'Rambo', 'Glory' writer Kevin Jarre dies

Famed screenwriter Kevin Jarre has died at the age of 56. 

The scribe behind Tombstone and instalments of the Rambo andMummy franchises passed away unexpectedly after suffering heart failure on April 3, his family told The Los Angeles Times. 

The self-confessed "Civil War freak" also wrote the critically-acclaimed Glory, a drama about the historic conflict's first all-black volunteer company, which collected three Oscars in 1989 - including a 'Best Actor' award for Denzel Washington. 

Jarre said of Glory at the time: "I never thought I could interest anybody in it. A Civil War epic, about black people? But I'd got really attached to the story... I'd end up in tears when I got through writing."

Other titles in Jarre's filmography include 1997 Brad Pitt thriller The Devil's Own and Bruce Willis actioner The Jackal, on which he served as a producer.

Kate Becksinsale offered Total Recall

Kate Beckinsale has been offered the role of Lori in Sony Pictures' Total Recall remake, according to Deadline.

This news shouldn't come as a huge shock, as Beckinsale is married to remake director Len Wiseman, and they've previously worked together on several Underworld movies.

Only scheduling problems could keep her away from Recall, as she's currently busy shooting Underworld 4: New Dawn (and it'd probably lead to some awkward dinner table moments if she just turned her hubbie down…)

If she signs on, she'll star opposite Colin Farrell as Douglas Quaid (the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original).

Lori (formerly played by Sharon Stone) is Quaid's wife, though like most things in the Philip K. Dick-inspired movie, she's not all she seems.

There's still another major female role to be cast: Mars-based freedom fighter Melina.

Deadline are reporting that Eva Mendes and Rosario Dawson are serious contenders for the role, though it's still not clear if either of them will actually get an offer.Total Recall also has Bryan Cranston onboard as villain Vilos Cohaagen, and it's scheduled for release on 22 August 2012.

Emile Hirsch joins Oliver Stone's 'Savages'

Emile Hirsch has been confirmed as the latest cast member of Oliver Stone's film Savages, according to Variety.

Earlier today it was reported that John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Blake Lively are also in line for roles in the film, which is based on the novel of the same name by Don Winslow.

The story revolves around two friends (Kitsch, Aaron Johnson) from Laguna Beach who farm marijuana and share the same girlfriend, who is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel.

Benicio del Toro and Salma Hayek are also confirmed to star in the project. The Universal Pictures movie will start production in July.

Emile Hirsch will appear in the December release of sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour.

Wes Craven expects 'Scream' stars to return

Wes Craven has suggested that Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette will star in another Scream movie.

Speaking to MTV, the director said that at least two more films are planned for the franchise following the recent release of Scream 4.

The "core characters" played by Campbell, Cox and Arquette will most likely appear in future instalments, Craven revealed.

"I imagine the core characters will continue. I suspect they'll be with us until the end, because they just are the heart and soul of the movie and especially since we tend to kill off most of the other people," the horror filmmaker said.

"They'll be with us. There will be some continuation of the drama of Sidney Prescott's family and the ghosts that haunt it."

The 71-year-old helmer recently admitted that making Scream 4 was a "stressful" experience.

Old Spice man confirms 'Luke Cage' talks

Isaiah Mustafa has been linked with the lead role in a movie based on comic book hero Luke Cage.

Speaking to Superhero Hype, the Old Spice ad star confirmed that he has met with Marvel to discuss the proposed film project.

"I've already had a meeting with Marvel. I talked to them and I told them that I was a gracious reader of their comics and that I wanted to be Luke Cage. So we'll see where they take it," he said.

The actor went on to say that the character's dedication to his home neighbourhood of Harlem is what makes the role appealing.

"Luke Cage has a lot going on. He's this man, he's got all these powers and abilities and he can use them to save whatever major city, but instead of doing that he uses them to help Harlem. He wants to fix his neighbourhood, and that's what's so admirable to me," he added.

"Instead of leaving and going someplace bigger, he stays right where he needs to be and tries to do the best that they can."

Last year, it was reported that Marvel Studios has plans for a Luke Cage movie, and was in preliminary talks with an unnamed actor for the title role. R&B singer Tyrese Gibson was previously linked with the part and John Singleton with the director's chair.

Marvel is yet to officially confirm that the character is heading for the big screen.

J.K. Rowling praises 'Harry Potter' scribe

J.K. Rowling has spoken of her "unique" friendship with Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves.

Writing in Written By, the author of the best-selling series recalled being introduced to Kloves at their first meeting with Warner Bros about creating the film series.

"I was incredibly wary before I met him," Rowling recalled. "He was going to butcher my baby. He was an established screenwriter, which was just plain intimidating. He was also American, and we were meeting shortly after a review of the first Potter book in (I think) the New Yorker, which had stated that it was unlikely the British idiom would translate to an American audience."

However, she admitted that "every qualm" vanished that afternoon as she got to know Kloves, whom she states that she has "complete confidence" in.

"Steve turned to me while food was being ordered and said quietly, 'You know who my favourite character is?' I looked at him, red hair included, and I thought: 'You're going to say Ron. Please, please don't say Ron - Ron's so easy to love'. And he said, 'Hermione'. At which point, under my standoffish, mistrusting exterior, I just melted, because if he got Hermione, he got the books. He also, to a large extent, got me."

The 45-year-old continued: "Inevitably, things had to be cut between novel and film. It never bothered me. Steve's a compassionate surgeon. We couldn't make eight-hour-long films, and I'd rather have had him wielding the scalpel than anyone else.

"It's been an intense relationship, forged under very unusual circumstances. Steve has come closest to being inside the world with me - actually, he has been inside the world with me but always a year or two behind. Nobody else has come close to that. The sheer length of the collaboration has made it unique."

The final instalment of the series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part Two will open in cinemas on July 15.

Melissa George, Julia Stiles join 'Between Us'

Melissa George and Julia Stiles have signed up to star in Between Us.

The upcoming film, which is described as a dark comedy exploring the friendship between two bitter married couples who reunite later in life to reflect on their history, is an adaptation of an off-Broadway play by Joe Hortua.

According to Reuters, George and Stiles will appear alongside The Green Hornet actor David Harbour and Private Practice cast member Taye Diggs.

George is best known for her roles in Home and Away, Mulholland Drive and Friends, while Stiles has previously starred in the Bourne film trilogy, 10 Things I Hate About You and Save The Last Dance.

Australian-born George recently returned to her home country to film ABC drama series The Slap, but said that she found it "hard" because she was "missing" her husband, Chilean filmmaker Claudio Dabed.

Stiles was meant to be starring in new Broadway play Fat Pig alongside Dane Cook soon, but it was announced last month that the production had been pushed back a year. It is now slated to premiere in spring 2012.

Filming for Between Us is scheduled to start in May in Los Angeles

Fast & Furious 5 sequel in the works

Universal has confirmed plans to make a sequel to Fast & Furious 5 (aka Fast Five).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has hired Chris Morgan - who penned the third, fourth and fifth Fast and the Furious entries - to write the script for Fast Six.

Universal co-chairman Donna Langley praised Morgan for playing an "integral" role in the Vin Diesel-led series.

Fast & Furious 5 sees Diesel's Dom Toretto and Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner on the run from federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Series veterans Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Sung Kang also star in the action film.

Vanessa Hudgens: 'I adore Michael Caine'

Vanessa Hudgens has said that she adores fellow actor Michael Caine.

The stars appear together in upcoming 3D action adventure film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and Hudgens previously suggested that Caine had flirted with her on set.

Asked what his chat-up lines were, Hudgens told DS: "Michael Caine is amazing. I adore him. He's such an incredible person and he just speaks his mind.

"With that wisdom he just speaks his mind, so it wasn't that he was trying to pick up on me, he was just speaking his mind."

She added: "He's incredible. He's so in the know too. He knows about current music, he knows about current electronics."

Emma Roberts: 'I want singing movie role'

Emma Roberts has revealed that she would love to star in a movie which requires her to sing.

Speaking to JustJared.com, the Scream 4 actress confessed that while she loves music, she feels it is important to dedicate herself to one artistic pursuit rather than spread her energy around.

"I just think you can't ever be seen as both equally. You are always going to be one more or the other," she explained. "For me, I want to be an actor. I would love to do something like Country Strong or Walk the Line where they sang in a movie. I think that would be really interesting."

She went on to insist that she has no interest in pursuing music on its own as she "could not deal" with the pressures of being a musician.

"As far as an album, I just think it's too much. I can't be in front of people that often, I need time to myself and I barely have time to myself, let alone if I was on tour or being a singer. I could not deal [with it]," she said.

Roberts recently said that Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow inspired her to pursue a career in acting.

'Scream 4' cuts down UK box office competition

Scream 4 has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The horror sequel, which reunites series stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, has failed to make a significant box office dent in the US and Australia but its £2 million haul is enough to see it secure first place in the UK.

Half of the chart top ten is made up of new releases, with Your Highness and Red Riding Hood landing at numbers three and four just behind Rio. Russell Brand's Hop completes the top five.

Elsewhere, Disney's new Winnie The Pooh animation bows at number eight and the Marion Cotillard-led French film Little White Lies charts at ten.

This Friday, Easter weekend, sees the opening of action sequel Fast & Furious 5 and the Arthur remake.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (-) Scream 4 - £2,061,885
2. (1) Rio - £1,695,927
3. (-) Your Highness - £926,338
4. (-) Red Riding Hood - £842,398
5. (4) Hop - £788,809
6. (2) Source Code - £674,202
7. (3) Limitless - £603,963
8. (-) Winnie The Pooh - £159,369
9. (5) Sucker Punch - £144,612
10. (-) Little White Lies - £125,273

Wes Craven: 'Scream 4 was stressful'

Wes Craven has described the filming of Scream 4 as a "stressful" experience.

The 71-year-old helmer admitted to Entertainment Weekly that filming the latest instalment of the horror franchise was less organised and more sporadic than previous productions.

"I wept myself to sleep every night," he smiled. "No, of course it was stressful. I always prided myself on coming to the set with a shot list, but quite often we'd literally get pages the night before, sometimes the day of. That part was very stressful. [The script] was evolving - it evolved a lot."

However, Craven insisted that he tried to stay calm and positive during shooting for the sake of the cast and crew.

He said: "Somebody has to be! It's just the way I deal with the stresses. People depend on the captain not be freaking out."

Craven also commented on speculation surrounding his future in the Scream franchise by clarifying his position on a potential fifth movie.

"I contractually have to be shown the script first," he said. "If I pass then somebody else will do it. Depends on the script - [Scream 4 is] gonna be a tough act to follow."

Scream 4 is currently playing in UK and US cinemas.

'Black Swan' filmmakers "completely lying

A dance double from Black Swan has accused filmmakers of "completely lying" about the amount of dancing done by Natalie Portman in the movie.

Director Darren Aronofsky defended Portman after Sarah Lane's previous claims against the star, saying that Portman had performed "90%" of the ballet herself.

However, Lane has since told 20/20: "They're completely lying about the amount of dancing Natalie did in the movie.

"I've been doing this for 22 years, and to say that someone trained for a year-and-a-half and did what I did is degrading not only to me but to the entire ballet world," explained Lane. "They threaten the entire principle of ballet and I feel like I need to say something."

Lane said she anticipated that she would be missed out of Portman's Oscar acceptance speech, but added: "I did wish that she could have said something nice about ballet itself, instead of saying that it was so horrible and she's so glad she's done with it."