Besson's 'The Lady' to open Rome fest

"The Lady"ROME -- Luc Besson's Aung San Suu Kyi biopic "The Lady" will open the Rome Film Festival on Oct. 27 with the Gallic helmer and stars Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis in tow. Besson's biopic of the Burmese pacifist and human rights activist, who was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, will have its European launch from the Eternal City Extravaganza, out-of-competition, after world preeming at the Toronto Film Festival in September. The sixth edition of the Rome fest will run Oct. 27-Nov. 4. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Christian Bale Looks Past 'Dark Knight Rises' For Future Projects

With only three months of filming left for "The Dark Knight Rises," the world is Christian Bale's oyster. The Oscar-winning actor currently doesn't have any films lined up once the final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies wraps, but he certainly does have options. Variety is reporting that he has five films that he could potentially join, though he's not attached to any of them yet and none are considered front-runners at this point. The first is in the Beyonce-starring remake of "A Star is Born," which is being directed by Clint Eastwood. There's also Michael Mann's "Gold," Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace," Spike Lee's "Old Boy" remake and Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic "Noah." Bale is in the prime of his career right now, so any of those options would be a good one. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes his career in now that his commitment to Nolan's franchise is finished. Check out the rest of today's casting news after the jump! "Neighborhood Watch" Continues To Grow Jonah Hill is the latest comedian to join Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn's "Neighborhood Watch." Deadline broke the news, though they didn't know what role Hill will be playing. Hill's involvement was first teased last Thursday, but it wasn't official yet. The movie follows a group of bored married couples running a neighborhood watch who end up uncovering an alien invasion plot. Clifton Collins Jr. Heads To The "Pacific Rim" The cast continues to grow for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming alien invasion movie, "Pacific Rim." Variety is reporting that Clifton Collins Jr. has joined the flick in a unannounced role. He'll be joining Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, Max Martini, Willem Dafoe and Robert Kazinsky in the film. "Pacific Rim" is scheduled to hit theaters on July 12, 2013. Rufus Sewell Joins "Paradise Lost" Following in the heels of Djimon Hounsou coming on board "Paradise Lost" yesterday, Rufus Sewell has reteamed with his "Dark City" director Alex Proyas for Legendary Pictures' adaptation of Milton's epic poem. Bloody Disgusting has the news, though they didn't know what role Sewell will be playing. He'll be joining Bradley Cooper, Benjamin Walker and Hounsou in the movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters in late 2013. Balon Greyjoy Cast In "Game Of Thrones" Theon Greyjoy, prepare to have some competition in the kraken department. Winter Is Coming announced that British actor Patrick Malahide has been cast as Balon Greyjoy, the lord of the Iron Islands and Theon's estranged father. Balon plays a small but pivotal role in season two of "Game of Thrones," and has a bigger part to play come season three. According to WiC, fellow Greyjoys Aeron and Victarion will likely be shuffled into later seasons, so don't expect those casting announcements any time soon. Alexandra Maria Lara Is Getting In The "Rush" German actress Alexandra Maria Lara has joined the cast of Ron Howard's racing flick "Rush," Variety is reporting. She'll play the female lead in the movie opposite Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brhl. The film follows the real-life rivalry between Formula One race car drives James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1970s. Tell us your thoughts on today's Casting Call in the comments section below or on Twitter!

No Illegal Drugs Found in Amy Winehouse's Body; Cause of Death Still Unclear

Amy Winehouse No illegal drugs were in Amy Winehouse's system at the time of her death, yet it remains unclear how she died, her family said.Amy Winehouse autopsy inconclusive; burial set"Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death. Results indicate that alcohol was present but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death," the Winehouse family said in a statement to The Associated Press. Winehouse, who had long battled alcohol and drug abuse, was found dead at age 27 on July 23. An initial autopsy failed to determine the cause of death. Her family has maintained that Winehouse had been clean and believes that giving up alcohol cold turkey killed her.Amy Winehouse's family says alcohol withdrawal killed herThe Winehouses are awaiting the outcome of an inquest into the singer's death that is scheduled to begin in October, the statement added. "The family would like to thank the police and coroner for their continuing thorough investigations and for keeping them informed throughout the process."

'Woman In Black' Trailer Commentary: Beware, Daniel Radcliffe!

"What she wants is unknown, but she always comes back: the specter of darkness, 'The Woman in Black.'" Now, if that haunting nursery rhyme echoed by a young child's voice doesn't send shivers down your spine, perhaps you don't have a pulse or perhaps you're just a wee bit jaded by the horror movie scene. Frankly, MTV News deputy managing editor Eric Ditzian and yours truly, Movies Blog editor Josh Wigler, had a hard time figuring out which way we were feeling about that very question while recording our recent commentary on the "Woman in Black" trailer, which you can watch in the video above. As our very own Aubrey Sitterson noted just last week, the "Woman in Black" trailer features some of the creepiest things of all time, including rhyming children's narration and blank-faced girls in matching dresses. On the one hand, the trailer is spot-on in its attempt to creep the bejeezus out of the viewer this viewer, at least though its method of terror is, perhaps, a bit expected. Children speaking in eerie rhyme is an all but guaranteed mode of horror travel at this stage of the game. A mysterious figure appearing from behind the protagonist's shoulder, too, is nothing new. But does the expected or, dare I say it, the cliched always net out as something unworthy of our time? Not by a long shot. For me, and for many fans I expect, the real wrinkle here is the addition of Daniel Radcliffe. Boy Who Lived, you are not in Hogwarts anymore: this movie looks to be a supernatural flick of a whole different color, and it's going to be very interesting to see how the erstwhile "Harry Potter" star navigates a brand new genre with a bleaker tone than the already decidedly dark "Deathly Hallows" conclusion. For more of mine and Eric's thoughts on the "Woman in Black" trailer, click the video at the top of the post. And we want to hear from you, too, so hit the comments section and go on Twitter to let us know what you think.

Raoul Ruiz, filmmaker and visionary, dies at 70

PARIS -- French-Chilean filmmaker Raoul Ruiz, who was revered for his singular literary adaptations, died of complications from pulmonary infection Thursday in Paris. He was 70.A prolific and critically-acclaimed helmer, Ruiz had won Gaul's Louis Delluc prize, the film equivalent to the French literary Goncourt prize, for "Mysteries of Lisbon."Ruiz, who was fighting a cancer discovered two years ago while filming "Lisbon," was still highly dedicated to his work as a film director.The filmmaker had just completed lensing "La Noche de enfrente" strarring Christian Vadim, and he was prepping "As Linhas de Torres," a Portugal-set war drama, which had Mathieu Almaric, John Malkovich and Lea Seydoux attached to star.The helmer fled to France in the early '70s to escape Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, after breaking through with his feature debut, "Three Sad Tigers," which won Locarno's Golden Leopard in 1968.A leading figure of Chile's Cinema of Resistance movement, the politically-engaged Ruiz directed "Dialogues of the Exiled," inspired by playwright Bertolt Brecht's Refugee Conversations.Ruiz later sparked international recognition with films such as Catherine Deneuve starrer "Time Regained" based on Marcel Proust classic novel, and "Klimt, the biopic of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, starring John Malkovich and "Genealogies of a Crime," which was nommed for a Golden Bear in Berlin.Ruiz was feted at Berlin with a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution in 1997. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Mark Romanek Wanted For Cinderella

Disney is after him with a glass slipperLooking to push ahead with its Aline Brosh McKenna-penned live-action re-imagining of the Cinderella story, Disney has targeted the man it thinks might be right to bring the story to life: Mark Romanek. According to Deadline, no deal is in place yet, but the Mouse House seriously wants the man who made One Hour Photo and the more recent Never Let Me Go to tackle the tale. Few plot details are available about McKenna's new take, though it is known that it'll find the Prince being shoved towards a politically expedient arranged marriage, one whose evil plan is threatened when he instead meets and falls for the lowly Cinderella. We've mixed feelings on this: Make no mistake, Romanek's a great director, but we're not really sure this is the right fit. Plus, he's had his problems with studio films before, having dropped out of The Wolfman and passing on The Wolverine. But perhaps, after Never Let Me Go failed to catch fire at the box office or score much notice come Oscar time (a criminal shame on both counts), he could use a little box office clout to help him get back to making the movies he really wants to do. And since Disney will shove this one around the world a la Alice in Wonderland, it would definitely have a shot...

Amy Winehouses Goddaughter Works Tribute At United kingdom Festival

EASTNOR CASTLE DEER PARK, England -- Amy Winehouses 15-year-old goddaughter carried out a superb set in the Large Chill music festival, reflecting her late mentor by closing her show having a cover of Winehouses Love Is really a Losing Game. Dionne Bromfield got teary-eyed when she carried out the song, barely in a position to sing its last couple of words, although the crowd cheered her on. She was an incredible singer, Bromfield stated. She wasn't only my godmother, but she was my mentor and my boss too. The large-voiced singer sang effortlessly throughout her 30-minute performance on Saturday, the 2nd day's the U.K. music festival. Bromfield would be a indication of Winehouse: She was near to the mic while belting lyrics, together with her large hair and small build. She was backed with a 5-piece band and ballroom dancers, carrying out tunes from her two albums and singing mainly about boys and relationship troubles. Her tickly voice was top-notch as she sang soul tunes with pop tastes, especially about the old-school sounding Remember Our Love and also the up-tempo Yeah Right. She also carried out covers of Cee Lo Vegetables smash Forget You 'and the Shirelles Mama Stated, Bromfields first single. Winehouse, who had battled with substance addiction, was discovered dead of unknown causes at her London home on This summer 23. Bromfield is signed to Winehouses label, Lioness Records. Copyright 2011 by Connected Press. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Stephen Colbert Hijacks Major League Baseball Twitter Account

Stephen Colbert After beating Major League Baseball at its own Beat the Streak challenge, Stephen Colbert was granted the right to take over the MLB Twitter account for 24 hours. But the Colbert Report host didn't necessarily stick to discussing America's pastime. He tweeted the score of a fantasy baseball game between the "Shape Shifting Faeries" and the "Enchanted Dragons," and told fans it was "Toss Your Trash On The Field Day." To be fair, one tweet was about pitching stats, but the link sent tweeters to Colbert's Super Pac website. Check out the rest of today's news True to his word, Colbert handed the keys to the Twitter account back to the MLB on Friday night, which prompted a new challenge: "It's a tweet-off," the MLB account tweeted. "Who do you prefer tweeting from the @MLB account? #Colbert or #MLB?"

Bawdy swap comedy

"The Change-Up" stars Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann and Ryan Reynolds join helmer David Dobkin. Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill at the afterparty Universal chairman Adam Fogelson and Olivia Wilde .He may have directed the smash hit "The Wedding Crashers," but David Dobkin said Universal Pictures' "The Change-Up" is his most hilarious project at Monday's night premiere. "I thought it had to be the funniest script I had ever read," Dobkin said. The preem was held at the Village Theater in Westwood, with the pic's stars, Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds, seen chatting with everyone from Jonah Hill to Paul Rudd and Judd Apatow. Reynolds' "Proposal" co-star, Sandra Bullock, also made an appearance, talking it up with her CAA agent Kevin Huvane at the Hammer Museum afterparty. Dobkin said that when he first got the script, there was always that worry about how it would turn out, but once it all came together, he knew he had something special on his hands. "The script was really funny, and when making a movie, you have to trust the material," he said. "You know good writing works, and in this case, the boys went for it." Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Former News of the World exec arrested

LONDON -- Stuart Kuttner, the former managing editor of the News Of The World, has become the latest senior News Int'l. exec to be arrested by British police as part of its investigation into phone hacking and police bribery.Kuttner, 71, who retired in 2009 after 22 years as the paper's managing editor, was arrested by appointment at a London police station.He had recently returned from the U.S., where he was reportedly being treated for a serious illness.He was taken into custody and questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, and on suspicion of corruption. As managing editor, Kuttner was in charge of finances at the News Of The World. Rebekah Brooks, the former News Intl chief executive and former editor of the News Of The World, told a parliamentary committee last month that the managing editor was responsible for payments to private investigators.The Metropolitan Police is investigating allegations that private investigators were used by News Of The World reporters and editors to hack the phones of celebrities, politicians and crime victims, and that police officers were bribed for information.The police have previously arrested and questioned 10 other News Intl. executives, including Brooks and Andy Coulson, another ex-News Of The World editor who later served as communications chief for Prime Minister David Cameron.None has yet been charged, and all have been released on bail.In an unrelated development, Jonathan May-Bowles has been sentenced to six weeks in jail for throwing a foam pie at Rupert Murdoch during his questioning by a parliamentary committee. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com