‘Twilight’ stars Peter Facinelli and Kellan Lutz are not gay lovers. The actors have dismissed rumours that were sparked after they were photographed holding hands at LAX. Lutz, who plays Emmet Cullen, vampire “son” of Facinelli’s character, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, in the wildly popular vampire franchise, appears to find the gossip amusing.

“That one is fine,” Lutz told E! Online, referring to the pic. “It’s the naked one of us in the bubble bath that would really get us into trouble.”

He went on to joke, “We’re just friends,” adding, “It’s weird how rumours get started. You’re holding hands with a friend and then the rumours begin.”

The comment could have been in reference to a similar pic of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who were also photographed holding hands. At the time, Facinelli linked to the photo on Twitter. “Co-stars caught holding hands,” he tweeted. “Guess this picture proves everything.”

Lutz explained that he and Facinelli, who is married to ‘91210′ star Jennie Garth, were just amusing themselves for the cameras.

“We were coming off a plane and the paparazzi were all over us so we were just being goofy,” he said. “At one point, we even pulled out a ‘Twilight’ book and started reading it. If they wanted a circus, we were going to give them a good show.”

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Forbes has released its annual list of Hollywood’s 10 Most Overpaid Stars. These are the actors who provide the least bang for the buck in terms of return on investment.

Topping the list is Will Ferrell, whose turn in the epic summer flop ‘Land of the Lost’ helped secure him the number one slot. The kids’ movie cost an estimated $100 million and earned only $65 million at the worldwide box office.

The comic actor commands a high salary but, all in all, for every dollar Ferrell was paid, Forbes says his films earned a dismal average of $3.29.

By contrast, the movies of Shia LaBeouf — who topped Forbes’ list of Best Actors for the Buck in August — earned an average $160 for every dollar LaBeouf was paid.

The second worst ROI is Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, whose recent movies have not performed well. For every dollar McGregor was paid, his films earned an average $3.75.

Other big names on the list include Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise. Only one woman made the ten worst, Drew Barrymore.

To qualify, each actor had to have starred over the last five years in at least three movies that opened in more than 500 theaters. Forbes then calculated a return-on-investment (ROI) number for each star by dividing total operating income on the three films by the star’s total compensation.

Forbes’ Top 10 Most Overpaid Stars and their ROIs:

Will Ferrell, $3.29
Ewan McGregor, $3.75
Bill Bob Thornto, $4
Eddie Murphy, $4.43
Ice Cube, $4.77
Tom Cruise, $7.18
Drew Barrymore, $7.43
Leonardo DiCaprio, $7.52
Samuel L. Jackson $8.59
Jim Carrey, $8.62

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Idris Elba has joined the cast of  Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor,’ says The Hollywood Reporter.

Kenneth Branagh is directing the adaptation of the comic book about the Norse God of Thunder. Chris Hemsworth will star as Thor; Tom Hiddleston will play Loki, and Natalie Portman is the love interest, Jane Foster.

Anthony Hopkins is reportedly on board to play Thor’s father, the God Odin. And Samuel L. Jackson is rumoured to be cast as Nick Fury.

It was also recently announced that ‘Queen of the Damned’ star Stuart Townsend, ‘King Arthur’ star Ray Stevenson, and Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, had been cast as The Warriors Three — the trio of Asgardian adventurers who fight alongside Thor.

Elba will play Heimdall; as the guardian of Asgard, the city of the Norse Gods, Heimdall stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders.

The British actor starred opposite Beyonce Knowles in ‘Obsessed.’ He will be next seen in the heist thriller ‘Taken’ and will also appear in Dark Castle’s DC Comics adaptation ‘The Losers.’ On television, he has a recurring role as Charles Miner in NBC’s ‘The Office.’

“Thor” is an epic adventure that tells the story of a powerful but arrogant warrior, who is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans after his reckless actions reignite an ancient war. He later learns what it takes to be a true hero when the darkest forces of Asgard invade Earth.

Shooting on ‘Thor’ is due to begin in mid-January in Manhattan Beach, California.

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Uma Thurman will play Rob Pattinson’s wife in an upcoming film.

The Hollywood Reporter says the ‘Kill Bill’ actress, 39, has signed on to star opposite the teen heartthrob of the year, 23, in an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s novel ‘Bel Ami.’

‘Bel Ami’ tells the story of George Duroy (Pattinson), a young journalist who rises from poverty to become one of the most successful men in Paris by bedding the city’s most glamorous and influential women.

THR says Thurman will play the wife of Duroy’s friend, who is extremely involved and connected in the goings-on of Parisian society. This is presumably Madeleine Forestier, though the character’s name is not mentioned. Madeleine helps Duroy in his ascent, later becoming his wife.

The role was reportedly offered to Nicole Kidman at one point, but a deal never got made.

Kristin Scott Thomas, who has also joined the cast, will play a socialite who falls for Duroy.

‘Bel Ami’ is scheduled to shoot next year in Paris.

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The ‘Twilight’ actors have opposing opinions over who should direct the series’ fourth installment ‘Breaking Dawn.’ A little over a week ago, heartthrob Robert Pattinson told MTV about his choice, saying, “I think Gus Van Sant would be great.” But now MTV has both Jamie Campbell Bower and co-star Ashley Greene pooling for direction from Tim Burton.

According to MTV, Bower, who starred as Anthony Hope in Burton’s 2007 screen adaptation of ‘Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,’ said that Burton would be the ideal man to helm the final ‘Twilight’ film. And Greene agreed. At New York’s MOMA, for the opening of a retrospective of the director’s artwork, she told MTV, “I think artistically, he’s just brilliant.”

All the ‘Twilight’ movies are made by different directors — Catherine Hardwicke directed the first installment, Chris Weitz is in charge of ‘New Moon,’ and David Slade is currently at the helm of ‘Eclipse.’

Greene said, “It would be completely different. But if you look at what we’ve done from ‘Twilight’ to ‘New Moon’ to ‘Eclipse’ director-wise, they’re all completely different, because the tones are different. The fourth one’s a little odd, a little weird, and I definitely think that Tim Burton would put an amazing spin on it.”

When asked about his thoughts on Bower’s suggestion, Burton laughed and said, “He’s being biased, because I worked with him on ‘Sweeny Todd.’ But that’s nice to hear. In case potential jobs run out, it’d be nice to know someone.”

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‘Transformers’ producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura has jumped on the chance to produce a fantasy franchise, snatching up the rights to Michael Scott’s six-part, young adult series ‘The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.’

According to Variety, the fantasy deal places Bonaventura on familiar ground. As Warner Brothers’ production president, he spearheaded the ‘Harry Potter’ deal with J.K. Rowling in 1999, and led the first two films of the lucrative fantasy series into production — Variety says the combined ‘Harry Potter’ films have grossed a collective $5.38 billion in worldwide box office — before leaving Warner Brothers three years later for a deal with Paramount Pictures.

Bonaventura told The Hollywood Reporter, “Michael’s fantastic series is a natural evolution from Harry Potter.” Both series feature the fourteenth century historical alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, whose legend touts that he accomplished both central tenants of alchemy — achieving immortality and creating the Philosopher’s Stone, which turns lead into gold. In the ‘Potter’ stories, Flamel never appears but is used as a plot point, while in ‘The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel’ series, he is a lead character.

The books follow fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, tracing their cross-continental adventures with Flamel. So far, three of the six novels in Scott’s series have been published (‘The Alchemyst,’ ‘The Magician,’ and ‘The Sorceress’) with the fourth, ‘The Necromancer,’ due to hit bookstore shelves in May 2010.

Scott is an international bestselling author who has had his novels published in 20 languages in 37 countries.

Bonaventura’s recent productions include ‘G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra’ and the two ‘Transformers’ films. His next movie ‘Salt,’ starring Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber, is scheduled for release in July.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced the 15 films shortlisted for the documentary feature Oscar. And there is some surprise to see that several high profile docs are not among them. These include Michael Moore’s ‘Capitalism: A Love Story,’ the year’s highest grossing doc; as well as the story of Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief, ‘The September Issue;’ the Mike Tyson doc, ‘Tyson;’ and the Canadian rockumentary ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil.’

Eighty-nine films originally qualified for the selection, according to Variety.

Several titles on the list have already had successful theatrical runs, including the controversial film about Japan’s dolphin hunt, ‘The Cove,’ directed by Louie Psihoyos; ‘Food, Inc.,’ by Robert Kenner; ‘Valentino: The Last Emperor,’ by Matt Tyrnauer; and ‘Every Little Step,’ by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo.

The shortlist is determined by members of the academy’s documentary branch. It will be narrowed down to five nominees, to be announced February 2, 2010. The 82nd Academy Awards will be presented March 7.

The 15 films on the shortlist are, in alphabetical order:

The Beaches of Agnes
Burma VJ
The Cove
Every Little Step
Facing Ali
Food, Inc.
Garbage Dreams
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Mugabe and the White African
Sergio
Soundtrack for a Revolution
Under Our Skin
Valentino The Last Emperor
Which Way Home

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‘New Moon’ director Chris Weitz is thinking he might quit Hollywood after just one more film. Weitz, who directed ‘American Pie’ and ‘About a Boy’ with his brother Paul, also helmed the screen adaptation of ‘The Golden Compass.’ The A-lister’s star is shining as brightly as it ever has, but he finds the experience of filmmaking frustrating and exhausting.

Weitz told Movie Maker magazine, “When it came to ‘The Golden Compass,’ I really wanted that to be my masterpiece. And by that I don’t mean work of genius, but rather the piece that you do that says to your peers that you’re ready to stop being a journeyman and start being an actual craftsman. Unfortunately, the edit was taken from me and whatever chance I had at that was also taken from me, which is kind of sad.’

And all that red tape might seal his directing career forever.

“I still feel that I’m learning, and yet I also feel that the number of aspects that go into making a film of the sort that I’m making now have become so multifold that it’s really exhausting,” Weitz said. “Every time I make a movie I’m pretty much convinced it’s the last time I’m going to be able to do it and that really it’s a rather silly occupation to undertake. But I think I have maybe one more film in me.”

He pointed out that life is full of possibilities, adding, “I don’t think that people have to do the same thing for all their lives. Giuseppe di Lampedusa wrote one great novel, ‘The Leopard,’ and he didn’t have to write anymore.”

‘New Moon’ hits theatres Friday November 20.

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Johnny Depp will allegedly receive a basic pay of $35 million to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie.

Britain’s The Sun newspaper is reporting that the amount will make Depp Hollywood’s current highest-paid actor, placing him ahead of Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson, who each command around $30 million a movie.

In June, Forbes magazine reported that Harrison Ford was 2009’s top earning actor. Ford made $65 million between June 2008 and June 2009 for ‘Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull,’ thanks to a lucrative deal that split almost all of the film’s earnings (after the studio made back its costs) between Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Depp’s fee for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ is a guaranteed minimum but could increase if the film is a massive box-office hit.

‘On Stranger Tides’ is set for a 2010 release. That same year, Depp will also appear in Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The Rum Diary.’

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom will not be returning for the fourth ‘Pirates’ installment. Geoffrey Rush will again play Captain Barbossa and there is talk of Penelope Cruz coming aboard ship as the female lead. A source said, “The movie will feature flashbacks to Jack’s early life.”

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