Movies

Hilary Duff just learned a cold, hard lesson -- Hollywood's not hiring a lot of pregnant women to play legendary bank robbers ... which is why she just got dropped from "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde."

Duff was supposed to play Bonnie Parker in the upcoming film ... but sources involved in the production tell us they're moving forward sans Hilary -- a decision that was made right after Hil broke her baby news last week.

We're told the director is already shopping for a new Bonnie, and the split was amicable. As one source put it, "Hilary won’t be available until next June. If we could wait we would.” Shooting is scheduled for this Fall.

If prego Duff isn't cool with the switch this could be another HunterTylo situation -- the actress who won a $4.8 million judgment when pregnancy cost her a "Melrose Place" role.

Hilary's rep has not returned calls.

If you thought James Franco was kidding this month when he said on "Conan" he was directing a porn documentary ... think again -- because TMZ spies caught a glimpse of Franco earlier this summer ... staking out one of the biggest porn studios in the country.

Franco was seen chatting up some of the, umm... employees at Kink.com. James is helming a project about the company which plunked down $14.5 million to move into the old San Francisco Armory in 2006.

Reb Brown -- the guy who played Captain America in two TV movies in the 1970s -- feels the producers of this summer's remake violated an unspoken rule ... by not asking him to make a cameo in the new film.

Brown tells TMZ that at one pint ... the producers told his rep they were into the idea of having him make an appearance in the movie. But before he knew it ... he was reading about production getting underway in London without a single call coming his way.

What irks Brown the most is that Lou Ferrigno got to make a cameo in the 2003 terrible remake of "Hulk."

Brown says he'd love to be in the sequel (if there is one) and would take any role he could.

Shaquille O'Neal is giving the movie biz another shot -- yes, even after "Kazaam" and "Steel" -- and this time he wants to be a director!

Shaq is about to complete the Filmmaking Conservatory at the New York Film Academy's branch at Universal Studios Hollywood. Shaq's been very hands-on during directing and cinematography classes -- walking his crew through stunts (above photo) ... and shooting on the studio's famous back lot (see the video below).

According to the school, Shaq has been "incredibly humble, funny, and likable" ... or just the usual Shaq.

How big do they make those director's chairs anyway?

It's the big secret on the "Dark Knight Rises" set -- a giant armored jet thing spotted careening around the streets of Pittsburgh -- but so far, no one's seen it up close in nerdgasmic detail ... UNTIL NOW.

TMZ obtained the recent pictures of what appear to be Batman's updated Batwing for the new movie -- and if you look closely ... you can even see a Batman dummy through the windshield.

The original Batwing first appeared in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" movie -- starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.

Check out the video below to see the new maybe-Batwing in action.

Prepare to be shagged one more time -- Mike Myers has signed on to do a fourth "Austin Powers" movie.

Nothing official has been announced yet, but according to HitFix.com ... Myers has signed on the dotted line to bring Austin back to the big screen for the first time since 2002.

"Twilight" actor Kiowa Gordon was on a road trip to L.A. for a big movie audition when he was arrested Monday morning -- and even though he missed the casting call ... sources say producers are willing to give him a second chance.

TMZ spoke with Kiowa's mom Camille -- nice lady -- who tells us Kiowa and his buddy were driving from Arizona to Hollywood so her son could try out for a non-Twilight movie on Monday afternoon.

As we previously reported, Kiowa's ride was pulled over for a routine registration check in Tempe -- and when the cop noticed there was an outstanding warrant out for Kiowa's arrest stemming from an incident in 2010, he was taken into custody.

But Kiowa MAY get a second chance at the movie -- because Hollywood sources tell us producers agreed to reschedule the audition after learning about Gordon's situation.

Kiowa was bailed out of jail Wednesday morning -- and we're told he'll once again attempt to travel to L.A. some time this week -- this time for a "Twilight" photo shoot.

Actor Kiowa Gordon -- who plays shapeshifting werewolf Embry Call in the "Twilight" movies -- was arrested in Tempe, Arizona early Monday morning ... this according to the Tempe Police Department.

Gordon was NOT busted for DUI, as reported by local AZ media -- but rather, he was arrested for an active warrant stemming from a drug paraphernalia possession arrest in 2010.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 21-year-old actor was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a "routine registration check" in Tempe around 6:12 AM.

During the stop, cops discovered there was an active warrant for Gordon's arrest -- so they took the actor into custody and booked him into a local jail.

10:00 AM: TMZ has obtained the police report from Gordon's 2010 arrest ... in which the actor was popped for carrying a glass marijuana pipe and for being in possession of alcohol while he was underage.

According to the report, Gordon's beverage of choice was Four Loko -- a drink that has been banned in several states.

Batman is SUPPOSED to be a master of all things mechanical -- but last weekend in Toronto, some bat-impostor ruined the Dark Knight's good reputation ... when his replica Batmobile overheated on the side of the road.

Law enforcement tells TMZ, it wasn't the REAL Batman -- though the man's receding hairline bears a striking resemblance to Michael Keaton -- it was some Canadian superfan with a lot of time on his hands.

The budget for "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" might have just jumped up another six figures -- because last Friday, Catwoman's stunt double BARRELED through a super-expensive IMAX camera ... and TMZ has the crushing footage.

It's unclear who messed up -- the stunt-double or the cameraman -- but either way, the camera appeared to be blown to smithereens.

It was all shot outside some building at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh -- which, we're told, is supposed to be Gotham City Hall in the movie.

Thankfully, no one was hurt -- and with a budget of $250 MILLION ... a broken camera's just a drop in the bucket.

Sources close to production tell us both the camera and the cameraman were not injured during the incident -- but if you look closely, you can SEE camera shrapnel ... and fixing those things ain't cheap!

A rep for Warner Bros. had no comment.

It's not a good sign for "Bad Santa" fans hoping for a sequel when Billy Bob Thornton says he doesn't "know much" about the TWO scripts that are reportedly in the works.

Jesse Eisenberg's new movie about a pizza delivery boy who's abducted, outfitted with a bomb, and forced to rob a bank ... is PISSING OFF friends of a man who was killed under VERY similar circumstances ... TMZ has learned.

The movie -- "30 Minutes or Less" -- is being promoted as a comedy flick. But back in 2003, nobody was laughing when 46-year-old pizza man Brian Wells DIED when a bomb strapped around his neck exploded after he tried to rob a bank.

Wells insisted he was abducted during a pizza delivery in Pennsylvania -- claiming the bombmaker locked an explosive device around his neck and ordered him to rob a bank.

Cops placed Wells in handcuffs ... but backed away from the guy when they realized the bomb was REAL. The bomb exploded while news cameras rolled ... and Wells was killed instantly.

Years later, federal prosecutors alleged Brian concocted the plan with several other people. One of the plotters insisted Brian was under the impression an actual bomb would NOT be used.

TMZ spoke with one of Brian's closest friends who tells us he's outraged that Hollywood would mock Wells' death ... calling the movie "trash."

The friend tells us, "It's stupid the movie is even coming out ... producers can go jump in a lake for all I care!"

He adds, "Doesn't Brian have a right to die? They're blowing something up that should never have even happened in the first place and now they wanna make a joke out of it ... it's really tragic."

A rep for Columbia Pictures tells TMZ, "Neither the filmmakers nor the stars of '30 Minutes or Less' were aware of this crime prior to their involvement in the film."

If you ever wondered what happened to Mark Wahlberg's GIANT fake penis from "Boogie Nights" -- turns out he held onto it ... with both hands, we presume.

Corbin Bleu helped make "High School Musical" a huge hit, but the 22-year old star just got sued over a movie he made which raked in a whopping $463 its opening weekend.

The movie "Free Style" -- which clearly you probably never saw -- opened in 2009 with Corbin as the star.

The movie's financiers filed a lawsuit today in Los Angeles Superior Court against Corbin, Samuel Goldwyn Films -- and many others -- claiming Corbin failed to promote the project as promised.

Third Eye Capital and Strative Capital claim Corbin was contractually bound to promote and publicize the film -- but they claim he "refused and failed to perform those services" ... and as a result the flick bombed.

How do you define bomb? According to the suit, "Free Style" made $141,108 in just over a month -- and a worldwide total of $1,321,508. The financiers say they put up more than $8.5 million.

Annette Charles -- who played Cha Cha in the 1978 movie "Grease" -- died last night in her Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ.

Her rep tells us, she passed away due to complications from cancer.

The family is planning to release a full statement within the next 24 hours. Annette was 63.

A family member tells us, "Annette had recently started having difficulty breathing ... and when she went to the doctor she learned that she had a cancerous tumor in one of her lungs."

We're told doctors only learned about her condition a few months ago.

Steve Guttenberg just released a statement to TMZ about the passing of his good friend and "Police Academy" co-star Bubba Smith.

"Bubba was my friend. His generosity was far larger than his physical stature."

He adds, "Only his gift for caring about his friends and family could compare with his achievements on the football field, film and television. He also laughed like no other."