RIP Nora Ephron (1941–2012)

Sad news. Writer/director Nora Ephron has passed away at the age of 71. Responsible for helming rom-com classics Sleepless In Seattle and You've Got Mail  (both starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks), Ephron passed away after a long battle with Leukemia that started in 2006.

In her long 40-year career she may have only directed eight features – started in 1992 with This Is My Life – but she was also a best-selling author and screenwriter of the likes of When Harry Met Sally and Heartburn.

A three-time Oscar nominee, her final film, Julie & Julia saw Meryl Streep receive yet another Academy Award nomination.

Starting out as a journalist for the likes of Esquire and The NY Times Magazine, Ephron began her foray into cinema penning an unused draft for 1976's "All The President's Men" which lead to the TV movie "Perfect Gentlemen" and then the Streep-led "Silkwood" which earned Ephron an Oscar nomination.

Ephron pretty much set the standard template for modern romantic comedies and, was also a signature voice for women in movies.  Coming up at a time when film studios and producers almost never actively pursued films either made by or for women, she helped break through many of those barriers.

THR has more....

Marsden Will Be Packin' Heat In "2 Guns"

James Marsden will play a naval commander in the action thriller "2 Guns" says Variety.

Based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, the story follows a rogue Drug Enforcement Administration agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer assigned to investigate one in other. It's soon discovered that both individuals have been stealing from the mob.

Olmos would play Papi Greco, a dangerous Mexican druglord who runs up against them.

MarkWahlberg, Denzel Washington Bill Paxton Edward James Olmos and Paula Patton star as well

"Contraband" director Baltasar Kormákur is set to call action.

David O. Russell wote the most recent draft of the screenplay, re-writing Blake Masters' draft.

Marc Platt, Andrew Cosby and Ross Richie are producing the pic.

Jobs Biopic Gets 4 Supporting Players

Ron Eldard John Getz Lesley Ann Warren and James Woods have joined the cast of the biopic about the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs titled "Jobs" says The Los Angeles Times.

Matt Whiteley wrote the script that producer Mark Hulme says will focus on the early years of Apple, its founding by Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) and Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad), the up and down years from 1971 to 2000. The film itself is not based on one particular book though. Unlike a rival biopic in development based on Walter Isaacson's authorised biography and adapted by "The West Wing" creator and "The Social Network" writer Aaron Sorkin called Steve Jobs.

Eldard will play Apple designer Ron Holt; Getz and Warren are Jobs' adoptive parents; and Woods plays Reed College Dean Jack Dudman.

"The Help" star Ahna O'Reilly will play Chris-Ann Brennan, the Bay Area painter who was Jobs' first girlfriend and later gave birth to his daughter. Matthew Modine will play John Sculley, the man who recruited Jobs to lead Apple in 1983 and famously "fired" Jobs two years later. Sculley remained as Apple CEO from 1983 to 1993. Eddie Hassell ("The Kids Are All Right") will play Chris Espinosa, employee No. 8 at Apple and who joined at the age of 14 in 1976 when the company was still housed in Jobs' parents' garage.

Jobs's died last fall after a battle with Pancreatic Cancer.

Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") will call action on the biopic which will be shot during Kutcher's hiatus from Two And A Half Men, Thus production is underway in Los Angeles and Los Altos.

The film is intended for release late this year.

Trio Lead Cabin Fever Prequel "Zero"

Sean Astin, Brando Eaton and Ben Hollingsworth will star in Kaare Andrews' horror prequel "Cabin Fever: Patient Zero" says THR.

Jake Wade Wall ("The Hitcher," "When a Stranger Calls") wrote the scripr The story takes place on a cruise ship in the Caribbean colliding with an abandoned research vessel, unleashing the deadly virus.

Eli Roth directed the original Cabin Fever horror film about a group of college graduates who rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a flesh-eating virus. A 2009 sequel was produced

Evan Astrowsky is producing Zero. Shooting kicks off August 13th in the Dominican Republic.

We also have the second prequel, "Cabin Fever: Outbreak", to look forward to

Adam Marcus and Deborah Marcus are writing Outbreak which follows a doctor and his family who travel to a remote Caribbean island to investigate a minor flu outbreak, only to discover a vicious flesh-eating virus that threatens everyone on the island.

Superheroes Sunk Battleship?

Having earned about $300 million worldwide so far, "Battleship" is consided one of the notable failures of this Summer due to its sizeable $209 million budget and modest return for a tentpole.

In fact it was overseas grosses ($235M), where the film opened a month earlier than it did stateside, that have accounted for most of the film's revenue.

Director Peter Berg told MTV News that he'd love to do a sequel but claims the juggernaut success of "Marvel's The Avengers"-- which just topped $600 Mil Domestically--has pretty much squashed everything in its path like Battleship.

"The movie kicked butt internationally, but we kind of ran into a wall when 'Avengers' refused to go away. So, what I need everyone to do is go see 'Battleship' now that they've seen 'Avengers' five times. If they do that, we can definitely make a sequel" he says.

What if he could do things over? "I would have loved to have come out three weeks before 'The Avengers' domestically, like we did internationally, because 'The Avengers' outperformed everything. It was impossible for 'Battleship' to get any oxygen."

Weak reviews did not help the situation either

Chalk Is Another Slave

Chris Chalk has joined the cast of "Shame" and "Hunger" director Steve McQueen's Twelve Years A Slave" says Deadline.

Set in the mid-19th century, the film tells the true story of New Yorker Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and shipped off into forced labor. Eventually he was rescued from a Louisiana cotton plantation in 1853.

Chalk will play Clemens Ray, a fellow kidnapped slave

McQueen and John Ridley (”Bobby,” “Three Kings”) wrote the script.

Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch Garret Dillahunt Paul Giamatti Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson Alfre Woodard Brad Pitt Ruth Negga Michael Kenneth Williams and Scoot McNairy also star.

The film began production 2 weeks ago in New Orleans.

Choi Works With The Wolf of Wall Street

Kenneth Choi is set to join Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" says Deadline.

The story is based on the Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) penned memoir that tells of his days as a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch.

Choi will play a friend and finance industry co-worker of DiCaprio's.

Jonah Hill would play his best friend and business partner Danny Porush, a furniture salesman who joined his meteoric rise and colossal fall. Kyle Chandler will play FBI agent Coleman, who built the case against Belfort and took him down. Jean Dujardin, last year's Best Actor Oscar winner for "The Artist," will play money-laundering Swiss banker Jean-Jacques Handali. Cristin Milioti is in talks to play Belfort's first wife, an Italian-American hairdresser. Former "Pan Am" star Margot Robbie plays wife #2 Nadine. Former "The Walking Dead" co-star Jon Bernthal will play a drug dealer and money launderer. Actor/director and fomer "Meathead" Rob Reiner would play Befort's father Max.

Terence Winter of Boardwalk Empire wrote the adapted script.

Scorsese, DiCaprio, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Irwin Winkler, Jennifer Killoran, Alexandra Milchan, Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland will produce the film

Production begins August in New York.

Malone Up For Mason In "Catching Fire"

Jena Malone is in the running to play the strong-willed tribute Johanna Mason in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" says EW.

"Slumdog Millionaire" scribe Simon Beaufoy had signed on to originally go ahead and adapt author Suzanne Collins' next novel in the series a while back when Gary Ross was attached to direct. Since Francis Lawrence has replaced Ross, a new script was commissioned.

In the story the Mason character becomes a strong ally with Katniss and Peeta during the 75th Hunger Games, but has a testy relationship with Katniss who likens her to an older sister who hates you. She's a fierce competitor, who has no family and friends left in District 7 where she is from--her weapon of choice is an axe.

At last report both Mia Wasikowska and model/actress Zoe Aggeliki were up for the role with Aggeliki said to have the edge but nothing was for certain.

Whomever does get the role will not only appear in "Catching Fire" but in "Mockingjay" as well, simce Johanna figures in that story as well.

Philip Seymour Hoffman has been offerd the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Gamemaker at the Capitol after Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) was executed. Plutarch is a far savvier political animal and plays a crucial role in the events of Catching Fire.

Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland are expected to return.

Things need to move at a quickend pace since Catching Fire already has a set release date of Nov. 22, 2013, and needs to finish shooting by December so that star Jennifer Lawrence can start work on Fox's in-development as yet Untitled X-Men First Class Sequel in January.

Poulter Plays A Kid Of The "Miller's"

Will Poulter ("The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader") has joined the cast of  the comedy "We're The Millers" according to Deadline.

The film is about a marijuana dealer who recruits a faux family so he can get out of the business after making one last score by smuggling 1,400 pounds of pot from Mexico.

Ed Helms would play the boss of the Jason Sudeikis character who may be hiding something nefarious and shady.

Jennifer Aniston will play the fake wife -- who’s actually a hooker.

Dodgeball's Rawson Marshall Thurber will direct from a Steve Faber and Bob Fisher penned script.

Vincent Newman, Tucker Tooley, and Happy Walters will produce the pic.

Happytime Murders A Very Adult Muppet Movie

Writer Todd Berger talked to Crave Online about Brian Henson's puppet murder mystery "The Happytime Murders" and elaborated on just how dark and adult the final film will end up being.

The story follows a puppet private eye and disgraced ex-cop on the trail of the serial killer who murdered his brother and is now targeting the cast members of a famous 80s television show.

“I want to try to make the Heat of puppet movies. I want to be The Dark Knight or 'Heat' but in a world where puppets and humans coexist. Brian was like, ‘This mystery actually needs to be interesting so that even if you took all the comedy out of it, it’s still going to be interesting to watch” Berger says.

The potential rating may be an issue for this unique Muppet film but for now "It is full-on R. There is swearing, there’s sex, violence, murder. There’s no way. Maybe with some work it could be PG-13 but as of now we’ve embraced the R rating.”

I say bring it on!!

Keener Sings A Song For Her Supper

Catherine Keener has joined the cast of "Once" writer/director John Carney's new musical romance pic "Can a Song Save Your Life?" says THR.

The film follows a woman (Keira Knightley) who moves with her boyfriend (Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine) to New York to pursue music careers. After he dumps her for a solo contract, she is discovered singing at a local bar by a down-on-his-luck record producer (Mark Ruffalo).

Keener will portray a successful music writer and Ruffalo’s estranged wife.
"True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld will play Ruffalo's daughter. James Corden plays the best friend of Knightley’s character.

Anthony Bregman, Nigel Sinclair and Guy East will produce while Judd Apatow will executive produce the film.

Production starts next month in NYC

Dreyfuss Gets Paranoia And Girls Roles

Richard Dreyfuss has joined the cast of both Robert Luketic’s upcoming thriller "Paranoia" and the Naomi Foner indie "Very Good Girls, " says Variety.

"Paranoia" follows Adam Cassidy (The Hunger Games stud Liam Hemsworth), an ambitious entry-level employee at a telecommunications firm, who gets into trouble with the company's CEO. Instead of turning him in, the executive sends him to spy on a rival

The role Dreyfuss plays here is unknown.

Harrison Ford Gary Oldman Amber Heard Julian McMahon and Lucas Till co-star.

Jason Hall re-wrote Barry Levy's script wich itself based on the book by Joseph Finder

Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert will produce.

Production takes place in New York and Mumbai this Summer.

Paranoia will open on September 27th, 2013.

Meantime "Girls" sees Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen play lifelong best friends during their first summer after high school, both determined to lose their virginity. When they fall in love with the same guy (Boyd Holbrook), their goal becomes much more complicated and emotionally wrought than they were prepared for.

Sadly once again there are no details on Dreyfus’ role.

Peter Sarsgaard and Demi Moore also star

Norton Herrick and Michael London will produce.

Hawk Koch Lee Clay Gale Anne Hurd and Janice Williams are serving as executive producers.

Production will start this July in New York.

Luke Meets Patton At Baggage Claim

Derek Luke has joined David E. Talbert's comedy Baggage Claim, says Variety

Based on Talbert's own 2003 book, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol's Paula Patton will play a flight attendant who is the oldest woman in her family not married. Her fellow flight attendants become determined to find her a husband in 30 days.

Luke plays her long-time friend and neighbor.

The pic begins shooting in September.

Baker And Howe On The Case In "Devil's Knot"

Robert Baker (Out of Time) and Brian Howe (The Pursuit of Happyness) are set to join the cast of Atom Egoyan's film "Devil's Knot" about the infamous West Memphis Three murder case says Deadline.

The WM3 were sent to prison for the brutal murder of the three 8-year old boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. The trio of teenagers were convicted despite not a shred of physical evidence pointing to their guilt. Fueled by sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrife public opinion was against them.

Reese Witherspoon will play Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of the murder victims, who initially believes the trio committed the crime. She is eventually is persuaded that they are innocent. The trio were exonerated from the 1993 murders this last August, after spending nearly two decades in prison.

Colin Firth will play Ron Lax, a prominent private investigator and the first pro bono supporter of the defendents as they headed to trial in 1993. Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, evidence which cast suspicion on the stepfather of one of the boys - Terry Hobbs (Alessandro Nivola).

Newcomer James Hamrick has been cast to play the role of Damien Echols , the presumed leader of the trio. Justin Castor is set to appear as Jason Baldwin and Kristopher Higgins (In Time) will play Jessie Misskelley rounding out the accused.

Baker will star as Detective Bryan Ridge, one of the first responders and a main investigator on the case. Howe will also star as a cop in the form of California’s Detective McDonough, who gets drawn into the case while chasing down a lead.

Bruce Greenwood will play Judge David Burnett, who presided over the trial in a manner that was later criticized as being biased.  Michael Gladis will play Dan Stidham, the defense attorney for suspect Misskelley Jr. Matt Letscher will play the defense attorney for Baldwin. Mireille Enos, star of the hit TV series The Killing will play Vicki Hutcheson, an important witness in the case and was a link between two of the trio. Amy Ryan would play soon-to-be ex-wife of Lax. Dane DeHaan would play a teen who had history with the three murdered boys

At least four documentaries about the story have been produced.

Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson wrote the screenplay for "Knot" adapted from Mara Leveritt's non-fiction book on the case. with Boardman and Egoyan doing re-writes recently.

Boardman, Elizabeth Fowler, Clark Peterson, Richard Saperstein, and Christopher Woodrow will produce.

Production on Devil’s Knot begins next month.

Bassett Bosses Butler In "Olympus Has Fallen"

Angela Bassett has joined the actioner "Olympus Has Fallen" says THR.

Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt wrote the script about a Secret Service agent (Gerard Butler) who becomes America's only hope when the The White House is taken over by terrorists.

Bassett will play the head of the Secret Service protecting  Aaron Eckhart ("The Dark Knight") who has been cast as the U.S. President

Antoine Fuqua's calling action

Production kicks off in September.

The project is not to be confused with a rival project with the similar action-thriller White House Down.

Fincher Will Produce Estes' Thriller IOU

Mean Creek writer-director Jacob Aaron Estes will call action on the thriller IOU says The Hollywood Reporter.

The deets of the Michael Arlen Ross (Turistas) written screenplay are being kept under wraps.

David Fincher, who rarely puts his name on projects that he isn't directing, is producing the movie.

The film is being prepped for a January production start.

Wayne Callies Gets Caught In Cat 6

"The Walking Dead" co-star Sarah Wayne Callies has joined the found-footage natural disaster thriller once called Category Six says Deadline.

The script by John Swetnam, follows a group of high-school students documenting the progression of, and the aftermath of a devastating tornado.

Deadline doesn't specify the nature of her role--Teacher perhaps? I just love her and am jazzed by this news...

Arlen Escarpeta and Alycia Debnam Carey also star

Steve Quale ("Final Destination 5") will call the shots--he is also known for his work as James Cameron's visual effects supervisor and second unit director on "Avatar" and "Titanic".

Todd Garner will produce the film.

Williams Is "Slave" Traitor

Michael Kenneth Williams has joined the cast of "Shame" and "Hunger" director Steve McQueen's Twelve Years A Slave" says Deadline.

Set in the mid-19th century, the film tells the true story of New Yorker Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and shipped off into forced labor. Eventually he was rescued from a Louisiana cotton plantation in 1853.

Williams is set to play “Robert,” a mutinous slave.

McQueen and John Ridley (”Bobby,” “Three Kings”) wrote the script.

Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch Garret Dillahunt Paul Giamatti Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson Alfre Woodard Brad Pitt Ruth Negga and Scoot McNairy also star.

The film began production 2 weeks ago in New Orleans.

TDKR: Nolan's Wife Also Says No More Bats

Director Christopher Nolan left no wiggle room for a return to the world of Batman after the release of his bat-capper "The Dark Knight Rises".

Chatting with SFX, Nolan's wife and producer Emma Thomas did the same when she was asked if he might be persuaded to return to Gotham.

“No. Never… No, that’s truly a never. I cannot imagine a world in which he would ever want to come back… We’ve spent almost 10 years of our lives making Batman films" says Thomas.

She then offers a quite sound reason for leaving the franchise-"The great thing about a trilogy is that it feels like you’ve got a beginning, a middle and an end. It’s like an extended version of a regular film. Once you get into a fourth film then it’s just episodic, and I just can’t see him getting excited about making another film where basically you’re just wheeling in different villains"

As much as I would love for the Nolan era to go on--the work has been solid this far--and I would hate to see them churn out another one especially if their hearts were not in it.

Christian Bale Tom Hardy Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Marion Cotillard Josh Pence, Alon Aboutboul and Nestor Carbonell star along with a return of the trilogy's ensemble cast such as Morgan Freeman Gary Oldman and Michael Caine Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson might also be making cameos.

Matthew Modine Tom Conti Joey King Daniel Sunjata Diego Klattenhoff Christopher Judge "CSI: Miami" co-star Adam Rodriguez and Burn Gorman take on secondary roles. Rob Brown and Italian actor Massi Furlan have small roles in the film as well

Nolan called action on the DKR from a screenplay he wrote with bro Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Nolan and David S. Goyer that features Bane (Hardy) and Catwoman (Hathaway) plotting to take down Batman (Bale).

The sequel is set to hit theaters on July 20th, 2012.

Lau Leaves Iron Man 3 For Daddy Duty

Chinese superstar Andy Lau has opted out of writer/director Shane Black's "Iron Man 3" says Nerd Reactor.

The story is based on the popular six-issue mini series "Extremis" by Warren Ellis--the film's events take place after The Avengers. The plot involves the spread of a virus through nanobots.

Lau was set to play a scientist who comes to the aid of his friend Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and giving him technology to battle Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce's characters. His exit due to the birth of his first child with wife Carol Chu on May 9th.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle,Jon Favreau Rebecca Hall James Badge Dale Ashley Hamilton William Sadler also star.

Production is undweway with location shooting in Raleigh & Durham in North Carolina, Miami and China ahead of its release on May 3rd 2013