The box office smash ‘Inglourious Basterds’ almost had a very different cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of a vicious Nazi.

MTV reports that Quentin Tarantino’s original plans for the casting of the WWII epic did not include many of the people who eventually starred in the film. The director reportedly imagined American actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Nazi Col. Hans Landa but reconsidered and decided Landa should be played by a German-speaking actor. The role went to Christoph Waltz, who won the Best Actor award at Cannes and is on the short list for an Oscar.

For the part of the alliteratively named Basterd Nazi hunter Sgt. Donny Donowitz, Tarantino is rumored to have considered comedian Adam Sandler. Sandler committed to ‘Funny People’ instead and the Donowitz role went to horror director Eli Roth.

Both Simon Pegg and Tim Roth are said to have been considered for the part of British solider Lt. Archie Hicox, which ultimately went to Michael Fassbender. And the role of German film star and Allied spy Bridget von Hammersmark was originally intended for German actress Nastassja Kinski but went to Diane Krueger instead.

The WWII flick had a massive opening weekend with $37.6 million at the North American box office, giving Quentin Tarantino the biggest debut of his career.

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Contact Music says Kristen Stewart is glad she started starring in movies at the age of nine – because the Twilight star is convinced that if she had become famous in her teen years, she would have found it hard to handle.

Steward made her film debut in the 1999 Disney movie ‘The Thirteenth Year,’ after an agent saw her perform in an elementary school Christmas show. She has gone on to make more than 20 movies, including ‘The Panic Room,’ ‘Zathura’ and ‘Into the Wild,’ but it was her role as Bell Swan in 2008’s ‘Twilight’ that catapulted the 19-year-old to megastardom.
 
Stewart says she is glad she learned to deal with the spotlight early, stating, “I think that if I had started now or just a couple of years ago, after the age of 14, if I had waited two more years, I would be wrought. I couldn’t deal with the scrutiny.
 
“I feel like starting out as a teenager may not have been as good. I conquered fears at a young age because I wasn’t considering them. I just took them for whatever.”

The scrutiny to which Stewart is referring no doubt includes the massive media attention and speculation surrounding her relationship with ‘Twilight’ costar Robert Pattinson. 

Aside from the filming the remainder of the ‘Twilight’ movies, Stewart is playing Joan Jett in the story of the girl rock group The Runaways.

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Adult film studio Digital Sin/New Sensations will change the name of a forthcoming ‘X-Files’ parody after receiving a cease and desist letter from 20th Century Fox. 

XBIZ.com reports that the letter accused the company of infringing on the ‘X-Files’ mark and demanded a title change.

Digital Sin/New Sensations, which has produced adult spoofs of other television shows including ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘30 Rock,’ responded in a statement, stating that it “does not believe that its intended product infringes on the rights of Fox. However, in the spirit of cooperation, the company has decided to respond to Fox’s concerns by adapting the title to ‘The Sex Files: A Dark XXX Parody.’”

Filming has already completed on the movie, which stars a Gillian Anderson lookalike. And, anyone concerned that the issue might cause a delay can rest easy, as New Sensation anticipates that ‘The Sex Files: A Dark XXX Parody’ will still be released on schedule.

Variety.com reports that ‘Twilight’ director Catherine Hardwicke is signing on to direct a big screen version of Little Red Riding Hood. Leonardo DiCaprio’s company, Appian Way, will produce the remake of the classic tale, to be written by ‘Orphan’ screenwriter David Johnson.

‘The Girl With the Red Riding Hood’ will be a gothic retelling and – similar to the second installment of the ‘Twilight’ saga, ‘New Moon’ – will feature a werewolf and a teenage love triangle.

So, not much of a stretch for Hardwicke, who had critical hits with ‘Thirteen’ and ‘Lords of Dogtown’ before the incredible success of ‘Twilight,’ which was the biggest opening for a female director in history. She did not return to direct the sequel but apparently has a growing to-do list. Among her purported projects are ‘Maximum Ride’ at Sony, ‘Hamlet’ starring Emile Hirsch, and a movie adaptation of the 80s television show ‘21 Jump Street,’ which starred Johnny Depp.

The Brothers Grimm classic, Little Red Riding Hood, has been adapted for the big screen several times, notably in 1996 by Matthew Bright, as ‘Freeway’ starring Kiefer Sutherland as a serial killer named Bob Wolverton, and featuring a then unknown Reese Witherspoon as a runaway teen. In 1997 Christina Ricci starred in a black comedy version of the tale and in 2005, the Weinstein Co. released the animated ‘Hoodwinked!’

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The cast of the upcoming Guillermo del Toro directed prequel to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series, ‘The Hobbit,’ has been the subject of much rumour and speculation. Now Slashfilm.com is reporting that the role of lead Hobbit Bilbo Baggins has been cast, but just who has been given the role is still cloaked in mystery.

Ian McKellen spoke at a special marathon screening of the extended editions of all three ‘Lord of the Rings’ films at London’s BFI IMAX cinema, and is said to have worked the crowd into “a frenzy,” with the announcement that he will be returning to play Gandalf the Wizard and that the starring role of Bilbo Baggins has been successfully cast.

McKellen also said he expects to start work on set in March of next year. The Hobbit is reportedly set for a 2011 release. While McKellen did not reveal the identity of the actor slated to play Baggins, he did say “he’s sure that the fans will be very, very pleased.”

This should be great news for those fans, as last week The Guardian was reporting that the project had not yet received the green light from studio New Line.

Speculation about who will play the Hobbit has included James McAvoy (‘Atonement,’ ‘The Last King of Scotland’) and Daniel Radcliffe.

The ‘Harry Potter’ star has said, however, that he would not take the role, telling the LA Times’ blog in London,

“I’d have to say, ‘Thanks but no thanks,’ not that anyone has asked me.” Radcliffe said, “Honestly, I don’t think they would want me anyway, it’s just too close. Whatever I do next, I don’t think there will be any wizards in it!”
 

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‘Inglourious Basterds’ opens to glorious reception.

Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt crushed the box office competition this weekend. AFP reports that the highly anticipated WWII fantasy/comedy action flick, in which Pitt plays a Jewish-American Nazi scalper, topped the North American box office, earning $37.6 million.

Last week’s topper, ‘District 9,’ fell to second place in its second week, with $18.9 million. ‘G.I. Joe’ also fell one place, to third, taking in $12.5 million.

The Weinstein Co., which co-owns ‘Inglourious Basterds’ with Universal Pictures, must be grateful for the good showing, though the Wall Street Journal reports that it may not be enough to save the struggling company.

Bob and Harvey Weinstein, formerly of Miramax — where they made ‘The English Patient,’ ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ ‘My Left Foot,’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ — founded the company in 2005 and, while there have been successes, such as ‘The Reader,’ for which Kate Winslet won an Academy Award, a string of flops like ‘Miss Potter’ and ‘Who’s Your Caddy?’ has helped land the company in dire straights.

According to the New York Times, since 2005, the Weinstein Co. has released approximately 70 films, more than a quarter of which failed to break $1 million at the American box office and 13 of which took in less than $100, 000.

The studio has great expectations for the rest of the year. The Wall Street Journal says upcoming releases include ‘Nine,’ the musical inspired by Fellini’s 8 ½, starring Nicole Kidman and Penélope Cruz; and ‘The Road,’ which is already generating ‘Best Picture’ buzz.

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Brad Pitt is said to have dissed Tom Cruise’s WWII era movie, ‘Valkyrie,’ while praising his own ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ But Pitt’s manager later said the star has not even seen the other’s movie and never said anything of the sort.

According to People.com, Pitt told the German magazine ‘Stern,’ “The second World War could still deliver more stories and films, but I believe that Quentin [Tarantino] put a cover on that pot. With ‘Basterds,’ everything that can be said to this genre has been said.” He added, “The film destroys every symbol. The work is done, end of story.”

And he apparently called ‘Valkyrie’ “a ridiculous movie.”

However, Pitt’s manager later told Usmagazine.com, “Brad has never seen ‘Valkyrie’ so this is NOT accurate.”

If it were true, it would not be the first time Pitt has made negative comments about Cruise.

In 1994, the two costarred in ‘Interview With The Vampire’ and Pitt told Rolling Stone, “I like the guy. I honestly like the guy. But at a point, I started resenting him. In retrospect, I realize that it was completely because of who our characters were. I realize that it was my problem.”

‘Inglourious Basterds’ was the number one movie at the box office this weekend with $36.7million.

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Somewhere over the rainbow, there is talk of a ‘Wizard of Oz’ sequel.

The UK’s Daily Express is reporting that Dakota Fanning is “being tipped” to play the lead in a sequel to the classic ‘Wizard of Oz.’

Producer Basil Iwanyk said the film will be set in the present day and feature Dorothy’s granddaughter.

A Warner Bros executive told the Daily Express the sequel will be “darker and more action-packed” and Co-producer Todd McFarlane of the ‘Spawn’ series said Fanning’s character would be “much closer to the Ripley character from ‘Alien’ [Sigourney Weaver] than a helpless singing girl.”

This isn’t the first sequel to be made of the adored movie. Back in 1985, ‘Return to Oz’ was released starring a young Fairuza Balk, who would later achieve fame in ‘The Craft.’
Before perhaps stepping into ruby slippers, Fanning is, of course, busy with other projects such as the much-anticipated second instalment of the ‘Twilight’ series, ‘New Moon.’ She is also playing Lita Ford in the rock bio flick, ‘The Runaways.’

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