TMZ.com

Dr. Dre's son, Curtis Young, is ready to step out from his father's shadow and make a name for himself in Hollywood ... and he's doing it by landing a starring role in a feature film.

Curtis tells TMZ ... he's not only starring in the new film, "Charge It to the Game," but also composing original music for the movie.

The film is a coming-of-age story about 4 best friends finding their way through adolescence and navigating obstacles along the way ... and Curtis says he's playing the role of Kong, one of the friends' older brothers.

It's pretty cool ... Curtis says his character's younger brother is being played by Snoop Dogg's son, Julian Broadus ... and Swizz Beat's son, Nasir Dean, is playing one of the 4 best friends.

Curtis, who says he's always wanted to get into acting because art's in his blood, will score the film with Nasir.

His big break's been a long time coming ... Curtis had auditioned to play his father in "Straight Out of Compton," but didn't get the part, even though he felt he had a good shot.

Matt Damon says the research for his role in "Stillwater" -- in which he plays an oil-rig worker -- was a major wake-up call on red-state culture ... something that could well earn him an Academy Award.

The actor recently dished on what went into learning about his character for the Oscar bait-y flick -- which got rave reviews and even a standing O at the Cannes Film Festival the other day -- and he says what he gleaned from the roughnecks of Oklahoma was "eye-opening."

Watch how Matt characterized the experience during a panel Q&A following the screening of his upcoming movie in France. He explains how he and director Tom McCarthy spent a good amount of time down in the South ... where they got the lay of the land, literally, from guys who do the job day in and day out -- getting a sense of their lifestyles, their POVs on life/family and, of course, their politics as well ... which Matt didn't discuss with disdain.

If anything ... he's got the opposite sentiment, saying the people he was around -- not to mention his character, Bill -- own who and what they are ... even on the issue of MAGA.

It's a pretty fascinating take on what many may perhaps write off without a second thought -- the minute you bring up Trump and his supporters ... a lot of folks will tune it all out.

Not Matt, though ... the way he talks about his encounters down there makes it seem like there's some good people around -- regardless of their politics -- and that they're more nuanced than how they're made out to be a lot of the time. To which we say ... obviously.

BTW, this film isn't necessarily a slice-of-Oklahoma-life type of a project -- where Matt immerses himself in method acting or anything. It's actually an action thriller -- a la, "Taken" -- with the oil-rig/middle America stuff as the backdrop. Still ... word is, Matt's turn here is getting tons of buzz, as they're saying he's "unrecognizable" on screen.

Nothing gets the blood going like a Wimbledon Finals match -- unless Ethan Freakin' Hunt himself stops by for a visit ... in which case, it's next to impossible not to strap in and HODL.

That's exactly what happened Saturday in London ... where none other than Tom Cruise himself dropped in for the ultimate round between tennis stars Ashleigh Barty and Karolína Plíšková ... with his 'M:I 7' leading lady costars, Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff, in tow.

It's rumored Hayley and Tom are actually dating right now -- and based on their body language before and during the match ... that may very well be true. They seemed chummy.

Anyway, the cameo made for a lot of fanfare ... people gave it up for Tom and co., offering up rounds of applause and stopping for photo-ops, etc. Of course, TC was graceful -- waving to the crowd ... and looking dapper as hell doing it. What else would you expect, right?

Interestingly ... the dude didn't seem too concerned with masking up, and neither did his cast members (or the Wimbledon audience at large). That's fine though -- the Wimbledon folks' mask policy is like a lot of other event venues lately ... ya must provide proof of vaccination, or a recent negative COVID test -- plus, wear masks while roaming the grounds.

So, it's all kosher. And, thankfully, it is ... otherwise the love-all spectators might've gotten a taste of what the 'Mission: Impossible' crew did last year while breaking protocol on set.

Looks like actress Inanna Sarkis just learned, the hard way, how much horsepower her Tesla's packing .. after seriously damaging her ride and a homeowner's fence in a solo car crash.

The "After We Collided" star smashed her white Tesla Model X into someone's front yard fence earlier this week in the San Fernando Valley. A witness tells us she was the only person in the SUV.

It's unclear what exactly caused the crash but our sources say the Model X -- which was a gift from her BF, Matthew Noszka -- barreled into the home's front yard, taking out a brick pillar and a huge chunk of the iron fence.

We're told Matthew showed up to the scene minutes after the accident and picked her up ... leaving the Tesla behind for a tow truck.

It's unclear if Inanna suffered any injuries. We haven't heard back from her camp.

Inanna became famous as a social media star from Canada, but in recent years she's had success in film and TV. She's best known for playing Molly Samuels in the 2019 Netflix film "After" ... starring Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Selma Blair. She was also in the sequel, "After We Collided."

She made her big-screen debut in Tyler Perry's "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween."

Richard Donner -- one of the most famed and prolific directors of all time, known for flicks like "Superman," "Lethal Weapon," "The Goonies" and countless others -- has reportedly died.

The legendary filmmaker recently passed away -- this according to his production company, The Donner's Company, who confirmed the news to Variety. No word on when exactly he passed, or under what circumstances -- we've got calls in to his reps to figure it out.

At any rate ... it's a tragic update, as the guy was absolutely beloved in Hollywood -- and rightly so. He's responsible for some of the most iconic films to grace the big screen over the years -- including an incredible run of pictures from the late '70s throughout the '80s.

Donner got his first big directing break with the cult classic horror film "The Omen" (the original one), which catapulted him into stardom and led to his next major studio film, "Superman" (also the original) ... which paved the path for countless other flicks, including 'Goonies,' and ALL of the "Lethal Weapon" movies, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Other notable film directing credits of his include staple movies, such as "Scrooged," "The Toy," "Maverick," "Ladyhawke," "Assassins," "16 Blocks," "Timeline" and more. His EP credits are even more impressive.

Donner shepherded films like "The Lost Boys," "Free Willy," "X-Men" ... this list goes on. His death is actually quite shocking, and seemingly sudden -- just last year, he announced a desire to direct the 5th installment of "Lethal Weapon," and it seemed that was in the works.

We even congratulated Rich on that news a full year ago, when we ran into him out and about in Hollywood ... and chatted him up about the controversy (at the time) surrounding Amazon's new show, "Hunters," which was catching flak for its portrayal of the holocaust and the fallout that followed. In his mind, he said producers were to blame ... not directors.

At any rate ... very sad to hear. Donner is survived by his wife, Lauren. He was 91.

Stephen Dorff came out swinging against Marvel and its latest big screen offering, "Black Widow," as well as its lead star in Scarlett Johansson ... for whom he says he feels sorry.

The veteran actor straight-up bashed ScarJo's newest flick in an interview with the U.K.'s Independent outlet ... saying, in part, "I still hunt out the good shit because I don't want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I'm embarrassed for those people. I'm embarrassed for Scarlett!" Tell us how you really feel!

Steve went on to add this for good measure ... "I'm sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I'm embarrassed for her. I don't want to be in those movies. I really don't. I'll find that kid director that's gonna be the next [Stanley] Kubrick and I'll act for him instead."

SD continued on with his diatribe, expanding the scope to include the film industry at large -- which he characterized as a "big game show" -- but his main gripe seems to be with what he considers selling out to the big studios ... and maintaining some sense of artistic integrity.

That's interesting coming from Steve ... seeing how he's been in superhero movies himself -- including a Marvel fan fave, 'Blade' -- but also another superhero film that many considered "garbage" ... his 2015 appearance in "American Hero," which was like a farce of the genre.

One could argue -- as many online are right now -- that Stephen's other film credits aren't necessarily Kubrick-esque either. He's been in a bunch of films that some might consider bullish and not-that-artsy (aka, B-films) ... including "Felon," "Carjacked" and lots of others.

There's a rare piece of movie history going up for auction ... the 1949 Oscar trophy for Best Special Effects for "Mighty Joe Young" ... and it's expected to fetch a fortune.

It's not often you see Oscars on the auction block ... the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences loathes seeing its trophies sold, but this one falls outside of the rules preventing the sale because it's neither personalized nor engraved.

Willis O'Brien won this vintage Oscar trophy for his groundbreaking special effects work in the original "Mighty Joe Young," when he transformed a bunch of wood, tar paper and old toupees into an 80-foot gorilla.

Willis famously turned down the first Oscar the Academy offered him for his work on "King Kong" in 1933 -- he wanted a trophy for everyone in his crew.

When 'Mighty Joe' won for special effects, Academy rules called for the producer, Merian C. Cooper, to receive the statuette and he did. However, Merian never got his name engraved on it, because he really wanted Willis to have the Oscar.

So, he essentially slipped him the award under the table, and since it's not personalized and the award was given before the 1951 rule ... it's able to go up for sale.

The statuette is hitting the auction block July 16 as part of Heritage Auctions' Entertainment Memorabilia sale ... and we're told the Oscar is expected to fetch $500,000.

Liam Neeson is still saving the day onscreen -- even at the ripe age of 69 -- which is something he can't believe ... but might need a history lesson on, 'cause it's been done before.

The legendary actor -- whose legend only continues to grow with each new action flick he's cast in, including his latest for Netflix, "The Ice Road" -- did an interview with EW, in which he dissected the phenomenon of him getting tapped to play the hero time and time again.

He says, in part ... "I just turned 69 years of age, and the conversations I have with my agent now are, 'Liam, have you read this script? It's an action script,' and I say, 'Chris, let me ask you this, they do know what age I am, right?' 'Yes, they do.' 'Okay, that's all I want to know, thank you.'" So, yeah ... everyone seems to be in on the secret -- he's a senior citizen!

Liam adds, "That being said, I keep reasonably fit, and you just have to for some of these films. If you're playing the lead in any film, you have the responsibility; you're in practically every scene, it behooves you to be fit. You don't have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger at the age of 35, but you have to have stamina."

Of course, Liam as the modern-day Stallone/Willis/Schwarzenegger can largely be attributed to his standout action film, "Taken," which became a cultural hit ... and apparently led to Hollywood honchos thinking LN would be THE perfect guy to whoop on baddies going forward.

And, hey ... the dude's not complaining either. Seems like he's taking this bizarro typecasting in stride -- but he'd be far from the first mainstream actor to be playing an older gun blazer.

Yes, we're aware Harrison Ford is once again donning the brown fedora for "Indiana Jones 5" -- and he's 78, so he might be the king in this convo -- but the one and only Charles Bronson seems to have been one of the early few to pave the way for both HF and Liam.

The man was acting in action flicks -- including a fifth installment of 'Death Wish' in 1994 at age 72/73 -- until he was in his late 70s, before passing in the early 2000s at age 81.

Actor Eddie Deezen is being accused of harassing a waitress who claims he went scorched Earth on her over her eyelashes, of all things ... but he claims her peeps are cyberbullying him now.

So, here's the deal ... Deezen -- best known for playing nerdy Eugene Felsnic in the original 'Grease' films -- apparently went on Facebook earlier this week and wrote a lengthy post blasting the waitress in his hometown of Cumberland, Maryland.

So weird, but in a nutshell, he went on a rant about loving when she wears fake eyelashes on days he goes into her restaurant ... but hates when she doesn't wear them. Deezen even said he'd walk out if she didn't wear 'em.

The waitress, Kara Lashbaugh, called Deezen a creep for the repulsive Facebook post. Then, a couple of days after putting him on blast ... Deezen accused Kara of spreading rumors about him and getting him banned from a couple of restaurants in town.

Deezen also says he's been inundated with vile private messages from her friends. Even though he started this ridiculous beef, Deezen's claiming Kara just wants 15 minutes of fame because he's "a fairly well-known person."

Kara tells us she has not filed a police report, but is planning to meet with a lawyer to see what she should do going forward.

Deezen's attorney, Adam Hirshfield, tells us the actor feels like his life is in danger following the cyberbullying -- but police have told him he'll need to file for a no-contact order in court, if he's that concerned.

Coke Daniels is all for people comparing his film "Karen" to Jordan Peele's "Get Out," but to say he ripped it off? Coke essentially says get the hell outta here with that take!

The writer/producer tells TMZ ... they're 2 totally different films. His about an entitled white, racist woman who tries to run a Black family out of the neighborhood, while "Get Out" is about a mixed-race couple visiting her super-creepy family.

However, it didn't stop people from talking trash. One person said on Twitter, "Jordan Peele only has two films under his belt as a director and he already has people trying to copy his formula."

Now, Coke will cop to the idea that the films do share a similarity in genre ... and the director thinks THAT is what haters were really describing after the trailer dropped on Tuesday.

ICYMI, they slammed "Karen" -- starring Taryn Manning in the creepy lead -- as a wannabe "Get Out." The criticism was so intense, Jordan Peele's name started trending on Twitter.

Coke noticed all the social media buzz, took a screenshot of several posts and captioned it, "Trending on Twitter!! Keep comparing Karen to Get Out! We’ll receive that!"

Paul Walker's supped-up Toyota Supra that he drove in "The Fast and the Furious" has gone to one super-charged fan ... who snagged the fast whip at an auction for $550k.

The 1994 car was auctioned off in Las Vegas this weekend ... and the winning bid came from a phone bidder for Brian O'Conner's original 10-second car. The Supra's auction had been one of the most anticipated ones in recent memory.

'F&F' fans know this car all too well -- it's the one he fixed up before smoking a Ferrari while racing down PCH in Malibu.

The car was also featured in the second installment ... 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious." The new owner will get all the extensive documentation of the car's origin plus a certificate of authenticity. BTW, the car was built at The Shark Shop in El Segundo, CA.

Under the hood, the Supra's got what's billed as "perhaps the most renowned engine to ever come from Japan" -- the 2JZ-GTE. Remember ... Dominic Toretto's crew guy, Jesse, famously said in the first installment "2JZ engine ... this will decimate all."

As we reported ... the late actor's baby brother, Cody Walker, wouldn't even venture to guess what this car would go for at auction ... but he knew it would rake in some serious cash. And, he was right.

He also told us he thinks Paul would have thought the auction itself for a car like this is kind of hilarious.

Cody was in middle school when the OG 'F&F' film came out ... and he said folks stop him all the time to tell him his bro is what got them into loving fast cars. There's a legion of 'F&F' fans that have grown exponentially thanks to the enormous success of the franchise.

Even in swim trunks, Harry Styles looks fly ... it's written all over him.

The former "One Direction" singer couldn't look more relaxed Friday while enjoying a shower right next to the beach in the Tuscany town of Porto Ercole. That name, btw, means Port Hercules -- appropriate for Harry's physique.

He was flaunting his heavily inked bod, too! He's got about 60 tattoos ... which he had to cover for his first starring role in the film "Don't Worry Darling."

He definitely earned some R&R after wrapping his movie "My Policeman" in Venice earlier this week. The Amazon project had him filming all over England ... including in London, where he donned an old school London police uniform.

He's the lead in a film that's an adaption of the 2012 novel by Bethan Roberts.

Harry plays a policeman named Tom, who is involved in a love triangle between school teacher Marion (played by "The Crown" star Emma Corrin) and a museum curator Patrick (played by English actor David Dawson).

The novel's set in the 1950s when homophobia was rampant ... forcing Tom to marry Marion, who then secretly shares him with Patrick. The plan eventually falls apart.

Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Karen!!!

Actually, it's Taryn Manning as the much-hyped, titular "Karen" in the upcoming thriller from Coke Daniels ... a role meant to represent a blend of all the notorious "Karens" who've gone viral for the worst reasons over the past couple years.

The "Orange is the New Black" star plays a racist, entitled white woman in the South who terrorizes her new Black neighbors, and based on TMZ's exclusive first look at the movie ... she nails it.

Taryn previously told us she embraced the role because she's sick of the behavior of the so-called Karens of the world, like Central Park Karen, Manhattan Beach Karen, Drive-Thru Karen, Radio Host Karen, Old Lady Karen, Bagel Karen and Spray Paint Karen ... to name just a few lowlights. TM's hopeful the movie, and her role, can help put an end to it.

Likewise, director Daniels says his intention with Manning's character is to highlight how her outrageous micro-aggressions lead to racism, hate and violence.

Taryn added that she wants viewers to hate her in the film ... because that means they're on board with a societal change and embracing racial equality.

Seth Rogen's got a new revenue stream if he wants it ... because one of his ceramic vases just fetched nearly 5 figures at auction.

Here's the deal ... Seth donated the ceramic sculpture to the Vancouver Art Gallery for its first-ever auction, and we're told the winning bid came in Tuesday at a cool 12,000 Canadian dollars ... which is about $10,000.

As you can see, the untitled sculpture functions as a vase and has different shades of orange and brown, plus some blue, with a bumpy exterior giving it a distinct texture. Do we sound like snooty art critics yet? Didn't think so.

Seth also wrote his first name on the bottom, which definitely adds some value.

If you follow Seth on social media, you know he's been showing off the ceramics he's been making since picking up the hobby during quarantine.

Seth's got a large collection of hand-made ceramics -- he's got 3 pottery wheels and 2 kilns in his home studio, and now it seems there's an emerging market for his pieces. Whoever got that first one likely has a true collector's item now.

"Gone Girl" actor Lisa Banes has died after suffering injuries from a hit-and-run accident caused by an electric scooter ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Banes died Monday after more than a week in the hospital in critical condition.

As we reported ... Banes was struck while using a crosswalk on the Upper West Side in NYC on June 4, witnesses said Banes had the right of way -- but the scooter driver barreled through a red light, striking her, and kept going. The scooter was described as red and black in color.

Cops have not yet made any arrests and have not released a more detailed description of the driver.

A rep for Banes -- who was best known for her roles in "Gone Girl" and "Cocktail" -- told ET, "We are heartsick over Lisa's tragic and senseless passing. She was a woman of great spirit, kindness and generosity and dedicated to her work, whether on stage or in front of a camera and even more so to her wife, family and friends. We were blessed to have had her in our lives."

Banes was 65.

Bernie Mac's set to be the subject of a feature film biopic produced by John Legend's company, and if the late comedian's daughter has her way ... casting will be a breeze.

Mac's daughter, Je'Niece McCullough, tells TMZ ... since her dad died she's been asked many times who would be best to play him in a movie, and there are 2 names she's had in mind for a while.

The first is Aldis Hodge -- known for his roles on "Leverage" and in "Hidden Figures" -- because Je'Niece says he's a great actor with a similar complexion to Bernie.

He also has major biopic experience -- he played MC Ren in "Straight Outta Compton" and more recently, NFL legend Jim Brown in "One Night in Miami." Je'Niece believes he's the perfect A-lister to play her dad as an adult.

But, that's not all ... she also has an out-of-the-box option if producers want to portray Bernie in his younger years, and he's a YouTube star.

His name is Mark Phillips, and Je'Niece tells us her daughter loves him, and always says how much he reminds her of Bernie. She adds that Mark is funny and has the acting chops to capture her dad's essence.

The just-announced project is a partnership between Legend's production company, Get Lifted, and Mac's estate ... which Je'Niece says is headed up by her mother.