Batman could land Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley or Jessica Biel for'Dark Knight Rises'

Christopher Nolan is looking at some of Hollywood's leading actresses -- as well as a few emerging talents -- for major female roles in"The Dark Knight Rises,"his next Batman film.

Sources tell THR's"Heat Vision"that Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are due to test for roles in the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole in the next two weeks.

Also testing are relative newcomers Kate Mara and Charlotte Riley. Hot British actress Gemma Arterton was also scheduled to test but, as Heat Vision first reported last week, Arterton just landed the female lead in Paramount's"Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters"and might now have scheduling issues.

"Dark Knight Rises"needs to fill two big female roles, a villain and a love interest. Sources say one character is Talia, the daughter of villain Ra's Al Ghul, who was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Nolan's first Gotham-set crime pic"Batman Begins."In the comic books, Talia is both Batman's lover and antagonist, ultimately siring his alter ego Bruce Wayne's son.

While Knightley, Hathaway and Biel are well-known actresses, the other two are up-and-comers. Mara had brief roles in"127 Hours"and"Iron Man 2"in 2010. Her sister Rooney Mara is currently shooting David Fincher's"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"in the title role.

Riley is a British actress who has done mostly TV work. She is engaged to Tom Hardy, who co-starred in Nolan's summer smash"Inception"and has already booked an unspecified role in"Dark Knight Rises."

The film is looking at a May start, with shooting to take place in London and Los Angeles, according to insiders. Christian Bale is set to return as the Caped Crusader.

Nolan and Warner Bros. decline to comment.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

Source

Directors Guild of America's 2010 award nominees:'Social Network,'Black Swan,''King's Speech'

Hollywood's Oscar race narrowed further on Monday when a key directors' group picked their top five movies and filmmakers, including David Fincher with his Facebook film"The Social Network."

The Directors Guild of America, which represents men and women who make movies, also put the makers of"Black Swan,""The King's Speech,""The Fighter"and"Inception"on its list of nominees for best directing efforts of 2010.

"Their inspired films radiate the passion and unique vision of each of these filmmakers, who are about to become part of our Guild's rich history. My sincerest congratulations to all five nominees,"DGA president Taylor Hackford said in a statement, noting 2011 marks the group's 75th anniversary.

The DGA honor is important because it is one of the most prestigious honors in the U.S. film industry, and because there is a strong correlation between DGA nominees and directors who will vie for Oscars, the world's top movie honors.

In all but six years since the DGA began giving out awards in 1948, its winner of best director has won the Academy Award, and traditionally the winner of best director has often seen his or her film go on to take best movie from Oscar organizers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

'True Grit,' starring Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld, was shut out of the Directors Guild of America award nominations for 2010. (Sebastian/AP)

Last year's DGA winner, Kathryn Bigelow with"The Hurt Locker,"for instance, also claimed the best director Oscar and her Iraq war film took home best motion picture.

"The Social Network,"a fast-paced movie that tells of the founding of website Facebook, already has been named best movie by numerous U.S. critics groups and on Saturday, the National Society of Film Critics also named it the No. 1 film.

Numerous other groups have made their choices, and still others like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with its Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild will name their winners later this month. Taken together, the critics and industry groups help narrow pundits' picks for Oscars.

Fincher and his movie face strong competition from drama"Black Swan,"directed by Darren Aronofsky and telling of a woman on a journey of self-discovery through her dancing.

Director Tom Hooper's"The King Speech,"a period drama detailing how Britain's King George VI worked to overcome his stammering, has strong support among Oscar pundits.

Boxing film"The Fighter,"from David O. Russell, also figures prominently in the awards sweepstakes, and the DGA's fifth nominee, Christopher Nolan and thriller"Inception,"has a loyal fan base owing to his mega-hit Batman movies.

The DGA gives out its awards on January 29. Oscar nominees are named on January 25, and their ceremony takes place on February 27.

(Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source

Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, renovated and expanded, ready for reopening

After the feast of holiday movies, the film world turns towardL.A.'sGolden GlobesandUtah'sSundance Film Festival. Both are in mid-January, and both have history and glitz going for them.

But if you want to get all that history and glitz at the end of a simple subway ride, go toAstoria, Queens.

That's where the renovated and expandedMuseum of the Moving Imageis. And next Saturday, this one-of-a-kind monument to the art and entertainment of movies - three decades old in 2011 - reopens after three years with a slate of screenings, events, symposiums and memorabilia exhibits.

In a busy city full of art, this is something to slow down for.

While awards are being polished and distributed and moviegoers are compiling best-of-the-year lists - whether they're paid to do it or not - going to a movie is still one of New Yorkers' favorite things to do. If a neighborhood theater adds new seats, you love it; when the local multiplex raises popcorn prices, you complain about it, and as the coming weeks bring the inevitable dogs of January,you dread it. More on that in a second.

But at all times,New Yorkis a movie city. The art form was born here, and of course is still made here - at Silvercup Studios in Queens, inBrooklynat the Navy Yard and, chances are, right around from the corner from where you are now. Yes, we watch them on our TVs and computers and ever-shrinking hand-held devices, but they're made to be seen bigger than life, in the dark and surrounded by strangers experiencing them with us.

That can mean the reRun Gastropub Theater inDUMBO, at theStaten IslandorHarlemInternational Film Festivals or atLong Island City's Socrates Park on a hot summer night. And, now, at the Museum of the Moving Image's huge 267-seat theater, debuting Saturday at 4 p.m. with a screening ofStanley Kubrick?a>??s"2001: A Space Odyssey."

Future shows includePaul Newmanin"The Hustler"(Jan. 15 and 16), theJames Cagney-Warner Bros.crime drama"The Mayor of Hell"(Jan. 30), the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical"Follow the Fleet"(Feb. 6) and the classic film noir"Out of the Past"(Feb. 18).

For additional treasures out of the past, the museum has another, 68-seat screening room, as well as more behind-the-scenes glimpses at movie history than you’ll find in a whole night toggling between TCM andeBay.

And like the leap in Kubrick's classic from"The Dawn of Man"to the"Jupiter Mission,"the museum goes from the bygone - toys, photos and equipment from the silent era through 2010 - to the future. There are state-of-the-art 3-D exhibits, animation workshops, an experimental production studio and an interactive video-online-performance mashup called Signal to Noise, starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday).

There's even a new Education Center, which features media labs for students and high-definition cameras for on-the-spot filmmaking.

Now that's the way to stay focused on movies.

Source

Must-see movies:'The Green Hornet,''Just Go With It,''Rango'start year off right on big screen

As winter storms through the cineplex, New Yorkers can watchNatalie Portmango from"Black Swan"to rom-com and seeStaten Island's ownMethod Manplay a loverman. New versions of"Beauty and the Beast"and LittleRed Riding Hoodarrive, and a heckuva lot of aliens pop up.

JANUARY 14

"TheGreen Hornet"—Seth Rogenis the trenchcoat-clad hero who fights crime with his sidekick Kato and cruises in a car called Black Beauty. This superpowerless detective is in 3-D for extra sting.

"The Heart Specialist"— A romantic drama starring actor/rapper Method Man as one of several medical residents who have their eyes on sexyZoe Saldana("Avatar,""Star Trek").

"Every Day"— Dramedy about aBrooklyn-based TV writer (Liev Schreiber) in the throes of a crisis with his wife (Helen Hunt). So this is where all the material for TV sitcoms comes from: Brooklyn!

"TheDilemma"— From directorRon Howard, a lark about a guy (Vince Vaughn) who can't tell his pal (Kevin James) that his wife is cheating on him.Jennifer ConnellyandWinona Ryderare the women in their lives.

JANUARY 21

"No Strings Attached"— Natalie Portman lightens up with a story about friends with benefits.Ashton Kutcherco-stars.Ivan Reitmandirects.

"The Way Back"—Director Peter Weir("Gallipoli,""The Year of Living Dangerously") tells a real-life World War II tale about prisoners escaping a Siberian gulag. WithColin FarrellandEd Harris.

JANUARY 28

"TheMechanic"— Remake of the 1970sCharles Bronsonaction thriller withJason StathamandBen Foster.

"TheRite"— They needed an old priest and a young priest for this exorcism thriller. Take a guess which oneAnthony Hopkinsplays.

FEBRUARY 4

"Frankie& Alice"—Halle Berrystars in this drama about a woman with multiple-personality disorder, a role that got her aGolden Globenomination.

"Waiting for Forever"— Romance seems to take its time in this L.A.-set romantic comedy. Co-starNikki Blonskywas theGreat Neckgirl tapped to star in the movie version of"Hairspray."

Matt DamonhasEmily Bluntto keep him company in the sci-fi thriller, 'The Adjustment Bureau.'

FEBRUARY 11

"Just Go With It"—Adam SandlerasksJennifer Anistonto pretend to be his wife so he can pick upBrooklyn Decker. So like life. It's a high-concept comedy.

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"— The moppet's first concert film, portions of which are in 3-D. There could never be another, right? Oh, wait, that title ... and all the fans. Got it.

"Gnomeo and Juliet"— Animated romance about garden gnomes who get allShakespearein their affection. With a mostly British voice cast, except forHulk HoganandDolly Parton. Verily.

FEBRUARY 18

"Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son"— The second sequel to"Big Momma's House"starsMartin Lawrenceas the cop who can't stop dressing like an old lady.

"I Am Number Four"— Alien teens elude deadly enemies by hiding who they really are. Provided they go to the Justin Bieber movie, they'll probably fit in just fine.

"Unknown"—"Twilight Zone"-ish thriller about a man who wakes from a coma to find that his friends have no memory of who his is. WithLiam Neeson,January JonesandFrank Langella.

FEBRUARY 25

"Drive Angry"— Grindhouse-style action-drama about a father (Nicolas Cage) going after the guys who killed his daughter. As long as Cage needs to pay off his tax debt, we'll keep getting movies like this. And it's in 3-D!

"Hall Pass"— TheFarrelly brothers("There's Something About Mary") return with this teen comedy. Brooklyn-bornAlyssa Milanoco-stars.

"Shelter"— Horror-thriller starringJulianne Mooreas a shrink who finds out all of a patient's multiple personalities are murder victims.

Source

Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann to reunite as husband and wife in Judd Apatow's'Knocked Up'spin-off film

It appears as thoughJudd Apatowis ready to get wifeLeslie Mann"Knocked Up"again.

Mann and former co-starPaul Ruddare signed on to play the same argumentative couple they portrayed in the hit comedy"Knocked Up,"E! Newsreported.

According to Universal Entertainment, the spin-off will be written and directed by Apatow, who produced the original film as well as box-office hits including"Anchorman,""The 40-Year-Old Virgin,""Forgetting Sarah Marshall,"and"Get Him to the Greek."

Will the original film's lead starsSeth RoganandKatherine Heigljoin the sequel? That remains to be seen, but after the war of words that erupted when Heigl called the film"a little sexist"and Rogan responded by calling Heigl"bats--t crazy,"chances are the two won't be joining on this latest venture.

According to Universal, the as-yet unnamed movie will start filming later this year, with an anticipated June 1, 2012 release date.

Source

Justin Bieber'Never Say Never'family video clip shows development of pop star's drum skills

Justin Biebermay be known as a signer, but it was his talent on the drums that got him noticed first, according to a new video clip from his upcoming sD biopic,"Never Say Never."

The clips shows family footage of the pint-sized pop star pounding on everything he can get his hands on -- a mini conga drum, a chair, a miniature plastic drum kit, and eventually a Pearl drum set.

"I just never thought of it being anything other than for fun,"Pattie Malette, Bieber's mother, says of his drumming abilities.

It was neighbor and family friendNathan McKaywho saw the Canadian kid's future stardom through his drum beats.

"'Where does this talent come from? Does he play drums?'"McKay recalled telling the pop star's mother."'Man, you'd better get that kid a kit.'"

Bieber's precocious percussion skills were enough to inspire a fundraiser to raise enough money to buy him a professional drum kit.

Despite the star's vocals surpassing his skills on the kit, Bieber still takes to the drums during his sold-out shows, which reportedly earn $300,000 each night.

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,"hits theaters February 11.

Source

James Franco says'I'm just gay'about playing three homosexual characters

James Francohas long been the subject of rumors that he's"gay"-- and he's milking the gossip for all its worth.

The 32-year-old actor -- who playedHarvey Milk's lover in"Milk"and gay writerAllen Ginsbergin"Howl"-- fueled speculation about his sexual orientation in a recent interview withEntertainment Weekly, in which he claimed he gravitated towards gay characters because they are faced with societal"opposition."

"You know what?"he said, editing his statement,"Maybe I'm just gay."

Franco, who has been dating actressAhna O'Reillysince April 2006, ripped the press for being"black-and-white."

"It's all cut-and-dry identity politics. 'Is he straight or is he gay?' Or, 'This is your third gay movie - come out already!'"he told etonline.com."And all based on... the idea that your object of affection decides your sexuality."

The actor's latest character, homosexual poetHart Crane, in the yet-to-be-released"The Broken Tower"is the third homosexual role for Franco, though he said their sexuality is not the only aspect that interests him.

"There are lots of other reasons to be interested in gay characters than wanting myself to go out and have sex with guys,"Franco said."I've played a gay man who's living in the 60s and 70s, a gay may who we depicted in the 50s, and one being in the 20s. And those were all periods when to be gay, at least being gay in public, was much more dificult."

Source