Movies

"Transformers" director Michael Bay had a power dinner with the Old Spice dude at Boa in Hollywood last night -- where Bay revealed ... the two sorta play on the same team ... if ya catch our drift.

Clearly, we're talking about softball ... 'cause the two have been teammates for a couple of years.

Bay told us ... "[Isaiah Mustafa] plays on our softball team ... then he got the Old Spice commercials and now we give him s**t."

Kim Jong Il has finally been released from his tortured existence -- at least according to one of the stars of the dictator-mocking "Team America."

In the wake of Dear Leader's demise, Masasa Moyo ... who voiced Sarah in "Team America: World Police" ... tells TMZ, "Wherever he is, I hope he is not so 'lonely' anymore."

In case you haven't seen "Team America" ... first off, you should see it ... but first watch the clip below to get in on the joke.

Turns out every sci-fi nerd on the planet had the idea for "Avatar" before James Cameron -- because the director is now being sued AGAIN for allegedly stealing the concept for the movie ... this time for more than $2 bil.

Bryant Moore -- a science fiction writer not-famous for his screenplays "Aquatica" and "Descendants: The Pollination" -- claims Cameron used the two screenplays as the basis for "Avatar."

In his lawsuit, Moore points out various similarities, including bioluminescent flora/plant life, unbreathable atmospheres, matriarch support of hero vs. heroine, spiritual connections to environment and reincarnation, appearance of mist in scene, sunlight to moonlight, crackling from gargantuan foliage, blue skin/green skin and battle scene on limbs/branches.

Moore is also going after 20th Century Fox and Cameron's production company. He wants more than $1.5 billion in actual damages and more than $1 bil in punitives.

The speculation is over ... Ice Cube has finally confirmed he's resurrecting the 'Friday' franchise ... telling TMZ the goal is to bring back the entire ORIGINAL cast ... including Chris Tucker.

A rep for Cube Vision Productions tells us ... “Absolutely yes the studio is in the process of getting the entire original cast to do another 'Friday.'"

The statement continues, "[Ice Cube] is very excited about this and has every intention to make it happen.”

Just last month, TMZ spoke with the musclebound behemoth who played DeBo ... who told us both he and Chris Tucker are down to reunite for the 4th installment of the 'Friday' franchise ... but they still have to work out their contracts.

James Cameron is an idea stealing thief ... who ripped the story for "Avatar" from a science fiction nerd who once worked with Cameron's production company ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Cameron is being sued by a guy named Eric Ryder -- who claims back in 1997, he came up with a movie called "KRZ 2068" -- an "environmentally themed 3-D epic about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting."

Ryder claims the movie also involved "self-contained robotic exterior suits which house a single human operator" ... just like in "Avatar."

According to the suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Ryder claims his reps pitched the movie idea to Cameron's production company back in 1999 ... and it was so well received, they had multiple serious meetings with high ranking execs about the development of the project.

But Ryder claims in 2002, the company officially shut down the project -- telling him, "No one would go see an environmentally themed feature length science fiction movie."

Abigail Breslin's hourly rate is $16,250 -- at least when she's doing voice work for her new animated movie "Zambezia" ... this according to her contract for the film.

TMZ has obtained 15-year-old Breslin's payment agreement with film producers -- and according to the docs, she earned a grand total of $65,000 for one 4-hour recording session ... voicing the character of Zoe, an adorable bird (right).

It's not Abigail's only massive payday this year either -- back in May she signed a one-week contract for the upcoming movie "New Year's Eve" ... worth $275,000.

Sofia Coppola is once again casting her lens on Hollywood -- but she's not focusing on movie stars this time, but rather the people who stole from them!

According to our sources, Coppola is developing a film based on the infamous Burglar Bunch. We're told the film, which would be produced by daddy Francis' Zoetrope studio, does not have a start date or even a script yet.

Sources close to the project tell TMZ ... producers approached Burgler Buncher Nick Prugo about being a consultant on the film, but he declined. We're told Tess Taylor, sister of Buncher Alexis Neiers, has now signed on to the project.

You can't legally own the exclusive right to produce a cowboy movie. And you can't legally own the right to produce an alien movie. But a comic book writer claims he does own the combo and that's why he's suing the producers of "Cowboys & Aliens."

Steven Busti claims he created the concept for "Cowboys & Aliens" way back in 1994 -- 17 years before the movie was produced.

Busti wrote a comic called "Cowboys and Aliens" that was published in a comic book called, "Bizarre Fantasy." Busti's story line goes like this ... aliens landed on planet Earth and invaded the Old West. That's pretty much the same concept for the 2011 movie and the graphic novel published by the film's producers 5 years earlier. Busti alleges many other similarities as well.

So the question -- Did the producers know about Busti before they penned the graphic novel and the movie? Well, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Texas, Busti notes back in 1994, his "Cowboys and Aliens" was featured in Comic Shop News on the same page that also featured a story about Scott Mitchell Rosenberg -- who produced the 2011 film. So there!

Busti is suing for copyright infringement and is seeking unspecified damages. Worth noting ... as poorly as it was reviewed, the movie made over $100 million.

There's a damn good reason Sean Penn's 18-year-old son recently stripped down to his skivvies and hung out with a bunch of lingerie-clad models -- HE'S SEAN PENN'S SON!!!

No, the almost-nudity wasn't for an "Eyes Wide Shut" style sex party (unfortunately) ... TMZ has learned Hopper Penn wants to follow his father's footsteps into Hollywood and picked up a lead role in a racy new short film called, "Back in the Game."

TMZ spoke with the producers who tell us the movie is a psychedelic trip about a cowboy ... who meets a bunch of hot babes in the desert... and parties his ass off with 'em at a Bev Hills mansion. It's kinda trippy ...

Abraham Lincoln was spotted in a Virginia restaurant today.

Charlie Sheen is NOT in Colombia to do coke -- he's there scouting locations for a new mystery movie he's developing ... (and possibly to do coke).

As we previously reported, Sheen's currently traveling around the country with a camera crew -- and now, the Warlock tells TMZ it's all part of an effort to remake a classic movie from the 70s, set in South America.

Sheen won't disclose what the movie's about -- but claims he's already reached out to Nicolas Cage about starring in the film.

Sheen tells us the project is still in its early stages .... and right now, he's just trying to get a feel for the terrain.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be 64 years old, but he's still bad-ass enough to perform his own stunts ... well, except for the one he screwed up and got his head split open.

Arnold has been filming "Last Stand" in New Mexico for nearly two months. Sources on the set tell TMZ ... A.S. has politely declined the producers' offer to put stuntmen in the dangerous scenes, because he thinks it's just more believable for him to do it himself.

As for what Arnold is doing ... among other things, in one scene he's driving a Camaro, dragging a "bad guy behind" -- even though the scene involves crazy driving, it seems the bad guy is the one who needs a double.

Arnold is also doing a scene where he's suspended high above the ground by ropes -- we're told this scene is dangerous.

And side benefit -- we're told the production is so physically challenging, he's yolked again.

Vin Diesel's new "Chronicles of Riddick" movie is back from the dead ... TMZ has learned ... after the production company scrounged up enough cash to pay off some long overdue bills.

We broke the story ... the movie came to a screeching halt last month, when the guy who owns the Montreal studio where the film is being shot LOCKED OUT the cast and crew after complaining that he hadn't gotten paid.

But things have FINALLY changed ... so says studio owner Michel Trudel, who claims the production company recently paid up ... and he's willing to allow the flick to pick up where it left off.

Sources connected with the production tell us ... the studio payment is just ONE step in the right direction -- noting that several members of the crew who had been griping about not receiving paychecks WILL INDEED get their cash in the very near future.

"Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola says "Part II" -- which many consider the greatest sequel of all time -- was a MISTAKE ... insisting, "There shoulda only been one."

Coppola was leaving Hemingway's Lounge in L.A. last night when we asked if he would ever pick up the Corleone storyline for another GF flick when he dropped the bombshell.

We agree about GF3 -- but TWO? Two was AWESOME -- with Al Pacino, De Niro ... the trip back to Italy -- C'MON!!!!

So, we gotta ask ...