The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown did not breach the copyright of an earlier book, London's High Court has ruled. The verdict shows that the claim was "utterly without merit." The ruling ends a five-week court case.

Source: BBC News

The orignal man in tights is returning to television... in the UK. Robin Hood is being played by newcomer Jonas Armstrong in the BBC series, debuting this fall. Filming has just got underway in Hungary. Jonas said the show would be "modern and medieval, with a bit of street - I've even got a hoodie". The series will also star Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Source: CBBC Newsround

Mr Brooks
Dane Cook will co-star alongside Kevin Costner, William Hurt, and Demi Moore, in his first dramatic role. The story centers on a prominent businessman (Costner) who has an alter ego that causes him to do dangerous things. Cook's character blackmails him into being his new accomplice. Shooting starts April 17 in Shreveport, La.

All Lit Up
Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick will star as neighbors in a small New England town who collide when one decides to decorate his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space. The script is by Don Rhymer and John Whitesell is directing for a 2006 holiday release.

P.D.R.
Kimberly Elise (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) has been cast opposite Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac in Lionsgate's inner-city sports drama, based on the true story of Philadelphia swim coach Jim Ellis. Ellis fixed an abandoned city pool in one of Philadelphia's toughest neighborhoods and recruited African-American youths to join his team, which went on to win the state championship. Sunu Gonera will direct, from a screenplay by Michael Gozzard, Kevin M. Smith, and Mills Goodloe.

Source: Variety

No More Mr. Nice Guy
ABC has shut down production on the half-hour comedy pilot starring Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show). The story revolves around a well-meaning man who always ends up looking bad even when trying to do the right thing. Rena Sofer (Ed) and Kevin Weisman (Alias) had been set to co-star. A table read had already taken place, but nothing had been taped. The project will be redeveloped for either midseason or 2007-08.

Keeping it in the Family
Family Guy writer/producer and Kitchen Confidential creator Dave Hemingson is cooking up plans at Fox, thanks to a new multiyear, seven-figure deal that will keep him at the studio until 2008. Part of this pact is an animated project centering on fraternal twins from an ordinary family who just happen to be the smartest kids in the world. The studio is also shopping the cancelled Confidential to other networks for a 2006-07 pickup.

On the Lot
Steven Spielberg, whose big break came directing the TV movie Duel, is turning again to the small screen in an attempt to find the heir to his throne. The reality series, co-produced by Mark Burnett, will pit undiscovered filmmakers against one another as they attempt to win a studio development deal at Paramount-based DreamWorks. Spielberg won't regularly appear, but he's already at work sketching behind-the-scenes details for the show. Producers were quick to point out that the show will be more American Idol than The Apprentice. Sixteen contestants will be split into four teams and given the resources to produce a short film. Each week will focus on a different genre, including comedy, thriller, drama, romance, and sci-fi. For each film, teams will pick a leader to serve as a director. A panel of judges (including a studio exec and a film critic) will critique the shorts in front of a live studio audience, with viewers ultimately voting for their favorite. Results will be revealed on the next night's half-hour episode, and the losing short's director will be eliminated. Burnett and Spielberg have built in the possibility that an eliminated director can make a comeback at some point in the show. Competition will continue until there are just two directors left. They'll have to work individually to secure the ultimate prize: a meeting with Spielberg, an office at DreamWorks, and a "healthy" discretionary fund. Fox is aiming for a first-quarter 2007 launch and likely will use "Idol" as a promotional pad. Features that come out of On the Lot will be produced through DreamWorks, but Fox has first crack if any of the concepts go into development for television.

Source: Variety

The Troubleshooter
Universal has acquired John Hamburg (Meet the Parents) and Mark Shanahan's spec script -- a comic thriller about a guy who is trying to figure out his life while running for his life. The film will be fast-tracked, with casting to begin shortly for a shoot later this year. Hamburg will direct.

Cold Fear
Avatar Films has secrured the film rights to Ubisoft's survival horror videogame -- an unusual move, since Cold Fear didn't sell well to gamers. Producers are betting that the scary atmosphere and compelling story -- a Coast Guard Officer trying to reconnect with his daughter, while adrift on a whaling ship infested with aliens.

Into the Mirror
Director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) has committed to yet another a horror thriller. Aja and producing partner Gregory Levesseur will rework the script by Jim Uhls, Joe Gangemi, Kieran Mulroney, and Michelle Mulroney. The concept is that the worst aspects of a human being are unleashed the first time he looks at himself in a mirror. Shooting will begin in the fall.

Brad Cutter Ruined My Life ... Again
Warner Bros. has bought Joe Nussbaum's (George Lucas in Love) spec script. The comedy revolves around a high-school nerd who grows up to get a good job and a beautiful girlfriend, only to lose his sanity and just about everything else when his company hires a man who was the most popular guy in his high school and had made his life a living hell.

The Next Nickelodeon Project
Nickelodeon Movies and The Collective are teaming to produce an action comedy film starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck, leads of the Nick series Drake & Josh. The untitled project, to be penned by series creator Dan Schneider and writing partner Steve Molaro, will center on a wealthy and sheltered young man who receives a crash course in life experience from a slacker.

Source: Variety

X-MEN: LAST STAND
Latino Review has posted three new TV spots for Fox's May 26 summer blockbuster...

View TV Spot 1

View TV Spot 2

View TV Spot 3

THE CELESTINE PROPHECY
The long-awaited indie adaptation of James Redfield's best-selling novel -- a personal quest for enlightment. Coming to theatres April 21.
View the trailer

Source: Latino Review

South Park won its first Peabody Award on Wednesday, winning praise from judges as TV's boldest, most politically incorrect satirical series. The George Foster Peabody Awards, for broadcasting excellence in both news and entertainment, are given annually by the University of Georgia. The series was praised as a show that "pushes all the buttons, turns up the heat, and shatters every taboo," Peabody Awards Director Horace Newcomb said. "Through that process of offending it reminds us of the need for being tolerant."

Source: ABC News

A week after the project was shelved, director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) is taking charge of the film. The script was crafted by Robert Harling, with rewites by Sacha Gervasi. Series creator David Jacobs is producing. This is the second TV-revival for Chadha, who is also directing I Dream of Jeannie for Sony.

Source: Variety

Drive (Pilot)
Alan Ruck (Spin City) has signed onto the Fox pilot centering on an illegal cross-country road race, which has been described as a fictional Amazing Race on acid. Show is written and produced by Buffy veteran Tim Minear.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Whoopi Goldberg has been cast as Chelsey Watkins, an evil foster mother who faces off with Det. Mike Logan (Chris Noth), in the May 7 episode. There's speculation this could become a recurring role. The episode will also feature a crossover appearance by Law & Order's Lt. Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson).

Amigos
Tim Allen and George Lopez will co-star in the comedy for Touchstone Pictures. The film, based on a story idea by Allen, focuses on mismatched in-laws who are forced to raise their grandson.

Normal Adolescent Behavior
Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) will star in this darkly comic look at sexual politics among precocious and privileged teenagers, for New Line Cinema. Beth Schachter wrote the script and will direct.

Sharky's Machine (Remake)
Mark Wahlberg will star as the tough, demoted homicide cop who rallies together a ragtag group of cops to take down a man who rigs elections. Phil Joanou will direct. Burt Reynolds directed and starred in the original, based on the novel by William Diehl. Updated version will vary in places from the original and likely won't be set in Atlanta.

Nanny Diaries
Paul Giamatti and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) have joined the cast. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as a working-class woman from New Jersey who becomes a nanny to a wealthy Manhattan family. Giamatti will play Mr. X, the family's imposing patriarch. Evans plays a Park Avenue hunk who steals Johansson's heart. Donna Murphy (Spider-man 2) and Laura Linney round out the cast. The film is based on Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin's popular satirical tome.

Conquistador
Antonio Banderas is set to star in the indie, Spanish-language epic which traces the exploits of 16th century explorer Hernan Cortes. Andrucha Waddington is directing. The story, from a screenplay by Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune), revolves around Cortes' internal and external struggles as he and a small band of soldiers arrive in the New World and bring about the violent destruction of the Aztec empire.

Dance
Nicolas Cage and 50 Cent will co-star, in a story based on the life of prison boxing coach Billy "The Kid" Roth.
Project is based on John Darling Haynes' 2003 documentary. A one-time successful prizefighter, Roth has spent more than 40 years as a volunteer boxing coach in Louisiana state prisons. Cage will play Roth, while 50 Cent will play an inmate the coach believes has the talent to be a contender -- the only hindrance being that he's serving a life sentence.

Blue State
Anna Paquin (X-Men) will star with Breckin Meyer (Garfield) in the romantic comedy about a young, idealistic Democratic campaigner who follows through on a promise to move to Canada if George W. Bush got re-elected. The film marks the directing debut of Marshall Lewy, who wrote the script.

Bill
Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking) will star as a manwho bottoms out when he catches his wife cheating. He finds a catalyst for a resurgence when he reluctantly mentors an unruly teen. Melisa Wallack wrote the script and will direct the film with her husband, producer Bernie Goldmann -- the directing debut for both.

Source: Variety

CHARLOTTE'S WEB
It's BABE 3: PIG IN A STORYBOOK. Nope, look again. The beloved EB White book and subsequent 1973 animated classic receives a live-action update with help from Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, Andre Benjamin, and more. All I can say is Steve Buscemi has some big shoes to fill. Coming to theatres December 20.
View the teaser trailer

CLERKS 2
Jay and Silent Bob return to the friendly confines of Red Bank, NJ and discover very little has changed in 10 years. Coming to theatres August 18.
View the internet trailer

GARFIELD: A TAIL OF TWO KITTIES
If we don't learn from our past mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them -- on vacation in a foreign country. Bill Murray returns as the CGI fat cat. They must have backed up a truckload of money and dumped it in his driveway. Coming to theatres, June 23.
View the trailer, if you dare.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT
If we don't learn from our past mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them -- on vacation in a foreign country. Is there an echo in here? Lucas Black (Sling Blade) takes the over wheel from Paul Walker and drives us all over the edge. Coming to theatres, June 16.
View the trailer, but wear your seat belt.

THE DA VINCI CODE
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks bring Dan Brown's best-selling conspiracy novel to life. Coming to theatres May 19.
View the trailer

STANDING STILL
Think The Big Chill for the Generation Y, except it's a wedding that pulls everyone together instead of a funeral. Starring Amy Adams (Junebug), Ethan Embry (Can't Hardly Wait), Colin Hanks (Orange County), Mena Suvari (American Pie), and James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek). Coming to theatres April 21 (limited release).
View the trailer