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Back in the days when she was working as a stripper and phone sex operator, Diablo Cody never dreamed she'd one day be the toast of the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, with a project in the works with Steven Spielberg, a second movie deal, and Oscar buzz spinning around her.

Cody got her big break when her quirky, honest writing style on her blog caught the notice of manager Mason Novick, who then helped her secure a literary agent for the blog entries she was compiling into a book. Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, about her experiences as a stripper and phone sex operator, shortly followed.

It was Novick who suggested that Cody had a good voice for writing a screenplay. The idea for "Juno," Cody's first film, directed by Jason Reitman, started with the seed of a memory of the experiences a friend of Cody's had in dealing with a teenage pregnancy. Cody added in a healthy dose of her own personality, mixed in some tight, and before she knew it, Read More

Eric Bana to play 'Star Trek' villain

Troy star Eric Bana will play the villain in the new Star Trek movie. The Aussie actor has signed on to play Nero in Lost creator J.J. Abrams' much-anticipated new film - a prequel to the Star Trek television series of the 1960s.

Black Hawk Down actor Bana will join Heroes star Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Anton Yelchin on the cast of the new sci-fi film, which will also feature original Star Trek regular Leonard Nimoy. The film is expected to hit cinemas on Christmas Day, 2008.

Sienna Miller signs up for 'G.I. Joe'

Actress enlists in Paramount's tentpole.

Sienna Miller is the first thesp to enlist in Paramount Pictures' big-budget tentpole "G.I. Joe."

British actress will play the film's female lead, described as a raven-haired baroness and sexy femme fatale skilled in espionage.

Stephen Sommers directs the live-action film based on the Hasbro toys, comicbook and TV series.

Story is set at Brussels-based GIJOE, an acronym for the Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, and revolves around an international co-ed force of operatives who use high-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil org headed by a Scottish arms dealer.

3 join Angelina Jolie for 'Changeling'

Jeffrey Donovan, Colm Feore and John Malkovich have joined Angelina Jolie in "Changeling," a true life drama that Clint Eastwood is directing for Universal and Imagine.

The story follows a woman (Jolie) whose son goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles. The police return the wrong child and the woman is thrown into an insane asylum for disagreeing with the LAPD.

When it seems that her real son has been murdered by a child serial killer and the child returned admits to fraud, she takes her case to the city council and takes down the mayor, the police chief and several corrupt officers, concurrently sparking changes in the insanity legislation. Read More

'Gone Baby Gone' release cancelled in UK

The U.K. release of Ben Affleck's feature directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone" has been shelved because of the story's similarities to the case of missing British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from her Portuguese holiday apartment in early May.

Buena Vista Intl. U.K. has suspended the release indefinitely. It had set a Dec. 28 release for the Boston-set thriller based on Dennis Lehane's book about a 4-year-old who goes missing.

"Miramax Films and BVI U.K. are sensitive to the depth of feeling surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann," the pair said in a statement. "We have been closely following the case and have decided to delay the release of the film in the U.K." Details

J.J. Abrams has found his Captain Kirk?

According to IESB, J.J. Abrams may be close to selecting an actor to fill the role of James T. Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek movie.

The IESB has been told that 28-year-old Pennsylvania native Mike Vogel (Poseidon, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is the front runner to play James T. Kirk in the 11th Star Trek film.

The site called Paramount and various agencies to verify the reports and although no one gave a firm confirmation, two studio insiders have confirmed that he is indeed the fore runner for the coveted role.

Casting thus far for the 11th Star Trek film has Zachary Quinto as young Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy reprising the role that he made famous as the older Mr. Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura originally played by Nichelle Nichols and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov originally played by Walter Koenig.

William Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk in the original series and feature films.

Germany's Oscar nom: The Edge of Heaven

Germany have picked The Edge of Heaven (Auf Der Anderen Seite) as their Best Foreign Language entry for 07.The film that directed by Fatih Akin and starred by Nurgül Yesilçay, Baki Davrak, Nursel Köse and Tuncel Kurtiz was screened as part of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival in May.

The country that won the Best Foreign Language Oscar just earlier this year with its Stasi drama Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others). Movie Info

New Indy title confirmed

The title of the new Indiana Jones adventure, now in production under the direction of Steven Spielberg, is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it was revealed today by actor Shia LaBeouf.

LaBeouf, who stars in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone and John Hurt, announced the title during today's MTV Video Music Awards, which were broadcast live from Las Vegas.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a Lucasfilm Ltd. and is being distributed by Paramount Pictures. It will be released in the U.S. and simultaneously in most territories worldwide on Thursday, May 22, 2008. Frank Marshall returns as producer, with Kathleen Kennedy joining George Lucas as executive producer.

Michelle Monaghan has 'Eagle Eye'

Actress joins LaBeouf in DreamWorks thriller.

Michelle Monaghan has signed to join Shia LaBeouf in "Eagle Eye," the DreamWorks thriller that D.J. Caruso will direct for DreamWorks. Production begins in the fall. Paramount will distribute the film worldwide.

Monaghan plays a single mother who forms an unlikely alliance with LaBeouf as they are framed as terrorists and are forced to join a cell plotting a political assassination. Hillary Seitz wrote the most recent draft. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Pat Crowley and Ed McDonnell are producing.

Deal marks the second recent DreamWorks film job for Monaghan, who stars alongside Ben Stiller in "The Heartbreak Kid," the Peter and Bobby Farrelly-directed comedy to be released later this year.

Monaghan, who most recently starred alongside Patrick Dempsey in "Made of Honor," next will be seen starring opposite Casey Affleck in "Gone Baby Gone," the adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel directed by Ben Affleck for Miramax.

Stephen Sommers to direct 'G.I. Joe'

Paramount sets summer 2009 release date.

Paramount Pictures has set Stephen Sommers to direct "G.I. Joe," the live-action feature based on Hasbro's line of action figures.

The studio is hiring a writer immediately, and has set a February production start for a summer 2009 release.

The accelerated production schedule began right after Sommers pitched his version of the film to Par chairman-CEO Brad Grey and production prexy Brad Weston on Wednesday evening. He was hired in the room.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce with Hasbro chief operating officer Brian Goldner. Sommers and his Sommers Co. partner Bob Ducsay will also be involved as producers.

While "G.I. Joe" served several futile tours of duty as a movie property, its momentum has been helped by "Transformers," the movie transfer of another Hasbro brand. That di Bonaventura-produced film has grossed $667 million worldwide for studio partners DreamWorks and Paramount.

Hasbro's Goldner said that the mythology of G.I Joe was fleshed out during the 1980s through 155 issues of Marvel Comics, as well as an animated TV series. There are about 30 core characters, good and evil, that can be exploited in films.

"Marrying Steve's vision with 25 years of this brand mythology feels like a great way to go forward," Goldner said.

While some remember the character from its gung-ho fighting man '60s incarnation, he's evolved. G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer. The property is closer in tone to "X-Men" and James Bond than a war film.

Timberlake joins 'Love Guru'

Crooner added to cast of Mike Myers comedy.

Justin Timberlake has joined the cast of Mike Myers starrer "The Love Guru" for Paramount Pictures.

Cast also includes Jessica Alba, Romany Malco and Verne Troyer. Director Marco Schnabel begins shooting next month in Toronto from a script by Myers and Graham Gordy.

Spyglass Entertainment is co-financing the laffer, in which Myers plays his first original character since Austin Powers. Producers are Myers and Michael De Luca.

"Guru" reunites Myers and Timberlake, who worked together on "Shrek the Third."

Storyline revolves around an American (Myers) raised by gurus on an Ashram in India. Returning to the U.S. to make a fortune in the self-help biz, his unorthodox methods are put to the test when he provides marriage counseling to a hockey star. The wife of the hockey star retaliates by starting to date a rival player (Timberlake).

Timberlake, who is on tour with his "Future Sex/Love Show," which HBO will air on Labor Day, most recently appeared on the bigscreen in "Alpha Dog" and "Black Snake Moan."

Exec producing "Guru" are Donald J. Lee, Jr., Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber.

Tea Leoni wanders into 'Town'

Gervais, Kinnear co-star in Koepp's rom-com.

Tea Leoni will star alongside Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear in writer-director David Koepp's "Ghost Town" for DreamWorks and Spyglass Entertainment.

Gavin Palone is producing the romantic comedy, set to begin production this October in Gotham. Par will distribute worldwide.

Story revolves around a misanthropic dentist (Gervais) who dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy. Recovering, he can see the dead and is bothered by the ghost of a businessman (Kinnear) who wants the dentist to break up the impending marriage of the ghost's wife, played by Leoni.

Leoni is in theaters June 22 with John Dahl's dark dramedy "You Kill Me," starring alongside Ben Kingsley and Luke Wilson. Previous credits include "Fun With Dick and Jane," "Deep Impact" and "Hollywood Ending." The latter two were distribbed by DreamWorks.

Former model in gear for "Death Race" remake

Former model Natalie Martinez is in negotiations to star as the romantic lead opposite Jason Statham in "Death Race," a remake of the Roger Corman cult classic.

"Death Race" sees a future America in which prison inmates are forced to brutally compete in an enclosed arena. Statham is starring as a prisoner who, with only weeks to go before his release, is coerced into being a driver in a road rally to the death and becomes a crowd favorite called Frankenstein.

Martinez will play Case, a woman who is assigned to be Statham's navigator and ends up assisting him in his plan to escape the prison. She joins a cast that includes Joan Allen, Ian McShane and Tyrese Gibson.

Shooting is scheduled to start this month in Montreal. Paul W.S. Anderson is directing for Universal Pictures.

Martinez, a former model for Jennifer Lopez's clothing line who jumped into acting as one of the stars of MyNetworkTV's "Fashion House" and "Saints & Sinners."

Jamie Foxx tunes up for 'Soloist'

Oscar winner to star in DreamWorks drama.

Jamie Foxx is set to star in "The Soloist," a DreamWorks drama to be directed by Joe Wright.

Project is based on the true story of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers, who developed schizophrenia in his second year at Juilliard and ended up homeless on the streets of downtown L.A. where he performs the violin and cello.

Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich") wrote the script.

Shooting will begin in January, mostly in Los Angeles. Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff are producing through their Krasnoff/Foster banner. Rikki Bestall is co-producing, and Tim Bevan is exec producer.

The drama is based on the relationship the musician developed with Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times reporter whose column informed the script, as did a book Lopez is writing that Putnam will publish in the spring. Lopez will be a major character in the film, and that role is about to be cast.

Wright appeared on the Hollywood radar after directing the Keira Knightley starrer "Pride & Prejudice." He followed with "Atonement," starring Knightley and James McAvoy, which opens the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

Foxx, a classically trained pianist, is being taught stringed instruments by a cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, an entity that figures in the plot of the film.

Foxx next will be seen starring in Peter Berg-directed drama "The Kingdom" for Universal.

Ben Stiller stays with Dreamworks

Actor, Red Hour Films reup first-look deal.

Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld's shingle Red Hour Films has reupped its first-look deal with DreamWorks for an additional three years.

In addition, DreamWorks creative exec Jeremy Kramer is leaving the studio to join Stiller and Cornfeld at their banner.

Under the terms of the first-look pact, DreamWorks has first shot at any project that Red Hour produces. Some will be developed for Stiller to direct, write or star in.

"Ben and I go way back to 'Empire of the Sun.' I've always considered him my friend, and I'm more than thrilled that he is staying in the neighborhood," DreamWorks' Steven Spielberg said.

Under the original first-look deal, set to expire at the end of this year, Red Hour produced "Blades of Glory," starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, for DreamWorks. Laffer grossed more than $100 million domestically.

Kramer worked closely with Red Hour when overseeing production on "Blades of Glory." During his time at DreamWorks, he also oversaw production on sleeper hit "Disturbia." He previously worked at Miramax.

"All of us at Red Hour were very happy to renew our deal with DreamWorks after having poached their most promising talent, Jeremy Kramer," Stiller said. "The 'K' in Red Hour now stands for Kramer."

Red Hour pics in the pipeline include supernatural thriller "The Ruins," written by Scott Smith and directed by Carter Smith. Pic wrapped shooting this week in Australia.

Currently in production is "Tropic Thunder," which Stiller is directing and toplining. He wrote the script with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. Laffer, which is shooting in Hawaii, also stars Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Owen Wilson.

Outside his Red Hour deal, Stiller stars in DreamWorks' "The Heartbreak Kid," which reunites him with "There's Something About Mary" directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Pic opens Oct. 5.

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