Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds To Star In Buddy Cop Film

Deadpool and the A-Team's Faceman may soon be fighting crime together. It's an odd pairing that will be made even stranger by the fact that each will bring his dad along.

Heartthrob Ryan Reynolds and equally heartthrobby Bradley Cooper are attached to star together in an untitled action comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The duo will star as a pair of San Francisco cops who are forced to work with their former-cop fathers on a case. THR reports that the comedy is "meant to have an updated 'Lethal Weapon' flavor that plays into edgier R-rated territory," so expect profanity and lewd behavior to go along with the high body count.

The script comes from "Up in the Air" scribe Sheldon Turner, who reportedly sold it for a seven-figure sum. The pitch was first developed by producers Neal Moritz and Andrew Panay five years ago with the title "Blowback"; back then, Dwayne Johnson was attached as one of the stars. Moritz and Panay are producing this second crack at the concept, as are J.C. Spink and Chris Bender of the production company Benderspink and Jonathon Komack Martin of Reynolds' Dark Trick Films. No studio is set yet, but Moritz and Panay are set up at Sony.

Reynolds has spent this summer shooting and promoting next summer's "Green Lantern" adaptation. He'll show up next month in Lionsgate's indie thriller "Buried." Reynolds is also supposed to be reprising his 2009 role as the joke-cracking mercenary Deadpool in a reboot of the character that Robert Rodriguez may direct.

Cooper showed up earlier this summer as Faceman in "The A-Team." He's got a sequel to the smash 2009 comedy "The Hangover" lined up for a May release. He also recently finished shooting for Neil Burger's sci-fi thriller "The Dark Fields" with Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish.

What do you think of Ryan Reynolds and Bradley Cooper being in a movie together? Let us know in the comments!

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Tom Hanks Calls Sandra Bullock 'A Magnificent Actress'

Tom Hanks is very excited to get work started on the film adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's second novel, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Why? Well, aside from the story — which follows a nine-year-old boy in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks — he can't wait to work with fellow Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock.

"Well I have left a voicemail for Sandra ... Sandy. Can I call her Sandy? I can call her Sandy. I think she called the office back, but I hope to talk to her very, very, very soon," the Emmy-winning Hanks told MTV News at the HBO Emmy afterparty. "The story is magnificent. Eric Roth wrote a brilliant screenplay, which makes our lives very easy because you just read it and you say, 'I would be honored to be a part of this.' "

Although he isn't a close friend of Bullock, he does admire her work. "I am a huge Sandra Bullock fan. I've only met her a couple of times. She is a magnificent actress," he raved. "And every time we've seen her, even just as recently as 'The Proposal' and 'The Blind Side,' we've thought, 'We'd be lucky to work with her.' "

"Extremely Loud" is focused on a New York boy whose father was killed in the 9/11 attacks. The boy finds a key that belonged to his dad, but he doesn't know what it unlocks; the plot follows his attempt to answer that question. Foer's book employs an untraditional writing style that incorporates multiple interconnected story lines, photographs and the like.

The rights to the novel were first acquired several years ago. Scott Rudin is producing and Stephen Daldry ("The Hours") is attached to direct, with a script from "Forrest Gump" writer Eric Roth. Warner Bros. is the lead studio on the project.

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Jeremy Renner To Star In 'Mission: Impossible IV'

From "The Hurt Locker" to Hawkeye in "The Avengers" to a role opposite superspy Ethan Hunt, Jeremy Renner's career is on the rise, as Paramount announced Thursday (August 26) that the Oscar-nominated actor will appear as an operative alongside Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible IV."

According to Deadline, Paramount production chief Adam Goodman feels Renner "has a Daniel Craig quality" that he wants for the role. Sources tell the site that the studio was also looking for an actor who might be able to continue on with the franchise, should Cruise choose not to return in the future (Cruise is expected to return for a fifth installment).

Other actors considered for the role include Tom Hardy ("Inception"), Chris Pine ("Star Trek"), Kevin Zegers, Christopher Egan and Renner's "Hurt Locker" co-star Anthony Mackie.

Although the production has had a few bumps and uncertainties along the way, Cruise has been vocal about his commitment to bring in new talent to the franchise. "My whole thing with the series is always having a new director come on and put their stamp on 'Mission: Impossible,' " he told MTV News recently. "Brian De Palma was first, then John Woo, J.J. Abrams and now Brad Bird, so it will be Brad Bird's 'Mission: Impossible.' "

Regarding his thoughts on the story line — which is, of course, heavily under wraps — Cruise said simply: "It's sick. It's fun, really fun."

Ever since his star-making turn in last year's awards-season darling (and Best Picture winner) "The Hurt Locker," Renner has been lining up a slate of prestigious and high-profile projects. He'll next appear in Ben Affleck's much buzzed about Boston drama "The Town," followed by a stint as superhero Hawkeye in Joss Whedon's "Avengers," and then his role in "Mission: Impossible IV."

The production, directed by Bird, with Cruise and J.J. Abrams producing, is set to begin shooting this fall.

Check out everything we've got on "Mission: Impossible IV."

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James Cameron Says We 'Live In A Science-Fiction World'

With the theatrical re-release of "Avatar" — including a much-discussed nine extra minutes of footage that features an "alien kink" scene — just days away, MTV News recently conducted an interview with the Oscar-winning maestro himself, James Cameron.

So far the director has shared his thoughts on sending 3-D cameras (and people) to Mars, his wish list for future film technologies and revealed what other project might come before an "Avatar" sequel.

Given the filmmaker's unparalleled success in Hollywood and his project with NASA, we wondered if the prospect of changing the history of space exploration carries more weight for him than making the two most successful movies in history.

"I don't draw a line between fantasy and reality," Cameron told us. "To me, I love science fiction, but we kind of live in a science-fiction world right now. And I've done deep-ocean exploration. I've been in situations personally, for real, that I would have considered science fiction when I was younger."

Cameron added that he prefers to blur the lines between fact and fiction when it comes to the relationship between his films and the real world.

"For me, it's just a continuum between cinema, where we know kind of that it's a fantasy world, but it requires a lot of advanced engineering to create it," he said, comparing movies to the "real world of exploration, where it requires equally advanced, but very different technology to go do interesting and new extraordinary things."

Not surprisingly, Cameron said he happily moves between the two realities. "I'm comfortable in both worlds," he said.

Check out everything we've got on "Avatar."

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Chris Brown Studied Parkour, Martial Arts For 'Takers'

If he were in singing mode, "Lamborghini Breezy" could have used his car to make a getaway. But as an actor in the film "Takers" (due Friday), Chris Brown had to go through days of rigorous running through the streets of Los Angeles during a climactic chase scene, in which he flees from actors Jay Hernandez and Matt Dillon.

Brown's character, who is part of a group of bank robbers, leaps on top of cars, scales buildings and jumps through windows. And fans may also notice a hint of parkour movement in Brown's getaway tactics.

"It was funny because in the beginning, a couple of weeks prior to me being on-set and filming the movie, I was already training with my friends, doing parkour and some martial arts stuff," Brown recently explained. "We call it 'trickin'.' We use different acrobatics and flips and stuff. I always incorporate that in my dancing too. Being able to apply that to the movie was a step up on my entertainment value. It was great."

"I've never had to do so much running in my life," Dillon said about the scene. "For that sequence, we were just, like, four days straight, just running through the streets, and this kid Chris is an unbelievable athlete. This guy Chris Brown, he's unbelievable, man. So keeping up with him was a challenge even in itself, which was perfect for our characters."

Chris says that for the most part, when you look at the stunts he does in the film, you won't be looking at some stuntman.

"A big muscle dude with a different-shape head," he joked of what his stuntman would look like. "For the most part, it was all me.

"The most thrilling part about this movie is probably the stunts," he said on the set. "I do, like, 96 percent of my stunts. Some stunts they wanna use the doubles; I don't wanna use the double! And they're like, 'We have to for safety and insurance issues.' I think the most exciting parts are the stunts, getting to blow stuff up, shoot guns, you know what I'm saying. It's all fun!"

Check out everything we've got on "Takers."

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Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell To Cameo In 'Scream 4'

Last month, "Scream 4" director Wes Craven put a call out on Twitter for fans to suggest actors for cameo roles in the upcoming film. The franchise has a long history of placing famous faces in front of the camera — from Drew Barrymore to Kevin Smith — and although more than a decade has passed since "Scream 3," Craven made clear he intended to keep up the franchise's cameo tradition. "No janitor, doctor or tourist," he wrote.

While we don't know if the director took any advice from the Twitter-verse, we do know the names of two two actors who will pop up in the new movie: Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell.

USA Today reports that the "True Blood" star and the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star have officially signed on to the cast of "Scream 4," which is currently filming in Michigan. The two women join returning stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, as well as newcomers Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin. The film is set for release on April 15, 2011.

"I think it's just perfect timing, the amount of time that has passed since the last one came out," Panettiere told MTV News. "For an audience that is so well-versed in 'Scream' [films] and in what happens and who becomes the killer, blah, blah, blah, it's trickier to throw them a curveball," she said. "I think they've done a really cool job with the script. We've had a blast on it."

Check out everything we've got on"Scream 4."

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Tim Burton Reuniting With 'Ed Wood' Writers For 'Addams Family'

One of filmmaker Tim Burton's strongest efforts of the past 30 years is, ironically, "Ed Wood," a biopic charting the life of the famed director of 1959's "Plan 9 From Outer Space," a work widely regarded as the worst film of all time. It's great then to see that Burton is reuniting with the writing team behind the 1994 release.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski will join Burton in developing a script for the planned stop-motion adaptation of Charles Addams' famed comic strip, "The Addams Family," Deadline reports. Burton will also produce with Chris Meledandri for Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.

The same article reveals that Burton will also produce the writing duo's fact-based drama "Big Eyes," which is "based on artist Margaret Keane's struggle to get credit for the line of paintings of big-eyed children that became wildly popular in the '60s." Alexander and Karaszewski wrote the script with the intent of directing themselves.

The "Addams Family" news comes several months after reports surfaced that Burton would direct a 3-D stop-motion adaptation of the famed comic strip. In a statement made to MTV News at the time, Burton's reps stated, "There is no truth to the story. Tim has not lined up any of his upcoming projects."

It was clear even then that Burton could settle on "Addams Family" next. He still could direct, too. Deadline reports that he will "direct a film that is one of the plum projects on Meledandri's slate for Illumination," which of course now includes "Addams Family."

"Big Eyes" came up while Burton was in discussions with Alexander and Karaszewski about the comic strip adaptation. "It turns out he's a big fan of Margaret and has commissioned artwork from her," Alexander told Deadline. It doesn't hurt that the actual story is a remarkable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tale.

Walter Keane, Margaret's husband, became a celebrity in the 1950s, riding a wave of success from his mass-produced prints of big-eyed children. Though the images bore his signature, Margaret was the one with an aptitude for making art. When the two eventually divorced and Margaret tried to make it known that she was the artist, Walter sued. The case that followed culminated in a dramatic showdown in which the judge ordered that two easels be set up in the courtroom, staging what essentially amounted to a paint-off.

No release window is listed for either project, though IMDb's listing for "Big Eyes" is labeled 2011. With the script already written, a budget that is reportedly "in the teens" and Burton producing, it is certainly possible that the Keane pic will be ready for next year.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'The Expendables' Stars Want Justin Bieber For Sequel

Where does "Expendables" star Sylvester Stallone turn now, after his cinematic smorgasbord of '80s action giants fire-bombed the competition and won the weekend box-office title? Can you hear the collective cry of $35 million worth of ticket-buyers? They're calling for a sequel!

Sly has plans to give the people what they want — he already has a second flick plotted out in his head — but for now, he's waiting on even greater box-office bucks and the chance to see which co-stars will return and which fresh faces he can entice to join the crew of gun-totting mercenaries. Stallone's fellow Expendables have some strong ideas about who they want to see in a sequel.

"Justin Bieber!" Terry Crews suggested to MTV News as the actors took over the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell. "I want Justin Bieber! I want Justin Bieber's ass!"

Ya hear that, Bieber? Perhaps before you hop in front of the 3-D cameras for your upcoming biopic, you can hang with some old dogs like Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Crews.

Lundgren, meanwhile, has his eye on a different guy to join the second installment — one who actually turned down a part in the first flick.

"I'd like to kill [Jean-Claude] Van Damme, please!" Lundgren said.

"He's hunting Van Damme down!" Stallone laughed.

Added Jason Statham: "I'll be the cut man for that!"

Two guys Stallone wants to reprise their roles are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. In fact, Sly revealed he's already been in contact with them about returning for a sequel. "The main thing is to find out who's available, who wants to be in it," he said. "I'm talking to Arnold and Bruce [about] different schedules and other actors. Then you have to bring in some new guys, some young blood.

"I haven't had an opening like this," Stallone added. "To me, it's miraculous. And what sunk in finally is, in this day and age, it's all about concept, it's not about the actor. No one actor can open a movie anymore, so you need the help of your friends. This was a group effort. I had the biggest opening because they helped. That's the name of the game."

Who do you want to see join the Expendables crew for a sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "The Expendables."

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'Breaking Dawn' Star Nikki Reed Is 'Starting To Get' Justin Bieber

When it comes to rabid fans, it would seem that the "Twilight" franchise fanbase and that of teen chart-topper Justin Bieber have a lot in common. For instance, both have extremely dedicated fans, complete with playful nicknames — Twilighters and Beliebers. Both groups are prone to burst into ear-piercing screams and heavily influence awards-show voting. So when MTV News recently caught up with "Breaking Dawn" star Nikki Reed, we asked whether she had any special insight into Bieber Fever, having experienced the kind of fan-demonium he has.

"I didn't really understand that for a while, and I finally get it," she said about the singer while promoting her new flick "Last Day of Summer."

Reed said her "a-ha" moment came when she stumbled upon vintage Bieber videos online, which show the singer at 6 years old, playing guitar on the side of the road. "The excitement and passion in his eyes and his voice, this little tiny kid holding this big huge guitar ... he's singing, his voice penetrates into the world," Reed recalled. "People across the street were listening, it's truly incredible. He's a talented kid."

The "Twilight" actress added that while she might not personally fit into his demographic, she has slowly come to realize the power of Bieber. "He's got a very specific look and style thing that he's going for. I didn't understand or connect with that [at first], just like the Jonas Brothers, but I'm starting to get it with the Biebs."

Are you surprised to hear Nikki Reed is a fan of the Biebs? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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'Nanny McPhee Returns': The Reviews Are In!

This weekend is set to be a crowded one at the cinema, as five new flicks receive the wide-release treatment. None of them — from "Piranha 3D" to "Vampires Suck" — are likely to come out on top at the box office, as "The Expendables" looks to commandeer the top spot for a second straight week.

Of all the fresh faces, though, Emma Thompson might well perform the best, as "Nanny McPhee Returns," which the 51-year-old Brit both wrote and stars in, arrives on U.S. shores over four years after the original film. The latest installment has already grossed $62.6 million overseas.

How will it fair domestically? Reviews are largely positive, though it remains to be seen if "Nanny McPhee" can overtake the "Twilight" parody, "Vampires Suck," or the Bow Wow-starring, "Lottery Ticket." Here's what the critics have to say.

The Story
"Nanny McPhee is dispatched to help a family in desperate need of order. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) lives with her three children on a rundown family farm in the countryside. Her husband, Rory, is fighting overseas, and poor Isabel must cope with a shiftless brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) determined to make her sell the farm, a part-time job with a comically absent-minded shopkeeper (Maggie Smith) and the arrival of two more children: posh cousins Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and Celia (Rosie Taylor-Ritson), sent from London for safety but creating havoc as soon as they arrive." — Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

The Performances
"Vlahos and Asa Butterfield, as Isabel's eldest boy, have the movie's most effective scene, in which they confront Ralph Fiennes, playing Vlahos' stiff military dad, during the boys' quick trip to London to learn the fate of Butterfield's father. ... Other roles call for too much mugging. This would include Maggie Smith's turn as a forgetful old shopkeeper and Sam Kelly as an aging air-raid warden. The film suffers slightly from a curious sort of ageism, where the older you get the more 'comic' you become. In the title role, Thompson wisely lets her makeup artist do much of the initial work — the moles and hair do start to disappear as the children learn her lessons, leaving her more or less recognizable by movie's end. Meanwhile, she uses her commanding voice to bring the movie's energy to her character while standing aside to give the child protagonists plenty of room to romp." — Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter

The Jokes
"The movie's one other concession to modernity, besides the computer graphics, is the relentless poo-poo and flatulence jokes that have been inserted, ostensibly to make 11-year-olds scream with delight. Maggie Smith — that is, Dame Maggie Smith — playing a demented shopkeeper, plops down on a wet cow patty and announces that her seat is quite comfy. At another point, the movie leaves you with the impression that Nanny has apologized for flatulence. In retrospect, it's actually remarkable that Julie Andrews got through all 139 minutes of 'Mary Poppins' without ever passing wind." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco

The Dissenters
"In the disappointing sequel from Thompson and director Susanna White (the BBC's 'Bleak House'), we get a gentler, more wink-inclined Nanny McPhee, not to mention kids whose rambunctiousness seems manufactured rather than entertainingly exaggerated. ... The movie needn't be so busy, or so sweet. ... [The] plot demands and a general push for saccharinity have [McPhee] taking to the air on the bike, and being saluted by the Queen's Guard, and cheerily rocketing down a country byway. So much for skipping the spoonful of sugar." — Tom Russo, Boston Globe

The Final Word
"This sequel to 2006's 'Nanny McPhee' is almost as charming as the first. There are problems, though, in its tone, segueing awkwardly from escapism to gritty reality. Some of that is mitigated by the endearing performances and the way the story imbues its young characters with intelligence, motivation and depth, qualities often lacking for children in family films." — Claudia Puig, USA Today

Check out everything we've got on "Nanny McPhee."

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J.J. Abrams Developing '7 Minutes In Heaven'

With his Bad Robot production company, J.J. Abrams has tackled a highly successful "Star Trek" reboot, a genre-flipping giant-monster-invades-city movie, an impossible mission and a handful of the most gripping network television shows of the past 10 years. What's left to tackle? High school party games!

Bad Robot is developing a thriller based on "7 Minutes in Heaven," The Hollywood Reporter reveals. The name refers to a teenage party game in which two randomly selected participants are stuffed in a closet together for seven minutes, presumably spending their time either making out or staring at each other awkwardly. In the movie pitch, which originated with "Lost" writer/director Jack Bender, the two teens emerge from the closet to find that all of their friends are dead!

Bender signed a feature deal with Bad Robot earlier in the summer and the "7 Minutes in Heaven" movie will be his to direct. The next step is to find a writer, and Bad Robot is looking for one now.

Bender's experience as a feature director is limited to little more than "Child's Play 3," but he's got a strong background in television as a writer and director on "The Sopranos," "Carnivàle," "Alias," "Felicity" and, of course, "Lost." He is currently developing the superpowered TV series "Alphas" and is in negotiations to direct the next Jack Ryan film, though the latter would not be under the Bad Robot banner.

Abrams' production company is thriving nonetheless, with upcoming "Star Trek" and "Mission: Impossible" sequels, the Steven Spielberg homage "Super 8," graphic novel adaptation "Boilerplate" and a remake of the 1980 comedy "Little Darlings." Coming up later this year for Bad Robot is the comedy "Morning Glory," starring Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Nanny McPhee Returns' Is 'Hugely Satisfying,' Emma Thompson Says

It's hard to believe that it's already been four years since moviegoers first met Nanny McPhee. Emma Thompson's no-nonsense portrayal of the homely-yet-helpful nanny had such a positive impact on audiences that a second installment, "Nanny McPhee Returns," is opening in theaters this week.

We recently caught up with the esteemed actress and the film's writer to discuss why she waited so long to continue her McPhee story (which is based on Christianna Brand's "Nurse Matilda" books) and how being the screenwriter/actress makes the filmmaking experience doubly satisfying.

"There was a big gap ... four years, so I had lots of time to do other things," she explained. Those other things included six films ("Stranger Than Fiction," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Last Chance Harvey" — a performance for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe — "An Education," just to name a few) and getting back to work on writing another "McPhee" installment.

"It's very different to reprise a character if you've also written the story," Thompson said. "You have so much invested in the story, and because I have so much involvement in casting and seeing it come together, there's something hugely satisfying about it, so it's not just a question of, suddenly I turn up on set and I have to put the makeup on. I've been sitting and writing it for years, literally."

Thompson said that, despite the role requiring considerable time in hair and makeup, the fact that the material she wrote inspired it makes it extra special: "In a sense, putting the costume on is the reward for having sat on my own for a few years writing the story."

"Nanny McPhee" opens Friday and co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans and Maggie Smith and features cameos by Ralph Fiennes and Ewan McGregor.

Check out everything we've got on "Nanny McPhee Returns."

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Why 'Expendables' Soared, 'Scott Pilgrim' Crashed At Box Office

At one end of the cinema landscape this weekend stood a bunch of past-their-prime action heroes with quick trigger fingers and arthritic knees. At the other end lounged some hipster ass-kickers, spouting jaded one-liners and every so often brawling like "Mortal Kombat" warriors.

Given such a matchup, you might be forgiven for thinking that 64-year-old Sylvester Stallone and "The Expendables" had no chance in competing with Michael Cera's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" at the box office. But Sly dominated, even outperforming early estimates, pulling in $35 million. Meanwhile, "Scott Pilgrim," which was tracking poorly to begin with, managed only a disappointing $10.5 million.

So what happened? Why did "Expendables" kill it, while "Scott Pilgrim" couldn't expand its audience from the niche fans who went all foamy-at-the-mouth during the flick's Comic-Con panel?

"Lionsgate is the best in the business at targeting adult men with ultra-violent fare," said Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru. " 'Expendables' worked well at the box office because it offered a value-pack of stars and had great marketing. Stallone by himself doesn't sell, but backed by an army of familiar faces, it became a can't-miss action film for many people. The misleading push of how Stallone, [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, and [Bruce] Willis were doing their first action movie together probably fooled a few folks into buying tickets too."

Yet action flicks have been anything but reliable box-office draws this summer. Films such as "The A-Team" and "Knight and Day" — like "Expendables," flicks starring well-known talent and not dressed up with 3-D or a ton of CG work — underperformed this year. Did "Expendables" simply benefit from a vastly superior marketing campaign, or was there something about its particular brand of action that resonated with the public? Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, argues that Sly's flick benefited from an emphasis on grenades instead of laughs.

" 'A-Team' and 'Knight and Day' are action/comedies, whereas 'The Expendables' is a balls-to-the-wall action flick," he said. "When action junkies want their fix, hardcore is the only answer, and until 'The Expendables' was released, we hadn't seen a straight-up action flick all summer long."

"Scott Pilgrim," conversely, arrived on the scene during a year that had already seen lesser-known comic properties like "Kick-Ass" and "Jonah Hex" fail to connect with mainstream audiences. Box-office experts cited a number of factors to explain why "Scott Pilgrim," based on graphic novels that have become cult hits but are largely unfamiliar to most moviegoers, didn't become a breakout hit.

" 'Scott Pilgrim' is an awesome film, just like 'Kick-Ass' was, but it's too cool for its own good," Bock said. "When you only appeal to teens and hipsters, you're limiting your audience, and your film better only cost $30 million. Pilgrim cost at least twice that amount. Don't spend more than $30 million on films that are too hip for the general populace."

Given its limited demographic appeal, the movie was simply a huge financial risk for Universal. Still, as we've seen with "Expendables," a stellar marketing campaign can work wonders at the box office. Phil Contrino, editor at BoxOffice.com, said that the studio's marketing effort could have "played up the romance a little bit more, [which] may have brought in more female moviegoers, but it wouldn't have made a huge difference."

"It's a film with a narrow appeal and Michael Cera is far from a reliable draw at the box office," he added. "It's destined to be a cult hit and it could make up for its lackluster theatrical performance with strong sales on home-viewing platforms."

Pandya points to the summer's crowded release schedule as another reason for the movie's $10.5 million opening (which put it in fifth place, just behind "Inception" in its fifth weekend). " 'Scott Pilgrim' could have worked better at a different time of the year," he said. "The target audience of young people tend to get tapped out of cash by late summer and become even more picky with their few dollars left, especially this year with so much more they have to spend on 3-D movies. Studios and production companies should think more about costs before turning comic properties into movies, given how flooded the market is becoming. Fans don't have the time and money to see everything."

Check out everything we've got on "The Expendables" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."

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January Jones Lands 'X-Men: First Class' Role Of Emma Frost

"X-Men: First Class" has added several new names to its cast, according to Deadline Hollywood. Director Michael Vaughn ("Kick-Ass") and producer Bryan Singer have reportedly lined up "Mad Men" actress January Jones to play telepathic beauty Emma Frost — a role that was previously rumored to belong to "She's Out of My League" star Alice Eve.

Other reported names added are: Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny, who is set to play Angel; Jason Flemyng as Azazel, the father of Nightcrawler; Bill Milner as the young Magneto (Michael Fassbender will play the elder); and Morgan Lily as the young Raven.

They join previously announced "First Class" mutants: James McAvoy (Xavier), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee), Lucas Till (Havoc) and Edi Gathegi (Darwin). Other players include Kevin Bacon as the villain, Rose Byrne as Xavier's love interest Moira MacTaggert, and Oliver Platt as the Man in Black. Production is scheduled to begin Monday in London.

When MTV News caught up with Vaughn recently, he spoke about his ever-expanding cast.

"It doesn't feel that busy," Vaughn said regarding any hesitation in cramming too many mutants into the film. "I don't feel worried about it. I think it will be really cool to see all these guys doing their stuff. I'm very keen that it has a lot of heart, this movie. You understand where these characters have come from, and you obviously know where they're going, but to see that very important point of their lives where they're discovering their power and working out their ethical take on what to do with their power is a very interesting story to tell."

How do you feel about the new "X-Men: First Class" additions? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Eat Pray Love': Everything You Need To Know

The book-club/gal-pal movie of the summer is finally here! Not to say that "Eat Pray Love" is meant only for female audiences -- it isn't -- but given the film's also-opening box-office competition on Friday (August 13), "The Expendables" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," watching Julia Roberts eat and laugh her way through Italy, India and Bali might be a more relaxing moviegoing experience than, say, watching aging action stars blow things up.

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Justin Long 'Would Love To' Star In 'Die Hard 5'

In addition to having some wacky moments, Bruce Willis dropped some exciting tidbits on MTV News at last month's San Diego Comic-Con, revealing, for one, that "Die Hard 5" is "imminent."

When we caught up with his "Live Free or Die Hard" co-star Justin Long, we asked him how he might be involved in the imminent, as Willis described it, fifth installment of the misadventures of John McClane. Apparently, Long needed a quick vocabulary lesson before responding.

"Nice try, Bruce, for making up a word. I think he meant emasculate," Long joked while promoting his September 3 flick "Going the Distance." "No, I heard it was imminent and as soon as I looked up the word, I got excited." But Long said his excitement was unfortunately short-lived, his mood tempered somewhat by what he said was an awkward exchange with a film studio executive.

"I had a meeting recently at Fox about doing a romantic [comedy]," Long explained. "And the guy in the office next door, he was in charge of the new 'Die Hard,' [so] I said, 'Do you mind if I pop my head in?' So I met him and I was like, 'Ummm?' " the actor recalled, gesturing with his hands in a motion that suggested "what about me?"

"He was equally vague in his gesture back to me," Long said. "So I didn't get a good feeling that I was going to be a part of the imminent 'Die Hard.' I don't know if I'm going to get my hands on it." He added, "I would love to."

With or without Long, it seems a decision about whether the film will actually happen is still up for debate.

What do you think about Long's character coming back for a fifth "Die Hard" movie? Tell us in the comments!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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James Cameron Wants To Capture 'Avatar' Sequel Underwater

The history-making success of James Cameron's "Avatar" has not only quashed pre-release grumblings about the production's bloated budget, but turned the conversation toward the two confirmed sequels that don't exactly sound like low-budget affairs either.

With the mega-blockbuster's re-release approaching, details about the next two films have started to trickle out via the maestro himself, specifically Cameron's hints that the second film will involve the oceans of Pandora. Given his water-related filmmaking experience (see "Titanic" and "The Abyss"), as well as his fondness for diving as a hobby, MTV News recently asked Cameron if he'll shoot sequences underwater.

"I think what we should do there is — because we'll have to have characters that are in and under the water — is that we should actually capture them underwater," Cameron explained. "It's not the same as going diving, but I like to keep my diving, which I do for pleasure, separate from work."

He added that diving for work is not as much fun. "Diving for shooting a movie is work," he said. "Diving for exploration is a gas. I like to keep my peas and carrots separate."

Cameron previously described the ocean on Pandora as "equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative" as the setting of the first film, but that "it just won't be a rain forest."

Regarding the re-release of the film and the extra nine minutes that will be added, the Oscar-winner said he'll also be adding footage to the film's eventual special edition DVD. "We're doing a longer version for the DVD that is 16 to 17 minutes longer," he said, "but you'll have the choice: You can watch [the nine-minutes-longer version] or you can watch the original if you want to."

Are you excited about the sequels and seeing the oceans of Pandora? Talk about it in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Avatar."

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‘Avatar’ Re-Release To Highlight Tsu’tey DeathUnderworld return

'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows' Dividing Point Revealed

Given that the novel clocks in at 759 pages and 36 chapters, not to mention a controversial flash-forward epilogue, there's little question that the film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" needed extra legroom to properly stretch itself. As a result, Warner Bros. made the fan-supported decision to split the final installment of the "Harry Potter" franchise into two movies, but one question still plagues Potterites everywhere: At what moment in the story will the films split up?

It would seem that the answer is upon us, as "Harry Potter" fan site Muggle Net has come across what appears to be scanned pages of a "Deathly Hallows" preview article from an upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly. In the article, it's clearly stated that the November-releasing first installment of "Deathly Hallows" concludes "at about Chapter 24 of the book, with Voldemort gaining possession of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death."

By all accounts, it appears that the scans are legitimate, potentially putting an end to countless hours of fan speculation about where the two movies would diverge. In the article, Warner Bros. Entertainment President Alan Horn spoke about splitting the last "Harry Potter" novel into two films, acknowledging that there were certainly commercial reasons driving the final decision.

"I don't want to be disingenuous or dishonest about this," Horn told Entertainment Weekly. "There's no question that Warner Bros. will make more money with two films than they would have with one. But we also never, ever would have done this if [author J.K. Rowling] had not endorsed it and if we didn't feel that we were providing a better finale, with a more full sense of closure. We just respect and love the books too much for that."

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Scott Pilgrim' Stars On Learning To Play Music Like Rock Stars

From the very first scene in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" in which Michael Cera and his Sex Bob-Omb bandmates strap on their instruments and bust out some serious rock-and-roll thunder, director Edgar Wright's new flick crackles with musical verve. There are band battles, tons of talk about record contracts and artist jealousy, and a soundtrack as important to the mood of each scene as the words coming out of each character's mouth.

Cera has strummed chords before, in "Juno" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," but not all of his castmates had musical experience when they signed on to this adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel series. So Wright threw his actors into rock-and-roll boot camp, and with the help of some pros, they ended up learning how to wail.

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Vanessa Hudgens Grows Up In 'Rent' At The Hollywood Bowl

"High School Musical" alum Vanessa Hudgens is taking her song-and-dance skills to a brand-new stage. The actress appears this weekend in a Hollywood Bowl production of "Rent," helmed by Neil Patrick Harris, alongside stars such as Wayne Brady and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger.

The award-winning Broadway smash, which explores the complicated lives of a cast of downtown New Yorkers, is a far cry from the cheery story lines of the "High School Musical" franchise. However, Hudgens said she's up for mounting the challenging play, which demanded that the cast prepare with only a single punishing week of rehearsals.

"It's been insanity," Hudgens told MTV News about the grueling schedule. "[The] first two days was [everyone gathering] around the piano and the rest of them [were] just trying to figure out where you are. It's kind of like, you do it [and then] it's like, 'You did it! Great, moving on.' You're like ... 'OK, it's OK, I'll just figure it out on my own time.' "

Like "HSM," "Rent" (which was brought to the big screen in 2005) has a die-hard following. Hudgens, who plays a drug-addicted dancer, has her own take on the play.

"For me I think the strongest thing is how my character Mimi finds strength within love," Hudgens said. "I'm a hopeless romantic, so it gets me every time."

The similarities pretty much end there, as Hudgens acknowledged. "It's 100 percent different than 'High School Musical' because the characters [have] so much more to deal with and [my character goes] through such a massive journey. Each song really shows a different side of the character," Hudgens said. The actress also credited her director for helping her get back into the musical mind-set. "It's exciting. Getting back into it has been kind of like a leap of faith, but I know I'm in good hands with Neil."

Harris said witnessing Hudgens' vulnerability in the play is compelling to watch. "As people get to be older and older, they start disassociating themselves from different types of people. And this 'Rent' world sort of does the opposite: It encourages all of that. The diversity that these 25 people have ... just fills your heart," Harris said. "To watch someone like Vanessa open up and allow herself to be so exposed to these people is really great for me as a director to see."

What do you think of Vanessa Hudgens starring in "Rent"? Sound off in the comments below!

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'Avatar' Re-Release To Highlight Tsu'tey Death

Fans will learn more about Na'vi life when James Cameron's blockbuster epic, "Avatar," returns to the big screen on August 27.

Cameron told MTV News that moviegoers will check out nine minutes of unseen footage featuring life on Pandora. Although news of the re-release originally touted roughly eight minutes of deleted scenes, the director said he threw in an additional 60 seconds. The footage also includes an expanded version of the demise of Na'vi hunter Tsu'tey, who was killed during the climactic clash between the Pandora natives and the human army.

"There's a pretty powerful emotional scene at the end which is Tsu'tey's death ... which happens off-camera in the original release. [In the original film] he kind of falls off the back of the shuttle and that's the last that you see of him but here we follow through. We have this emotional scene with Jake [Sully] and Neytiri and some other Na'vi that gather around him in the forest," Cameron said. The director added that the decision to cut down on Tsu'tey's passing was initially met with resistance from his team.

"It's a funny thing because everybody that was working on the film, when I said I'm taking out Tsu'tey's death, they said, 'What? You can't do that!' They had all fallen in love with it [because] it's a pretty powerful moment," he said. "It's such an amazing accomplishment on [visual effects supervisor Timothy] Webber's part because the emotionality in the CG is really quite stunning."

Cameron said the additional "Avatar" scenes involve four major moments, each around a couple minutes long, that turn up in the movie after the human soldiers fly a chopper into the lush Pandora rainforest for the first time. The revamped flick will also introduce fans to a new element of the alien environment: a herd-like creature called a Sturmbeest.

"There's a big scene we called the Sturmbeest hunt," Cameron said. "The Sturmbeest is an animal that basically will be new to audiences because all of the Sturmbeest stuff got cut out. Once I took out the hunt, I took out the scene where I establish it [and] I took out the moment where it appears in the final battle. All that stuff's now been reinstated so there's gonna be a lot of Sturmbeest in your diet."

Cameron lamented that many scenes were originally nixed to either keep the up pace of the flick or to avoid derailing the budget of the technologically innovative enterprise. However, the director said scenes that were added to the re-release are big on nonstop action.

"We've got a scene where the Na'vi attack the bulldozers after the scene where they've mowed down the willow glade," Cameron said. "It's kind of [an] action scene plus the aftermath with the human troopers finding the bodies of their friends." He added that the scene provides added context for the subsequent conflict between the Na'vi and the humans.

"It's sort of like the stepping stone of the escalation to war. We sort of jump over all of that in the [original] film. [Human leaders Colonel Miles Quaritch] and [Parker] Selfridge just say, 'OK, alright, let's go take 'em out.' But this sort of shows that there are steps in the process."

What are you looking forward to seeing in the new "Avatar" scenes? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out everything we've got on "Avatar".

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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What Is 'Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World' All About?

Those who have encountered Universal's creative and very colorful marketing campaign for the upcoming "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" movie might be either intrigued or perplexed by the zany high-action trailers or the larger-than-life billboards (featuring either star Michael Cera shredding the guitar or the more dubious "Exes by the numbers" shot). Either way, apart from the film's stellar cast and excellent tagline — "An epic of epic epicness" — curious moviegoers might be wondering: Who the heck is Scott Pilgrim? And what is this movie about?

Well we here at MTV News are more than equipped to help answer those questions and more. Kicking off a week of Pilgrim-pegged coverage, we bring you a handy primer of the unlikely hero, courtesy of director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz").To begin with, he says it's all about love.

"It's essentially a love story — or a love triangle even — about a young man, Scott Pilgrim," Wright told MTV News when he stopped by our live-stream show at Comic-Con recently. "[It's] basically the ups and downs of his love life, filtered through kung fu and video games and all sorts of insane action."

Those ups and downs revolve around Pilgrim fighting for the love of Ramona (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) — we're talking literal fighting here. Before Pilgrim and Ramona can be together, he must defeat her seven evil exes. Wright said it's like a cartoon/ video game/ sugar-cereal cocktail.

"Brian Lee O'Malley, who wrote the books, once described the character Scott Pilgrim as the hero of a movie inside his own head," Wright said. "This essentially is the movie, so it's kind of like a big daydream for people who've been brought up on Saturday morning cartoons, video games and too much sugary product."

Check out everything we've got on "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Love The Way You Lie' Star Megan Fox Isn't First Actress-Turned-Video Vixen

In honor of the buzz surrounding Megan Fox's performance in Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie" video — in which she portrays one-half of a couple in an abusive relationship alongside "Lost" and "Lord of the Rings" actor Dominic Monaghan — we at MTV News, having a certain level of expertise in this arena, got to thinking about other Hollywood actresses who have recently burned up the screens as music-video vixens.

What makes a video vixen? For this list, the qualifications are relatively simple: must be a recognizable Hollywood actress and be featured as a focal point of a band or bandmember's attention or the star of the clip's story line. In no particular order, and in addition to Fox's appearance in "Love the Way You Lie," MTV News presents the hottest actresses-turned-video vixens.

Charlize Theron in Brandon Flowers' "Crossfire"
The Oscar winner portrays a woman — more specifically, a sword-wielding lady ninja — on a mission to save her man.

Elisha Cuthbert in Weezer's "Perfect Situation"
"The Girl Next Door" and "24" actress embraced her inner diva by throwing fits, trashing dressing rooms and all-around rocking out with Weezer in their video.

Scarlett Johansson in Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ... Comes Around"
Directed by "The Notebook" maestro Nick Cassevetes, Johansson's sexy/ slightly crazy character literally drives Timberlake to madness in the theatrical, yet ultimately depressing, vid.

Pamela Anderson in Lit's "Miserable"
The "Baywatch" babe is no stranger to vamping it up or being the center of male attention. Anderson took the term "larger than life" to new heights as the setting and center piece of Lit's clip.

Jennifer Love Hewitt in Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" and LFO's "Girl on TV"
Before she was the "Ghost Whisperer," Hewitt got her vixen on in not one, but two music videos: One for inspiring boy band LFO's ode to unrequited love, the second for her sweetly sultry presence in "Hero" (which also features a special appearance by Mickey Rourke).

Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler in Aerosmith's "Crazy"
Finally, no list of recent video vixens would be complete without the inclusion of Aerosmith's "Crazy" and its stars. Their good-girls-gone-bad/ "Thelma & Louise"-esque escapades throughout this 1994 clip made Silverstone a household name — she also appeared in the band's videos for "Amazing" and "Cryin' " and, later, Rob Thomas' "Her Diamonds" — and set Tyler on a career path that would lead her to "Lord of the Rings" (which brings us right back to "Love the Way You Lie" star Monaghan ... creepy!).

Who are your favorite actresses-turned-video stars? Share your picks in the comments!

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'The Other Guys': Five Things You Didn't Know

Over the last few weeks, MTV News has taken you inside some of the summer's coolest flicks. With secrets revealed straight from the filmmakers themselves, we've walked you through the creation of buzzworthy "Inception" scenes, the coolest "Last Airbender" weapons, the CGI "Eclipse" wolves, and much more.

Today we turn our attention to "The Other Guys," the Will Ferrell- and Mark Wahlberg-starring action comedy that just opened in theaters. Co-writer and director Adam McKay gave us a call to discuss some of the key decisions he and his team made as they put together their new film. Check out these five secrets he revealed for us, and check back on Monday to hear five spoiler-heavy secrets that are simply too juicy to drop today.

How the Curse-Heavy Flick Got a PG-13 Rating

It's hard to believe that "Other Guys" isn't rated R, based on all the foulmouthed dialogue the cast spouts. As McKay told us, they worked hard to get the dirtiest PG-13 film they possibly could.

"We became masters of the family-friendly cursing from writing on 'Saturday Night Live,' " he said. "We found every possible way to say something awful. We don't say 'f---' in the movie, but I love that it feels like we do. We say 'sh--' a lot. In PG-13, you're allowed to say 'sh--' a lot. Endless 'sh--s.' "

"In one scene, we had a character say 'lick the sex off each other.' We had to change that just to 'lick the sweat.' There was one time someone says, 'I hope you like prison food and penis.' Originally it was, 'I hope you like the taste of prison food and penis.' We had to lose 'taste.' You want to get as close to R as you possibly can."

Why Paris Hilton's Cameo Is Missing

We've long known that Paris Hilton shot a cameo for the movie, but her scene didn't make it into the final cut. So what happened?

"The joke was that Mark's character shot Derek Jeter, so you're looking for a redemptive moment for him. During this helicopter crash, a piece of the helicopter shoots at this unknown blond woman and Mark dives and saves her. It's Paris, and he doesn't know who she is. We cut to a spinning headline that says, 'Cop Who Shot Jeter Saves Paris Hilton,' and then you pan below that and it says, 'City Hates Him Even More.' "

"I thought it was really funny," he continued. "But she's such a figure unto herself, it just threw the rhythm off somehow. She was a champion. She was totally making fun of herself. That scene will be on the DVD."

How They Recruited Derek Jeter

While Paris' cameo didn't make the finished flick, Jeter's most certainly did. How did McKay convince the Yankee captain to agree to a cameo that has him getting shot in the leg? McKay gave us the inside scoop.

"Of all the cast we got for this movie — and we got some pretty tremendous people — Derek Jeter was the most essential get for the whole movie," he said. "We wrote it into the script that he was a major part of the story. He's a fan of Will and the movies we've done in the past. He's a fan of Mark.

"The crazy thing is [the Yankees] won the World Series, and we're shooting a scene about 10 days afterward," he added. "I'm like, 'How does this guy come off that — there must be crazy parties, he must be exhausted — and then show up and have his lines memorized?' Sure enough, he was there and he was game. Professional athletes tend to fall into one of two categories. They're either super-conceited and standoffish, or they can be sweet and nice. He's definitely a sweet guy, very unpretentious. His girlfriend [Minka Kelly] is beautiful and just goofy and nice. He's a fan. He's hosted 'SNL.' He's got that sincerity that just works if he's delivering a line straight. He's an old-fashioned baseball star."

Why Mark Wahlberg Is Funnier Than You Ever Realized

Wahlberg has done the comedy thing a bit before, whether on "SNL" or this year's "Date Night," but he's never so fully embraced a comedic role. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of "Other Guys" is that the Oscar-nominated actor is damn funny.

"The second I saw Will and Mark together, it was just a completely different energy," McKay said. "In a weird way, almost the last two guys in the world you'd expect to see together. That's what made it so fascinating. Mark has the confidence of someone who could kick anyone's ass in the room. And Will has the confidence of someone who doesn't want to kick anyone's ass in the room. The two of them together are instantly interesting. The big secret we knew is that Mark's really, really funny."

"So it wasn't as risky as it might have seemed from the outside, because people associate him with dramatic roles or action stuff," he continued. "I loved him in 'I Heart Huckabees.' I thought he was hilarious in 'The Departed,' and I thought he was really funny in 'Boogie Nights' ... he gets the joke. He knows what he's messing around with. I think his theory is that anything that can be parodied about you should be shaved away anyway. I don't think he minds going after the fluffy parts of his own image. We had him do some crazy sh-- in this. He danced ballet. We got him a ballet coach and he learned moves. There wasn't one moment where he was like, "Come on guys, I can't do this." He would do anything."

Why the Credits Are So Fact-Filled

At the end of the movie — which centers on a Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme — McKay goes all Morgan Spurlock on us, introducing a series of wacky, graphic-heavy factoids about the financial crisis. Turns out that the credits idea came about after production wrapped and McKay got into the edit room.

"It came out of the fact that we wanted to do something different for the credits," he told us. "Playing alternative improv takes has been done to death. I actually love 'Harper's Index.' It's wildly entertaining to read, as well as educational. We contacted [visual effects firm] Picture Mill and said, 'Can we do a "Harper's Index" thing with the credits but do it fun and poppy and colorful?' We wanted a 'Pink Panther' feel to it.' "

Check out everything we've got on "The Other Guys."

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Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen Added To 'On The Road' Cast

And the Beat goes on. Two more have joined the cast of director Walter Salles' upcoming adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel "On the Road," which already counts Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart among its stars.

Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams have signed on to play the husband and wife couple Old Bull Lee and Jane, according to Deadline New York. Sal (Riley) encounters the Lees, both drug abusers, later in the story and, for all their faults, sees in them the sort of connection that he is looking for in his own relationship.

For those who are unfamiliar with the novel, Kerouac's writings are a largely autobiographical account of his journeys around the country, though specific names have been changed. Old Bull Lee and his wife, Jane, are believed to be noted author William S. Burroughs and his common-law wife Joan Vollmer. Burroughs accidentally shot and killed Vollmer in 1951, an incident he initially said stemmed from a William Tell act gone wrong.

Adams will next appear in David O. Russell's "The Fighter" alongside Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. And "On the Road" isn't her only project with a connection to counterculture: "Twilight" producer Wyck Godfrey revealed a few weeks ago that she is also attached to star in a Janis Joplin biopic.

For Mortensen, this marks the second "Road" movie in a short period of time. He starred opposite Kodi Smit-McPhee ("Let Me In") in last year's adaptation of the post-apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy novel "The Road." He'll next star with Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley in director David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method" as the famed psychotherapist Sigmund Freud.

Check out everything we've got on "On the Road."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Sandra Bullock Tops <I>Forbes</I> List Of Top-Earning Actresses

It's been a rough personal year for Sandra Bullock in the wake of her breakup with husband Jesse James. But according to Forbes magazine, in the midst of her difficult times offscreen, the actress managed to rack up a huge financial payday and rise to the top as the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.

Besting such rivals as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz, Bullock earned that distinction thanks to a pair of huge hits: "The Proposal," which grossed $320 million; and "The Blind Side," which racked up $310 million and helped her earn an Academy Award.

While Bullock wisely agreed to take a pay cut from her usual fee to star in "Blind Side," she got it back and then some in back-end pay, earning $56 million on both films between June 2009 and June 2010, according to Forbes. The magazine calculated its figures based on conversations with agents, managers, producers and lawyers.

Next on the list was perennial girl-next-door Witherspoon, who banked $32 million despite not having a big-screen opening since "Four Christmases" bowed during the 2008 holiday season. But she made the #2 spot thanks to her upfront pay for two upcoming movies, "How Do You Know?" and the adaptation of "Water for Elephants," co-starring "Twilight" hunk Robert Pattinson. She also earned cash for her role as an "ambassador" for Avon.

Diaz tied Witherspoon at #2, also with $32 million, which she earned on the Tom Cruise film "Knight & Day" and her sizable income from the "Shrek" franchise, which has earned $2.8 billion to date.

Aniston was at #4 with $27 million, which she earned from her appearance in the box-office disappointment "Love Happens," as well as her upcoming roles in "The Switch" and the Adam Sandler-assisted "Just Go With It." She also still gets residual checks from "Friends" and has her own perfume line and a lucrative deal with Smartwater.

"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker was at #5 with $25 million, rolling up cash from the movie franchise and profits from the series' syndication rights, as well as her strong-selling perfume line and a deal to design clothes for Halston.

The rest of the list: Julia Roberts ($20 million), Angelina Jolie ($20 million), Drew Barrymore ($15 million), Meryl Streep ($13 million) and "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart ($12 million).

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How Did Kenneth Branagh Get 'Thor' Job? Marvel Chief Explains

When Marvel Studios announced it was making a live-action movie about its god of thunder, "Thor," fans of the comic books were mostly excited. But when the studio revealed its choice of director, seasoned Shakespearian thespian Kenneth Branagh, the reactions were surprised, and decidedly mixed.

Now that the trailer is out and the cast and crew have made the rounds at San Diego Comic-Con, however, it seems the buzz is mostly positive for Branagh.

When MTV News caught up with Marvel chief Kevin Feige during our live-stream show at Comic-Con, he revealed how Branagh landed the gig.

"He chased it pretty hard," Feige said. "We had a number of good meetings. He flew himself over to meet with me. We had a number of phone calls, a number of sessions — more meetings than I've ever had with a director before we'd brought them on."

Feige added that through those first meetings with Branagh, he quickly learned that the actor had a lot more invested in the character than Feige originally realized.

"He's a big, giant 'Thor' fan," Feige said. "He clearly is a very literate guy when it comes to Shakespeare, and when it comes to almost anything, including Marvel's 'Thor,' which was a surprise to us.

"Also, just talking about movies," he continued. "We love the same kind of movies, we love the same kind of things, and when you have someone who's as talented as Ken is in one arena and bring him into another one, he is going to succeed."

Feige went on to say that Marvel was fully behind Branagh in every step of his filmmaking process.

"We have the department heads, we have the great resources to help him," he said. "What he brings to us is bringing our characters to life in a big way."

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Chace Crawford Says Gritty 'Twelve' Role Is A 'Departure'

The movie "Twelve" and the CW's "Gossip Girl" have a lot in common. They both take place in New York City. Both are about rich kids doing bad things. And Chace Crawford happens to star in them. Crawford, however, is quick to point out that he has little in common with neither drug dealer White Mike nor playboy Nate.

"Neither, I guess. I'm from Texas, it's a different story," he laughed to MTV news at the "Twelve" premiere last week about comparisons with his characters.

"I had to learn the cadence of the city and the way they operate things," Crawford explained. "Nate's not up to much [next season], I guess there's several other girls coming along, but ... it's good to kind of do something different and switch up and have a nice dichotomy," he added about his role in "Twelve."

While the gritty drama, in theaters now, offered him the chance to portray an edgier side, Crawford admitted that the shooting location also proved ideal, as did the chance to work with director Joel Schumacher.

"I wanted to work with Joel, first of all," he said. "We had a big long meeting about it and it was of high interest for me to work with him. And it was good; it was a good departure from 'Gossip Girl.' It worked out well because I'm in the city."

Plus, Crawford also got to act alongside rapper 50 Cent.

"I thought he might have some sort of persona he was trying to project, but he's easygoing," Crawford said of his co-star. "He's not trying to create some character. He wants to be a serious actor. I respect it. He was getting his tattoos lasered off while we were shooting and we had some good talks. I mean, he's cool. He lives in Connecticut and he's a super nice guy. Very intellectual."

What do you think of Chace playing a drug dealer in his new movie? Is it a good chance to stretch his acting chops? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Twelve."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Lindsay Lohan Looks 'Incredible' In 'Inferno' Lingerie Pics, Director Says

Despite the provocative nature of the recently leaked promotional photos for "Inferno," which feature a scantily clad Lindsay Lohan as porn star Linda Lovelace, director Matthew Wilder told MTV News the subject matter behind the biopic is not at all sexy.

Wilder said the inspiration for that particular scene came from a very dark place (much like the tone of the entire film, which he explained earlier this year): the first time Lovelace's then-husband, Chuck Traynor, forced her into pornography.

"The [photos] represent the scene that you will see in the movie," Wilder said. "Her husband took her to a hotel room. [He] kind of ambushed her and didn't tell her what was going on."

Lovelace once wrote that her initiation into prostitution was a "gang rape by five men, arranged by Mr. Traynor." Wilder said the photos, which were used in a promotional campaign to secure financing for the film at the Cannes Film Festival, are kind of "an abstract interpretation" of that incident.

Wilder said what surprised him most about the photos was Lohan's look. "It's interesting, because she looks really incredible," he said. "Linda Lovelace was not remotely this good-looking. It was really strange. This is really kind of like that movie thing, where everything is kicked up one or two degrees beyond reality."

Adding to Lohan's physicality are her acting chops, which Wilder said she can turn on and off in the blink of an eye. "There's a scene that we did, I don't know if we printed photos from it or not," Wilder explained. "But we put her in a chair, and she went into this total volcanic meltdown and then just like a second later snapped out of it and walked away, walked back and was talking normally to everyone else. ... I've never seen anybody who could turn it off like that and turn it on so intensely and then kind of walk away."

Moving forward, Wilder said production on "Inferno" will begin as soon as Lohan is ready after her release from the UCLA Medical Center rehab facility.

"There is talk about going in November," he said. "It's good. We've just got to wait until our star gets out of the [treatment facility], and then we'll be on our way."

He added that he hasn't spoken with Lohan yet, just her mother, Dina. "I don't know if she can talk," Wilder said. "It's one of those things where you can talk to her at certain times and certain times you can't, I don't really know."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'X-Men: First Class' 'Has A Lot Of Heart,' Says Director Matthew Vaughn

Director Matthew Vaughn dipped his toes into the comic book movie waters with "Kick-Ass," his gritty adaptation of the controversial comic book series of the same name. With his next film, "X-Men: First Class," he's diving into the deep end.

Speaking to MTV News while promoting this week's release of "Kick-Ass" on DVD and Blu-ray, Vaughn said he isn't worried about the growing cast list for the film, which includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, "Twilight" alum Edi Gathegi and Alice Eve, among others.

"It doesn't feel that busy," Vaughn told MTV News when asked whether he's concerned about cramming too many mutants into the film. "I don't feel worried about it. I think it will be really cool to see all these guys doing their stuff. I'm very keen that it has a lot of heart, this movie. You understand where these characters have come from, and you obviously know where they're going, but to see that very important point of their lives where they're discovering their power and working out their ethical take on what to do with their power is a very interesting story to tell."

Vaughn also offered up some details about the setting for the film, which he said "absolutely" positions it as an in-continuity prequel to the other "X-Men" films made over the last decade.

"I have to give a lot of credit to ['First Class' producer] Bryan Singer, because he came up with a very clever, very interesting way of integrating the characters into recent history — not necessarily too recent, though. I don't want to spoil it for you, but ... it just kind of worked. How he integrated the characters into the world and the political climate of the time, it was very clever."

According to Vaughn, the film will focus on the first meeting of Charles Xavier (originally played by Patrick Stewart, now played by McAvoy) and Magneto (formerly Ian McKellen, now Fassbender), and follow the pair through their friendship and subsequent parting of ways. The film will also feature a veritable who's who of new mutants from Marvel Comics' stable of X-Men characters, including Banshee and Darwin, as well as returning favorites like Beast.

"The backdrop of what's going on in the world when [Magneto and Xavier] first meet, it's very interesting," said Vaughn. "To see them and their relationship develop and play out with this major political event in the background is very clever and cool."

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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'Step Up 3D' Cast Reveals Their Signature Dance Moves

The cast of "Step Up 3D" hit the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Monday night to premiere the latest flick in the dance movie franchise. When the movie opens on Friday, fans will get the chance to see some smooth moves on the big screen in 3-D. So when the actors and dancers featured in the film aren't dancing for the flick, what are their real-life go-to dance moves? They revealed all on the red carpet.

"A hallowback," Keith Stallworth explained to MTV News, describing it in a way that made it seem dangerous. "You're on your hands. You're upside down, and you have your chin tucked in your chest and you're pushing all the way through and bending your legs so they just are about to touch the ground."

Alyson Stoner, who will also appear in "Camp Rock 2" in September, admits that she is currently expanding her dancing repertoire. "I'm learning how to do head spins right now," she said of the classic break-dancing move also cited by dancer Simrin Player. "So maybe that's my favorite move of the moment."

Another one of the film's stars, Stephen Boss, went old-school with his pick. "It's the prep, the old-school prep, see the prep. ... That's my go-to move because you can do that anywhere," he said. "You can do that in the car, in the store. You can be like, 'What? That's on sale! What?' It'd be good."

Dancer Jonathan Perez cited a complicated-sounding move as his go-to routine. "I do this thing called the leg a slide," he said. "I can't [do it] right now. I mean I could, but I'm gonna kick somebody and professionally I'm not supposed to kick anybody."

Do you have a signature dance move? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Step Up 3D."For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Dinner For Schmucks': The Reviews Are In!

After two straight weeks of adrenaline-raising debuts from "Inception" and "Salt," a trip to the multiplex this weekend might not tax your blood pressure so much as your funny bone, because "Dinner for Schmucks" is now in the mix.

Paul Rudd and Steve Carell's new comedy will likely not sell enough tickets to prevent "Inception" from winning a third straight weekend at the box office. But these two funnymen — reuniting again after "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Anchorman" — should provide stiff competition for Angelina Jolie's "Salt."

Which flick will triumph? It all may depend of word-of-mouth, so MTV News took a look at what the critics are saying about "Schmucks."

The Story
"Carell plays the schmuck of 'Schmucks,' a cheerily moronic walking disaster named Barry, who is befriended by Tim (Paul Rudd), a rising businessman seeking to get ahead with his boss (Bruce Greenwood). As in the 1998 French film 'The Dinner Game,' on which the new movie's based, the boss holds parties where each employee brings a twit; the best twit wins a prize without knowing he's actually the evening's biggest joke. The movie pretends to be appalled at the cruelty of this notion, but its heart isn't in it; these days, mocking the afflicted and the affected is an established source of profits for Hollywood in general and Roach in particular. Barry is Tim's chosen twit, and within hours of their meeting he has reduced his new friend's life to itty-bitty pieces of rubble.' — Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The Performances
"Carell is perfectly in his element as a sweet-natured, well-meaning guy who becomes a tornado of destruction in Tim's life, and the script comes up with clever ways for him to cause this trouble without meaning to. But there's a problem, not a huge or fatal one, but something that tempers the intensity of the comedy throughout: Because Tim is not powerful, not rich and not a terrible person, and because he's played by Paul Rudd, who is about as likable as a beagle puppy, the spectacle of seeing his property destroyed and his relationships damaged is not one we witness with abandoned glee. We laugh. We enjoy it, but without the sadistic giddiness that might have put this one over the top." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The Directing
"Roach may be the least organic director of comedy currently working in Hollywood. Other directors strive for svelte invisibility, teeing up their setups so imperceptibly that all the actors have to do is roll up and take a clean spike at the ball. Roach is down in the sand pit, furiously digging his way out, passing off the sweaty contrivance of his set pieces as comic zaniness. It's more like a form of comic epilepsy: He whips up the performances to almost unendurable levels of frenzy and then discards them for someone new, like a bored child riffling through toys." — Tom Shone, Slate

The Supporting Players
"The success of this movie, following a formula upheld by just about any recent hit comedy you can name, lies as much with supporting players and plot-derailing set pieces as with the central story and characters. Jemaine Clement (of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords) as a pompous, goatish artist; Zach Galifianakis as an I.R.S. flunky who believes he has the power to control other minds; Lucy Punch as a lovestruck stalker with no control over anything: these are the people who propel the movie on its meandering, offbeat path toward a madly farcical climax followed, inevitably and less happily, by a soft and sentimental dénouement." — A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The Final Word
"'Dinner for Schmucks' is as light as a fistful of feathers — as a comedy in the age of Apatow, it's barely there. But the sharp cast is smart enough not to weigh down the airy tale with heavy shtick (which might have been a temptation), and director Jay Roach lays out the story with straightforward simplicity. The movie becomes funnier than you might expect at the beginning; as summer comedies go, it's a small surprise." — Kurt Loder, MTV News

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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