Good girls gone bad

In recent years Jennifer Aniston’s career has got stuck in a serious rut. This actress – who, let’s not forget, was by far the most talented member of the 'Friends' cast – has recently lurched from one indistinguishably dumb rom-com to the next (see 'The Bounty Hunter', 'He's Just Not That Into You' and many more), all the while playing exactly the same ditzy, wise-cracking blue-collar gal stereotype.

Since then, Aniston has altered her on-screen image and has turned to more raunchy roles. We saw a taste of her dirtier side in 'The Bounty Hunter' (see image), but since then the transition has been quite dramatic with the hotly anticipated arrival of 'Wanderlust' in which she is co-starring in this subversive tale of suburban counter culture, with the artist formerly known as Rachel Green by all accounts going topless, having three-way lesbian sex and indulging in some illegal narcotics. Risky stuff, but this Judd Apatow-produced slice of edginess could breathe some life back into a career fast becoming stale. Indeed she's the latest in a long line of Hollywood actresses to surprise us and relinquish their good girl rep in order to give their careers a push - though sometimes not in the right direction...

Amanda Seyfried, from Mama Mia! to Chloe

Think Amanda Seyfried and flowing blonde locks, Mediterranean beaches and earnestly hollered ABBA songs come to mind. Unless you've seen ‘Chloe’ that is. Obviously eager to subvert her doe-eyed image (reinforced by the likes of 'Dear John' and even 'Jennifer's Body'), Seyfried decided to play a duplicitous call girl who manages to seduce not only Liam Neeson's college professor but also his wife Julianne Moore as well. The performance proved that wholesomeness + naughtiness = sexy.

Lindsay Lohan, from The Parent Trap to Machete

Difficult to think of Lohan as a “good girl” admittedly, but back in 1998 she was as cute as a button in Disney's remake of 'The Parent Trap'. A ton of drugs, a few days’ prison time and a million photos of her drunkenly rolling out of nightclubs later and she's now found herself playing a bit part (which involves a gratuitous nude scene) in trashy action flick 'Machete'. 'Mean Girls' fans will find this sad; others might suggest she brought it on herself.

Natalie Portman, from Leon to Closer

From the age of 12, when she first shot to fame in ‘Leon’, Portman cultivated a brainy, nice girl image (helped by a break from Hollywood to attend Harvard). This all changed in 2004 when she went (almost) naked to play a lying stripper in Mike Newell's caustic relationship drama 'Closer'. Characteristically it was a smart move: it proved she was a talented grown-up star and almost made us forget her performance as Queen Amidala in the 'Star Wars' prequels. Almost.

Jennifer Connelly, from Labyrinth to Requiem for a Dream

Who would have imagined that, 14 years after being surrounded by puppets and staring into David Bowie's glazed-over eyes on the set of 'Labyrinth', Connelly would be shooting up smack and using a two-sided sex toy in 'Requiem for a Dream'? The seriously gritty role sealed her reputation as a cute child-star turned seriously talented adult actress, but made for rather depressing viewing all the same.

Elizabeth Berkeley, from Saved by the Bell to Showgirls

Berkeley was the object of many a teenage boy's affections having played the cute Jessie in early ‘90s high school comedy 'Saved by the Bell'. After the show wound up, this, let's say, limited actress somehow landed herself the lead role in epic mega-bucks, Vegas-set trash-fest 'Showgirls'. Berkeley had to literally bare all in the movie, most memorably in a cringe-worthy swimming pool sex scene with Kyle MacLachlan. Brief notoriety before a return to obscurity followed.

Drew Barrymore, from ET: The Extraterrestrial to Poison Ivy

Drew Barrymore knows all about being a good girl gone bad; she was the adorable child star of 'ET' who became addicted to drugs and ended up stripping for playboy. Her wild teen years are best summed up by her performance in 'Poison Ivy', where the actress played a scheming schoolgirl seductress/murderer with a fetish for older men. Luckily she was fab in the film and (after a spell in rehab) went on to enjoy a stellar adult career.

Julie Andrews, from The Sound of Music to SOB

She was the ultimate paragon of Hollywood wholesomeness after 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Sound of Music'. So imagine audiences’ surprise back in 1981 when they saw the clearly bored Andrews (at the age of 46) going topless and singing alongside erotically-attired toy soldiers in the mixed-up showbiz satire 'SOB'. She deserved points for sheer chutzpah, but the whole thing just felt plain wrong.

Kate Hudson, from How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days to the Killer Inside Me

After a killer performance in 'Almost Famous', Hudson's career appeared to be drifting into a bland rom-com-shaped cul-de-sac ('How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days', 'Fool's Gold', 'Bride Wars' etc). Perhaps an urge to discover her earlier edginess was why she signed on for controversial drama 'The Killer Inside Me', which involved graphic, spanking-heavy sex scenes opposite a murderous Casey Affleck. Actually, compared to that, a career in rom-coms doesn't sound too bad.

Anne Hathaway, from The Princess Diaries to Havoc

What better way to avoid being typecast after 'The Princess Diaries' than to play a promiscuous, crack-smoking wannabe gang-banger? Anne Hathaway did just that with a starring role in drug drama ‘Havoc’. With that out of her system, however, she went back to safer fare like 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Becoming Jane', though the odd voiceover in 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' could hint at more subversive naughtiness to come.

Vanessa Hudgens, from High School Musical to Sucker Punch
When you're a former Disney starlet, it's almost obligatory to sully your former squeaky clean image with a sexy new look when you hit your 20s (Britney Spears anyone?). 'High School Musical' star Vanessa Hudgens is no exception, having swapped the musical mega franchise with a role as a mental asylum patient/high-class hooker/robot-killing ass-kicker in the upcoming 'Sucker Punch' (from understated '300' director Zack Snyder). Her tween fanbase is in for a shock.

Spotted other actresses who've gone over to the dark side? Let me know below.

Wolverine 2 is given official title The Wolverine

Darren Aronofsky has revealed the official title for Wolverine’s second solo cinematic outing will be The Wolverine.

It’s further proof that Hollywood really hates numbers in sequel titles (just look at Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol). But could it also hint that this sequel will be pressing the reboot button?

Previously, Marvel did a similar thing with The Incredible Hulk, which sought to rethink the movie franchise after Ang Lee’s Hulk went down like a tsunami with most cinema-goers.

And with X-Men Origins: Wolverine possessing its fair share of critics, it’s easy to see why a sequel would want to distance itself from its predecessor – even if it's still got the same leading man.

Aronofsky himself has said that The Wolverine will be a “one off” adventure and “very different” from the first film – which seems in keeping with that reboot theory.

Meanwhile, aiding the Black Swan director behind the camera will be cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who's previously worked with Jon Favreau on both Iron Man movies and Cowboys & Aliens.

Those fears for Wolverine’s future are quickly melting away…

The Wolverine opens in 2012.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 teaser poster online

Johnny Depp’s fourth high seas, rum-swigging adventure Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has unveiled its first teaser poster online.

Much in the style of the teasers for its three forbears, the poster features a skull wearing Depp’s Jack Sparrow headband, with two swords forming a cross behind.

What’s different is that this skull is silver – yes, silver. Does this mean we’re going to find a rather more affluent Cap’n Sparrow in our third follow-up? Uhhh, not likely.

Check out the poster below…

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides finds Jack Sparrow journeying to the legendary Fountain of Youth, and encountering Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz).

The film opens on 20 May, 2011.

Natalie Portman writing a sex comedy

There is nothing, it seems, that Natalie Portman can't do.

Black Swan has set her up as a hot favourite for the awards season, and on her upcoming slate she has two comedies (Your Highness and No Strings Attached) and superhero flick Thor, and her name's also been mentioned for The Dark Knight Rises and The Great Gatsby.

Well now the Harvard grad is planning to add screenwriter to her list of talents, as she is shopping around her script for BYO, a raunchy sex comedy that she co-wrote with college friend Laura Moses.

The script is intriguingly described as a female Superbad: apparently the plot sees two unlucky-in-love ladies (one is earmarked for Portman to play) throw a party to which every woman must bring an eligible bloke (BYO = Bring Your Own, FYI).

Anne Hathaway's name has been mentioned in connection with the other lead role, but it's early days right now as the script needs to be picked up by a studio first.

Portman must have enjoyed working on raunch-com No Strings Attached as she's returning to familiar ground, but we're keen to check out her writing skills.

Keen to see a Superbad starring Nat and Anne? Tell me below.

Colin Farrell offered lead in total recall

Colin Farrell is reported to be in negotiations to take on the lead role in Len Wiseman's Total Recall remake.

The Irish actor is set to take on the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Paul Verhoeven's ultraviolent 1990 sci-fi movie.

Len Wiseman of Underworld and Die Hard 4.0 fame is in the director's chair this time round, which doesn't exactly overwhelm us with confidence, but Farrell's involvement would certainly be a welcome prospect.

It has been a while since Farrell headlined an action flick, and one of his only previous forays into science fiction was Steven Spielberg's superb Minority Report.

Kurt Ultraviolet Wimmer has written the script, which will apparently go back to the source material that Verhoeven's movie was based on: Minority Report author Philip K. Dick's short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.

The original Total Recall bore very little resemblance to Dick's short story, taking the basic premise and moulding it to suit Arnie's action man persona. There's plenty of scope for Wiseman and Wimmer to make a very different adaptation of the material, so it'll be interesting to see what they do with it.