Movie News in Bite-Sized Form

Fox Is 'Romancing the Stone' Again
The studio has tapped Daniel McDermott ('Eagle Eye') to pen a remake of the romance-action-comedy 'Romancing the Stone,' says The Hollywood Reporter. The 1984 original, about a hapless romance novelist caught up in a dangerous Colombian adventure, launched the career of director Robert Zemeckis and made Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner bankable leads. (Dec. 4)

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Russell Brand Eying 'Arthur' Redo
Russell Brand is developing a remake of the 1981 hit 'Arthur,' per The Hollywood Reporter. The British comedian, best known in the U.S. for 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' would take on the title role of the booze-swilling playboy made famous by Dudley Moore. (Dec. 4)

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Mark Ruffalo's Brother Shot
Mark Ruffalo's brother is clinging to life after an "execution-style shooting" to the head. Scott Ruffalo, a 39-year-old hairstylist who lives in Beverly Hills, was found in his apartment early Monday morning and remains in intensive care at a Los Angeles hospital. Get the full story from PopEater. (Dec. 4)

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Carpenter's 'They Live' To Be Reincarnated
Universal is set to remake horror maestro John Carpenter's 1988 cult hit 'They Live,' The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The original flick follows a construction worker (Roddy Piper) who finds glasses that enable him to see aliens walking among humanity and, of course, sets out to destroy them. (Dec. 4)

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Sundance Film Fest Announces 2009 Lineup
The '09 Sundance Film Festival has set a slate of 64 films to compete in its feature competitions, including documentaries about the Doors and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, as well as 'Office' star John Krasinski's directorial debut 'Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.' Get the full lineup from indieWIRE. (Dec. 4)

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Kristen Stewart to Play Joan Jett
The in-demand 'Twilight' starlet has been tapped to play rocker Joan Jett in 'The Runaways,' says The Hollywood Reporter. The flick will chart the meteoric rise and fall of the eponymous '70s all-girl rock band. (Dec. 3)

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Clooney Got Cold Shoulder From 'Frost/Nixon'
'Frost/Nixon' writer Peter Morgan tells England's Daily Express that George Clooney approached him to direct the film, but Morgan turned him down in favor of Ron Howard. Guess even Clooney gets rejected sometimes. (Dec. 3)

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'Dark Knight' Already Year's Best-Selling iTunes Movie
'The Dark Knight' won't be available for download on iTunes until Dec. 9, but it's already the store's top-selling flick of 2008, says The Hollywood Reporter. Holy anticipation, Batman! (Dec. 3)

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'Lost' Won't Get Big-Screen Finale
Though ending a TV series with a feature film seems to be the fashionable thing to do these days, the creators of 'Lost' insist they won't cheat their audience by taking that route, saying that "the show should definitively end the same place it started ... on television." Get the full story from Cinematical. (Dec. 3)

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Depp Books 'Hand of Dante'
Johnny Depp will produce and likely star in the adaptation of Nick Tosches' novel 'In the Hand of Dante,' according to Variety. The book features parallel storylines: one set in the 14th century in which Dante works on 'The Divine Comedy,' and one in modern times in which Tosches (Depp) is asked to authenticate Dante's original script. (Dec. 3)

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