The Insider
Starz to retire Spartacus after 3 seasons
The Starz network has announced that the upcoming third season of Spartacus, currently in production in New Zealand, will be the series' last. Titled War of the Damned, the final season will premiere in the US in January 2013.
Mikkelsen to portray Hannibal Lecter
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has been cast in the title role of NBC's upcoming contemporary thriller series Hannibal, Deadline reports. Mikkelsen will star opposite Hugh Dancy in the 13-episode series which features characters from Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon.
Drive sequel plans accelerate
Drive novel author James Sallis has released a sequel, Driven, and has told The Independent that a film version is in the works. No word as yet as to whether director Nicolas Winding Refn or star Ryan Gosling will return for the sequel.
MTV to adapt Scream franchise for TV
Following in the footsteps of its TV adaptation of Teen Wolf, MTV is developing a
weekly TV series based on the Scream slasher film franchise, TVLine reports.
Tisdale to star in Scary Movie 5
High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale is set to star in Dimension Films' Scary Movie 5, Deadline reports. Malcolm Lee is directing with David Zucker co-writing & producing.
Avengers assemble at 3rd all time spot
Disney has announced that Marvel's The Avengers became the third highest grossing film globally, passing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Avatar still sits in 1st place with Titanic 2nd. The Avengers has amassed over US$1.3 billion worldwide since its theatrical debut.
Ritchie sets sail for Treasure Island
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has attached Guy Ritchie to direct a new version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale Treasure Island. Alex Harakis will pen the script.
Applegate to return for Anchorman 2
Christina Applegate will reprise her role of news co-anchor Veronica Corningstone in the Anchorman sequel The Legend Continues, EW reports. The film will deal with the impact of a 24-hour news channel on Ron Burgundy & his news team.
