the furthest along of all his projects -- but the script, written by Aaron Sorkin, needs work, and the 100-day writers' strike delayed the project so long that it couldn't be ready for an April start date. One source tells EW.com that research staff working on the film has been let go. Levy wouldn't comment. Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to play counter culture icon Abbie Hoffman, but no deal has been confirmed. Dreamworks had initially hoped to announce some casting decisions this week, but have no plans to do so now, Levy said.