Screenhead reported that Natalie Portman was cast as the lead in adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic novel, “Wuthering Heights.”

However, reportedly Portman has left the production per the Hollywood Reporter.  This leaves some random financial problems and other pre-production woes. 

No word yet on who will replace Portman.

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 I am sorry to hear that Javier Bardem has left the “Nine” and will not take on the lead role of Guido Contini in the musical that Rob Marshall is directing.

The musical focuses on Contini, a film director who experiences personal and creative crisis trying to balance all the women in his life.

Though it’s been clearly reported that Bardem loved the script and the idea of working with Marshall, he pulled out because he is exhausted from work and awards season, and will take as long as a year to recharge his batteries. Wow!

The rest of the cast is hanging in there: Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren. Also, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench are in negotiations to join the rest of the cast soon.  

According to Variety, Bardem was ready to make the film late last year, but “Nine” got postponed, along with several other high profile projects, because it needed refinements to the Michael Tolkin script that weren’t possible because of the writer’s strike.

Bardem will next be seen in Woody Allen-directed “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” which debuts  at the Cannes Film Festival.

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From World Entertainment News Network,  the powers-that-be at Warner Brothers have chosen not to alter the final cut of the new BATMAN film, despite one disturbing scene that features the late Heath Ledger pretending to be dead.

Early screenings of “The Dark Knight” left some film fans reeling after they saw footage of Ledger, as The Joker, hiding out in a body bag.

That prompted internet speculation about whether studio heads would cut the scene to avoid upsetting sensitive Ledger fans.

But a source close to the production tells website MovieHole.net, “The film remains intact - and nothing of Ledger’s will be cut from the movie, including the body bag scene.”

The source adds, “I know for a fact that that scene is in the film. I also know that WB has made no such mandate and that (director) Chris Nolan is honest when saying that he will not change what was intended with The Joker.”

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Matthew Vaughn has been trying his darndest to get a “Thor” movie off the ground since summer 2007.  More than six months later, he’s still trying.  According to an interview today with Empire Online, Marvel still hasn’t given him the green greenlight to go ahead with it.

“We’re in a holding pattern at the moment,” said Vaughn. “It’s up to Marvel, they have to decide if they want to make the movie and then we take it from there.”

In other words, this film is stuck in development hell.  It’s a character that many of us have heard of, but its not a big name priority, and frankly, the interest just doesn’t seem to be there.  Which is probably why Marvel hasn’t gone ahead with it yet either.

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“Pride and Glory” ran into some problems with its release date. Director Gavin O’Connor, whose March 14 release was scrapped late last year by New Line, wants response.

Reported by Variety, O’Connor is blaming the status of his movie on New Line chairman Bob Shaye.

The writer-director is so incensed that he said he will withhold “Warrior,” a script he’s due to deliver to the studio in the next few weeks, until he knows the fate of his film. The director is also exploring the possibility of extricating “Pride and Glory” after New Line told him the picture wouldn’t likely be released until next year.Actors Colin Farrell and Edward Norton voiced their concerns in the article that offers all the details at Variety.

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Justice League” (Warner Bros.) no longer has a speedy start date as planed because options lapsed with the young cast, which George Miller, the director, picked to play the DC superheroes.

Project might be lucky and start late summer or fall at the earliest.

Cast members, rumored Adam Brody, Scott Porter, Teresa Palmer, to name a few, found out, yet were promised the studio’s determination to make the film with them. In spite of all that, quite a few problems need to be resolved.

Couple of the problems are not getting the official response it needed on tax breaks from shooting in Australia and script needs work, and well…, when will that happen.

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In a recent interview with Empire magazine, producer Moritz Borman spilled some cryptic details about the upcoming Terminator 4 film, which begins filming on April 15 in Budapest.  Borman did however say that the production is “keeping the script under very tight security” before promising fans a “huge twist at the end.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be back for T4, which is actually called “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.”  But, he may possibly show up in future installments after he’s done governing the state of California:

“It’s convenient that he hasn’t been built at this point of the story, as Arnold has more important things to do right now, but that doesn’t mean he might not re-appear later in the trilogy…he knows the material and is very supportive of what we’re doing. There might even be hints of his character in this one.”

Speaking further about the film, Borman said:

“I can tell you this much — this is the story everybody has been waiting for. Namely, we’re in the future. The part of it where Arnold’s character has not yet been built but is on the drawing board.

“And in the next two episodes we’ll get to the point where time-travel is more in the foreground. It’s the war against the machines, the start of Skynet taking over the world.”

Additionally, Borma dispelled any rumors of a Vin Diesel appearance, stating that he “is not somebody we’re currently talking to.”  In other words, if they were talking to him at some point, it never panned out.

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In a recent interview with MTV movies, director Guillermo del Toro spoke about his upcoming planned “Frankenstein” adaptation. Frankenstein, however scary he may be, will not be the creepiest monster in the film. In fact, del Toro says HE will be the movie’s real monster: ” I will appear shirtless for most of the length of the film. You will be amazed at my chocolate bar physique,” said del Toro.

Other interesting tidbits from the interview include del Toro discussing his possible interest in directing either the final Harry Potter film or “The Hobbit.” With the WGA strike in full force, however, del Toro’s not been able to get very far with the Frankenstein project. He said he had been writing initial notes, but since the strike started he’s just stuck with drawings.

So, if you’re interested in hearing this straight from the horse’s mouth, check out the clip below:

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Hollywood’s Black List, the year-end list of production executives’ favorite scripts in development, has finally been released for 2007.  Toping the list is “Recount” by Danny Strong, which is about the 2000 Presidential election battle in Florida.  In second is “Farragut North”, a political drama by Beau Willimon, and in third is “Passengers” by Jon Spaights starring Keanu Reeves.

Those included on the list were compiled from the suggestions of 150 film executives and high level assistants, who each contributed up to 10 of their favorite scripts in production that won’t be released in theaters during this calendar year.  Scripts also had to receive at least 2 mentions in order to be included on the Black List.

The full list is available at Hollywood Elsewhere in PDF format.  Check it out, and make note of these films. Afterall, highly-acclaimed films like “Juno” and “Things We Lost in the Fire” were named to the 2005 Black List, so they must know what they are doing.

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Is Peter Jackson planning on another Ring movie? EW.com recently reported that Hollywood is trying to iron things out regarding the “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Hobbit.” The prequel was notably delayed with the disagreement between director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema co-chairman Robert Shaye. But now, they may finally be getting into a resolution.

No agreements has been confirmed as of the moment, but sources close to the talks are saying that there may be some hope. A deal may be reached that could help usher J.R.R. Tolkien’s maiden Middle-earth masterpiece to screens before the end of the decade.

It was The Hobbit, after all, that first introduced the world to the lovely and terrifying universe of Middle-earth. The novel is set about 60 years before Lord of the Rings, and for many readers who dove into Tolkien’s work as kids, it retains a warmer glow in memory than the daunting and sometimes slow-moving trilogy.

Its hero is one Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming homebody hobbit who gets dragooned by one wizard and 13 dwarves into an adventure during which he relieves a dragon named Smaug of an ill-gotten treasure and the wicked Gollum of a certain all-powerful ring.
Only a few LOTR cast members make return appearances in this earlier tale. But the story has precisely the same themes — of loyalty and unexpected bravery — that made the Rings series huge.

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