Kathleen Robertson to bin Laden pic

RobertsonKathleen Robertson ("Boss") is toplining "Code Name: Geronimo," John Stockwell's actioner about Osama bin Laden's killing.Tony Mark and Voltage Pictures ("The Hurt Locker") are producing. Script's written by Kendall Lampkin.Shooting starts Monday in New Mexico.Robertson will portray an eager CIA case officer dedicated to her job. Geronimo was the code name for the operation that sent two teams of Navy SEALs into Pakistan to hunt and kill bin Laden.Robertson's recent credits include "CSI: Miami" and "Rookie Blue." She starred in indie thriller "Gravity Pulls," which she co-wrote with co-directors Tony Pantages and Gil Bellows. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Peter Jackson Exits Middle-Earth, Enters MTV's Sundance Photo Booth!

As someone whose college moviegoing experiences are defined by "Lord of the Rings," watching Peter Jackson in action at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this morning was a bit of a thrill. The man has traded Middle-earth for Park City this week to support "West of Memphis," the powerful documentary he produced about the conviction, imprisonment and eventual release of the West Memphis Three and, of course, to kick off our annual Sundance celebrity photo booth series! Jackson (alongside "Memphis" director Amy Berg) swung by MTV News' headquarters at the Puma Social Club to discuss the documentary and the impact he hopes it will have after its Sundance premiere this evening. Bonus points for a nice "Hobbit" update, too! Stay tuned for all of that and more very soon.

New Coriolanus Clip

Ralph Fiennes vs. Gerard Butler: fight!What's better than a bit of cultural enrichment and Shakespearean adaptation in the morning?Why, a bit of cultural enrichment that also features violence between two large, scary men!And that's precisely what we have for you in this exclusive clip from Coriolanus, directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes in the title role, and featuring Gerard Butler as his nemesis Aufidius.As all you historians and literary types will know, Caius Martius, known as Coriolanus, was the great Roman general of the 5th century BC whose campaigns against the aforementioned Aufidius, leader of the Volscians who threaten Rome, have won him fame and power back home. But Coriolanus' pride and disdain for the people of Rome lead him into trouble, despite the best efforts of his influential mother (Vanessa Redgrave), devoted wife(Jessica Chastain)and Senator friend ( Brian Cox).This scene takes place early in the film, with Caius Martius meeting Aufidius in the heat of battle in the city of Coriolanus. It's a clash of the titans!Coriolanus hits cinemas on January 20. As you can see here, there will be blood.

Kim Novak 'Violated' By 'The Artist' Over 'Vertigo' Score [UPDATE]

"The Artist" has been lauded as one of the most charming movies of the year, but not even the adorable antics of superstar canine Uggie has impressed movie icon Kim Novak. The star of Alfred's Hitchcock's 1958 classic "Vertigo" has put out a press release and taken out a trade ad over her displeasure with the similarities between 'The Artist''s music and that of Hitchock's favorite composer. She says that hearing Bernard Herrmann's score for "Vertigo," as used in "The Artist," has left her in a "state of shock" that she compared to being raped. "I want to report a rape," Novak wrote in her anti-"Artist" missive: "My body of work has been violated by 'The Artist.' This film took the Love Theme music from 'Vertigo' and used the emotions it engenders as its own. Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart can't speak for themselves, but I can. It was our work that unconsciously or consciously evoked the memories and feelings to the audience that were used for the climax of 'The Artist.'" Although Herrmann, whose other works include the memorable scores to "Cape Fear" and "Psycho," is given a screen credit, Novak isn't satisfied: "There was no reason for them to depend on Bernard Herrmann's score from 'Vertigo' to provide more drama. 'Vertigo's' music was written during the filming. Hitchcock wanted the theme woven musically in the puzzle pieces of the storyline.... I believe this kind of filmmaking trick to be cheating. Shame on them!" "She was sitting in her living room, she put the DVD in, and then went into an absolute state of shock and devastation," Novak's manager Sue Cameron told Deadline. "She is very, very upset." Deadline speculates that Novak's campaign may cost her her Academy membership, as there are rules against publicly maligning a movie in contention for awards, especially one that's considered the Oscar frontrunner. The Weinstein Company, which released "The Artist," hasn't yet issued a response, but when Moviefone asked director Michel Hazanvicius about the "Vertigo" music cue last year, he was aware it might be controversial. "It was a dilemma for me. I really feel like the music has been done to death. That's actually not the one that's in 'Vertigo.' It's another orchestration made by Elmer Bernstein in the '70s. So, it's a very specific one. But, it was a dilemma because I knew it was something -- not blasphemy -- but something that could hurt people. I think it's so perfect, but, also, it makes sense for the movie. [...] In a way [the 'Vertigo' score] makes sense. Not to the story of 'Vertigo' -- some people told me, 'Yeah, but it makes sense, because 'Vertigo' he wants to bring her back to life.' It was -- I'm not so poetic. It was just the sensuality of the music was just so good for the sequence." UPDATE: Hazanavicius responded to Novak's complaints via THR and said that he respects her and is "sorry she disagrees" with the music choice. [via Deadline] [Photo: Everett] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Vincenzo Natali Scares Up A Haunter

What exactly about Neuromancer?Publish-Splice, director Vincenzo Natali continues to be mounted on a couple of potential projects. They have all been literary adaptations, including JG Ballard's High-rise, Roderick Gordon and John Williams' Tunnels series, and many excitingly, William Gibson's Neuromancer. Natalis has ticked this area marked "no above" for the moment though, since his immediate next film just been introduced as Haunter.Referred to like a "reverse ghost story", Haunter comes from an authentic script by John King, who also authored Natali's Cypher in 2002. It appears to possess shades from the Others and Beetlejuice, for the reason that it's told in the perspective from the haunter as opposed to the haunted: within this situation a woman known as Lisa who's been manifesting within the same house since she met a regrettable finish in 1986. She sees an chance for many closure when new girl Olivia moves in.So what's happened to Neuromancer? Immediatey the greatest-profile project on Natali's pencilled later on slate, itwas apparently moving ahead and into pre-production last May, with production proper wished for within the first quarter of the year. That's now clearly not happening, since Haunter is apparently shooting in Toronto in March (expect more particulars soon).Have no fear, fans of Situation and Molly. By last fall, Neuromancer was still being greatly a going concern, with Natali, his producer Jay Firestone, Canada Media Fund's Francesca Accineli, and videogame developer Trevor Fencott showing a packed-out panel in the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival to update on its development and muse on their own approach. The entire 75-minute discussion can be obtained online, and you will find helpfully transcribed edited highlights at The Tyee."Will still be in front of the curve," stated Natali of Gibson's visionary novel. "My argument happens to be that this is the time to makeNeuromancer, because In my opinion which had you've made this film back in 1984 [once the novel was released] it could have been incomprehensive. There is no way, with no remarkable quantity of exposition, that the film audience could have been in a position to understand a few of the concepts within the book which are really part of our lives.InchThere is plenty more where that originated from, so mind to among individuals links to discover why Natali is not much worried about the greatly Gibson-affected The Matrix getting arrived at the screen first, and just how his vision of cyberspace is neither Matrix nor Tron-like. "This domain you project yourself into, because the cyberjockeys do inNeuromancer, isn't always very friendly for people," Natali thinks. "As wetware, as carbon-based lifeforms, evolution has not designed us to enter that type of virtual atmosphere. Therefore it is a really rough ride and just others can perform it..."

ABC rules New Year's Eve ratings

Fundamental steps 'Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest' beat the combined shipping of NBC, CBS and Fox. 4 decades on, Dick Clark and ABC continue being packing in television audiences on New Year's Eve -- accumulating their third straight year of viewership gains. The Alphabet devoted all primetime to New Year's festivities, plus a two-hour clips show of past musical performances, which momentum only elevated the net's ratings fortunes since the ball dropped in NY during the night time. ABC beat the combined ratings shipping of the Large Four rivals round the evening. According to preliminary Nielsen estimations, ABC's two-hour spec "New Year's Rockin' Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party" averaged a few.4 rating/9 participate grownups 18-49 and 8.3 million audiences overall -- easily beating the combined output for repeat programming on ABC, CBS and NBC. Show built with every half-hour, peaking at 9:30 p.m. getting a 3.3/12 inside the demo and 10.5 million total audiences. So the usual 10-11 p.m. a part of ABC's 12 ,. 31 festivities, "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest," averaged a sizable 4.1/15 in 18-49 and 12.9 million audiences overall -Up by 46% inside the demo by 3.7 million total audiences versus. a year ago for your special's finest amounts since it opened up in 2000. Because 10 p.m. hour, ABC came greater than four occasions the rating for NBC's competing 10 p.m. program, "New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" (prelim .9/3 in 18-49, 3. million). Overall, ABC loved its finest-rated primetime Saturday in than couple of years -- since college football's Large 12 Championship game in December 2009. From 11:30 p.m. to a single:15 a.m., "Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" averaged a massive 7.4 rating in grownups 18-49 22.6 000 0000 audiences -- ABC's top scores for nearly any entertainment telecast since the Academy awards last winter. Detailed info wasn't designed for ABC's competition, but NBC's "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" averaged a 4.3 household rating/10 participate the metered-market overnights from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and Fox's new entry, "American Country New Year's Eve," did a few.Or4 from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. -- both well behind ABC's special, which did a ten.7/26. Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com