While it stars some great names in the world of film, we haven't heard too much about Easy Virtue. But now, as it gears up for that spanky Canadian festival known as TIFF, CinEmpire has published a whole slew of pictures -- a retro Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, and more.

The film focuses on an American divorcee (Biel) who has to meet the parents (but hopefully without the cat milking). But unlike Stiller's version, she's already tied the knot with a sexy young Englishman (Barnes), so Mom (Scott Thomas) and Dad (Firth) can't stop the wedding. But I'm sure there'll be lots of dirty looks, and more than one smirk, like the one above.

Virtue is yet another romcom, but at least it heads back in time a little, and originally comes from a Noel Coward play that Alfred Hitchcock adapted years ago as a dramatic silent film. Good or bad, we'll find out soon enough.

[via The Bad and Ugly]

Imagine you're a green alien living happily among other green aliens on a tiny planet somewhere. Then one day an astronaut from Earth shows up and starts terrifying everyone. And he has the voice of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson! Except maybe contractual stipulations demand that he not be called "The Rock" anymore. Still! Scary!

That's the premise of Planet 51, a computer-animated comedy that has finally, after some shuffling, been acquired by Sony and scheduled for a Thanksgiving 2009 release. The voice cast includes Johnson, Gary Oldman, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, John Cleese, and Jessica Biel. The directors are a trio of video game programmers named Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, and Marcos Martinez, and the script is by Joe Stillman, who co-wrote the first two Shrek films.

As we reported last November, Planet 51 was originally picked up by New Line and would have been that studio's first CG release. Then New Line was folded into Warner Bros., so the film became that studio's property, and they planned to release it next summer. But according to Variety, Planet 51's producers wanted it to come out this November instead -- and that didn't work for Warners because they're already releasing a Harry Potter film in that slot. So they let the film go, and now Sony has it. The producers will get their November release date, but it'll be 2009, not 2008. Presumably, everyone's happy now.

But should they be?

Yup, I'm totally serious. This one exploded late last night; it was all over my RSS Feeds, plus I've received, like, 7 emails about it. I'm sure you already know what I'm going to say, but in case you don't -- check this out: Megan Fox is hot. OH, and sexy. Fo shizzle my Cinezzle! Yes, Megan Fox (who you might remember as Sydney from Hope & Faith) was just named the sexiest woman in the world by FHM Magazine. (Voting for sexiest girl in the universe begins next month.) Fox, of course, became a household name after starring in I'm Totally Hot: The Movie (aka Transformers) last summer. (And on a side note: I wonder what her boyfriend did this morning? Do you think he woke up, locked the bathroom door, and high-fived his reflection in the mirror? Because I would totally do that if I was dating the hottest girl in the world.)

Last year's "champion," Jessica Alba, got knocked up and fell down to third place, while Jessica Biel (2), Elisha Cuthbert (4) and Scarlett Johansson (5) rounded out the top five. Biel? Really? I still don't see the appeal. Same goes for Cuthbert -- have you seen her in person? Girl is like four inches tall. Anyway, this came via a reader poll and FHM says 9 million votes were cast. For those wondering (and I know there's a lot of you), Paris Hilton landed at number 77 and Britney Spears placed at the very bottom ... number 100. Hey, God bless the gal for even making it, right?

And now, of course, our obligatory "Megan Fox is hot" photo gallery. Enjoy!

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This is one of those movies that has a premise so incredibly bizarre, yet has cast so strong, that I figure there is some promise I am simply not seeing. David O. Russell's romantic comedy Nailed already stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel, and The Hollywood Reporter says that the film has now added Catherine Keener, James Marsden and Tracy Morgan to the cast.

The plot follows a naive waitress, Alice, who is shot in the head with a nail. The injury causes her behavior to be erratic and outrageous (the IMDb says it causes her to become a sexually adventurous bombshell), and she heads to Washington to campaign on behalf of better health care for the freakishly injured. She ends up falling for a young and clueless new congressman, who must summon up his political courage to save her. Biel plays the waitress, Gyllenhaal the congressman. Keener will be playing a self-serving congresswoman, and Marsden the small-town boyfriend of Alice. Hopefully he's not the one who shot her with a nail. Morgan's character has yet to be decided.

Like I said, there is probably something I am not seeing. The script is penned by Russell and Kristen Gore, so the charm must lie there. But is the waitress' naivete the reason she was shot in the head? Or is she naive because she thinks her insurance will cover the cost of her injury? And must James Marsden lose a girl not only to Wolverine, to Superman and to Patrick Dempsey, but to Congressman Jake Gyllenhaal too?

To be fair, I'm willing to give Mr. Russell a fair shot after the surprisingly unique Three Kings -- although people still keep dissuading me from seeing I Heart Huckabees.

When Christopher Campbell blogged about the upcoming CG-animated film Planet 51 last November, he suggested 3D and a few actors for the lead. Well, the actors are different, but when the film hits screens next year on July 24, it will travel to the third dimension. As for the cast, Variety reports that the voices taking this space adventure are Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, and Seann William Scott.

The Rock leads the cast of voices as the astronaut Chuck Baker. He lands on Planet 51 and thinks he's the first to step onto the surface. Not so, naive space traveling man. He soon discovers "green people who live in an innocent world right out of the 1950s, complete with the paranoia that they will be overrun by alien invaders." Whoops. There is no word on who the rest of the actors will voice, but I'll go out on a limb and say that planet's various greenies.

Now, when Christopher talked about the flick, he mentioned that the dude looked a little like Buzz Lightyear. He's definitely not far off -- Chuck looks like the typical CG lead. It's too bad they couldn't try to change up the look a bit, instead of continuing the goofy white boy look. I know, it's hard to come up with different looks since we all look alike, but as artists, that's their job! Argh... Maybe the next animated flick will mix things up a bit.

Almost one year ago, I fell head over heels for Annie Leibovitz's photographic recreations of famous, animated Disney scenes. She shot Scarlett Johansson as the running Cinderella, Beyonce Knowles as Alice in Wonderland, spinning around in teacups that came from Disney World, and David Beckham as the Prince who fights off Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. Now the next set of images have hit the net. They are housed over at The Disney Blog, and I'm still swooning.

I think that what I like most about these images is that they're awesome even if I don't particularly care for the people in them. Leibovitz knows how to capture the essence of each scene, and it makes me wonder just how stunning a carefully-plotted, full-length feature would look. (D*mn good, but long to do, and expensive to boot!) This time around, we've got the above, which features Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan with Gisele Bundchen as Wendy Darling and a teeny Tina Fey as Tinker Bell. But there's also images with Jessica Biel as Pocahontas, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony taking a magic carpet ride in Aladdin, and one more from that film, which looks split from the first, that has Whoopi Goldberg as the Genie.

As an added bonus, TDB also has a bunch of behind-the-scenes pics, which help you see how these great images came to be.

Oh Jessica Biel. Where would we be in life without her. Since talks to star in 8th Heaven broke down, The Hollywood Reporter tells us Biel has just signed on to star in a new romantic comedy called Easy Virtue, based on the play by Noel Coward. It's an indie, which I'd like to think is a step up from the last romantic comedy she was in (Chuck and Larry), and here she'll be starring opposite Ben Barnes. The plot revolves around an American divorcee (Biel) who travels to France and marries a Brit (Barnes) all spur of the moment like. Once married, she must return home with him to England and meet his disapproving family, with parents played by Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Stephan Elliott will direct, while Endgame Entertainment is financing. The Endgame CEO had this to say about the flick: "It's a funny, lovely movie with a point." Really? What's the point? That you shouldn't fly to Europe and marry some Brit on a whim because his family will probably hate you? Is there ever a "point" when it comes to romantic comedies? Alfred Hitchcock first adapted Easy Virtue wayyy back in 1928 as a silent film, of which I would love to see one day. That was a drama, though, and this version will play up the laughs more. Next up for Biel is Powder Blue, in which she'll be playing a stripper, and Nailed, in which she'll be playing a woman who gets hit in the head, thereby unleashing a slew of sexual urges. I smell a pattern developing ...

Well if nothing else, at least the legendary Chun Li is not going to be played by Jessica Biel. ComingSoon.net is reporting that Smallville's Kristin Kreuk has signed to star in the new Street Fighter film. There has been no official word on which role she is going to play, but the smart money is on her taking over where Ming-Na Wen left off in the 1994 incarnation of Capcom's classic game. News of the film first surfaced back in October, 2006 and back in July there had been an early review of Justin Marks' script. Early word had the plot centering on Li as she searches for those responsible for her father's murder all while taking down the Shadoloo organization. There has been very little mention of any of the other Street Fighter characters making an appearance, so I would expect that not much has changed in Marks original ideas of the film's direction. The flick is expected to start production this spring and will film on location in Thailand in March 2008.

This is Kreuk's third feature film, having already starred in Partition with Neve Campbell and a slightly less dignified role in the teen comedy, Eurotrip. Andrzej Bartkowiak has already signed to direct. For those of you out there worried that Street Fighter will degenerate into another cheese-fest, I can't say I blame you. Of course the worse news is that Bartkowiak's resume highlights include Cradle 2 the Grave and Romeo Must Die, so I can't be the only one thinking that this film might be destined for direct to DVD obscurity.

Could it ... be? Maybe? Potentially? Possibly? Is Warner Bros finally about to announce their official cast for the live action Justice League of America film? Should we celebrate? Throw a party? Go out for drinks? Raise a pair of underwear up a flagpole (quick, which movie)? I wouldn't go getting your hopes up just yet (I'm talking to you Mr. "I wear the same JLA shirt 30 days in a row) -- but if IESB is correct, we could be hearing who was cast in this thing at some point this week. Yes, they apparently talked to some Warner Bros. sources who claim the cast is locked -- everyone is in double secret probation mode -- and an announcement should be coming within the next couple days.

A recent Variety article claimed some huge studio tent poles could suffer delays because of the current writers strike, and that Justice League of America was one of those films. Not so, says this WB source, and so it'll be interesting to see what happens throughout the week. Who should we expect in the roles of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Cinematical Man? It's anyone's guess at this point; director George Miller and his team have auditioned almost all of "Young Hollywood" and from what we hear, Miller's done a bunch of talent scouting over in Australia as well. Chances are we'll see a mix of American and Australian talent -- faces that are kinda sorta familiar, but no one really big. Then again, they could surprise us with a high-profile actor or actress, but after the whole Jessica Biel debacle, I highly doubt it. Who do you want to see in the film? And check out our JLA cast wishlist down below.

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We now have another reason why Jessica Biel didn't want to take on Wonder Woman -- she wanted to jump in bed with Jake Gyllenhaal! The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Jake and Jessica (with names perfect for tabloid coupledom) have signed on to star in David O. Russell's latest film -- Nailed -- both the bed sort of nailing and the, well, nail sort of nailing. Not only that, but it is also getting another Gore into the movie biz -- O. Russell is co-writing the script with Al's daughter, Kristin Gore.

Coming from David O., this won't be your run-of-the-mill political satire. Biel will play "Sammy Joyce, a socially awkward small-town receptionist who has a nail accidentally shot into her head by a clumsy workman, eliciting wild sexual urges." It gets better: "The uninsured Joyce goes on a crusade to Washington to fight for the rights of the bizarrely injured. She meets an immoral congressman (Gyllenhaal) who takes advantage of her sex drive and capitalizes on her crusade as Joyce heads into her own career in politics."

Talk about having a ton of reasons to see this sucker. O. Russell makes some funny movies (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees), and has this really funny tendency to go apeshit on set. Remember? Then there's the next Gore entering the movie biz, which I hope will mean some inside info, rumors, political goodies masked in the script. Then there's Biel taking on a political comedy -- can she do it? And finally, Jake as a congressman. Pre-production begins this month, shooting starts in January, and maybe we'll get this just in time for the next Presidential election.

So Jessica Biel won't be taking on the world of Wonder Woman -- wearing a swimsuit-like outfit, some powerful accessories, and swinging that golden lasso around. Instead, she's going to star in a crime thriller that she's also producing. Variety reports that she'll lead Die a Little, an adaptation of Megan Abbott's noir novel. Marcia and Geoffrey Blake are currently writing the script, but no director has been picked. Now this could've been a pretty cool alternative if it was a faithful adaptation -- the book is set in 1954, and the cover has that old-school noir look. However, while the film will still be set in LA, it will be modernized and set in the present day.

The book is about an orphaned brother and sister, Bill and Lora King, who live together into adulthood -- until DA investigator Bill falls for Alice Steele, a damsel in distress with a mysterious past. They get married, but schoolteacher Lora is suspicious and decides to investigate. Wryly referring to herself as a Nancy Drew, she finds a frightening story involving the usual suspects -- sex, drugs, corruption, and murder. As for who Jessica Biel will play -- I guess that depends on whether she's going to be the good or bad girl -- Variety didn't say who.

But really, it's pretty disappointing that they won't keep this as a noir thriller. If it's a money concern, with all the hassles of creating a period piece, then maybe they should be looking for a different project, not ripping this story out of its context. The only way I could see this potentially living up to its material, and still be modernized, is if they give it that Twin Peaks sort of feel, where there are modern elements, but within a retro-timeless context. But that's just me. What would you prefer: retro noir, or present-day investigating?

Over at her blog, Nikke Finke has written a long and somewhat contradictory post-mortem on last weekend's big news story, spawned by her, that Warner Bros. no longer sees women as viable leads for their motion pictures. She notes a number of communications she's had over the last few days with Robinov, the studio chief who apparently made the offending comments, but says they are off the record and won't discuss them. She also strangely calls his e-mails "charming" at one point before returning to defend herself against accusations of overreach on this issue. Just as I was rolling my eyes and about to flip away from the blog, I noticed that Finke also throws in something on the Justice League movie. She says Robinov "has been saying he would only make Wonder Woman ... as a spin-off of Justice League. But his proviso is that Justice League, about four superheroes including Wonder Woman, would have to do really, really boffo to justify having a female as the main star of a spin-off pic."

This makes sense to me. I bet Robinov tried to lock Jessica Biel into some indentured servitude contract that would pay her peanuts for both the Justice League film and a low-budget Wonder Woman stand-alone to follow (think Catwoman-level cheapness), and she balked. If that's the case, then what is Robinov's problem? Why doesn't he just stop postponing the inevitable and cast Jennifer Connelly in this thing -- honestly, could anyone else do Wonder Woman justice? -- pair her with an A-list male star to alleviate concerns over womanly box-office punching power and throw money at someone to write a script that's actually not terrible. How hard could it possibly be?

So I guess it's getting to that time of the year where people start shelling out their lists, checking them twice, and, in this case, rip out the pages to plaster them all over the wall. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Esquire Magazine has officially declared Charlize Theron to be the "sexiest woman alive." Here's my problem with this: Did Esquire scour the globe, in and out of neighborhoods, whilst conducting their search? Because, surely, if you're going to claim someone is the "sexiest woman alive," then I'd hope you looked at thousands upon thousands of women. I think not -- for example, my wife wasn't interviewed. And she's pretty damn sexy. So what gives?

Since previous winners include Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel and Angelina Jolie, something tells me this list isn't the "sexiest woman alive;" it's more like, "the sexiest woman in Hollywood." And that's fine -- I understand how people wait all year for this list to be announced so that they can run home and snort jelly beans off the glossy cover -- but why advertise it as the "sexiest woman alive" when you're only looking at famous people? Are these the only women that count? Is that what Esquire wants us to believe? Are our mothers, sisters, friends and wives not sexy because they're not members of some elite group? During her interview with the magazine, Theron said, "I'm drawn to ambiguity." So she's the sexiest woman alive ... and she's drawn to ambiguity! Oh, and about her role in Reindeer Games: "That was a bad, bad movie. But ... I got to work with John Frankenheimer. I wasn't lying to myself -- that's why I did it." Hey, at least she's honest. That's kind of sexy.

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We've heard rumors for months with regards to the script for the much-hyped, live-action version of Justice League of America. While movie sites compete to be the first to obtain top secret JLA info, none other than Entertainment Weekly has stepped up claiming to have obtained an early version of the script. According to the magazine (and what follows might be deemed spoiler-ish, so beware) the following characters were included in the version they read: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter. Earlier reports had claimed Aquaman was left out, but here he's listed -- and personally, I dig the orange and green suit; hopefully he'll stick.

EW also says the script goes the "origins story" route, apparently showing how the Justice League was formed. Here's how EW describes the plot: It "revolves around villainous businessman Maxwell Lord and involves cyborgs called OMACs (One-Man Army Corps), who can take over humans and turn them into killing machines. There are epic battles between Superman and Batman, as well as Superman and Wonder Woman." Aww man, why would Supes do battle against Wonder Woman? As of right now, no one has been officially cast -- Jessica Biel was offered the role of Wonder Woman, but turned it down (perhaps because she wasn't guaranteed a starring role in a potential spin-off). Not long ago, Cinematical asked folks who they would cast in the Justice League of America film. Based on your answers, we've put together a gallery so you can see for yourself whether these are the people you want portraying some of our most beloved superheroes on screen. Check it out below.

[via IESB and IGN]

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Just when we thought things were starting to happen regarding Warner Bros. upcoming live-action Justice League movie, comes word from Entertainment Weekly that Jessica Biel has passed on the role of Wonder Woman. We brought you news recently that Biel was in discussions to take on the first live-action, big-screen version of one of the sexiest superheroes of all time. But, for whatever reason, Biel has decided to pass -- so says EW, that is. Official word has not come down as of yet, so I wouldn't count her out completely. But, with Biel out of the picture, it means a lot of folks will have to go back to the drawing board. And seeing as there are plans to begin production within the next couple months, it will be a race to cast someone, anyone, in the role.

But they don't just have to find a Wonder Woman, they have to also find a Batman, a Superman, a Green Lantern, a Flash, a Martian Manhunter and an Aquaman (although recent rumors point toward Aqauaman not being included). Good luck. It's not clear why Biel passed on the role; perhaps she's been reading up on all the negative internet chatter surrounding the film -- maybe she didn't feel like signing her life away (I take it whomever plays WW will also need to sign onto at least three films) -- or maybe she'd rather go after an Oscar nom instead of a big payday. We don't know, and we may never know, but the field is wide open yet again. Will this delay the film? Who knows - but I do know there are a lot of other actresses out there capable of taking on the role. And I'm sure all of you have lots of suggestions ...