Casey LaBow plays Kate, a member of the Denali clan of vegetarian vampires, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and 2. Although Kate and her Denali family members were only seen in the wedding scene of Part 1, they play a big role in the events that occur in Breaking Dawn Part 2. Kate's special vampire powers make her an important player in helping to train Bella (Kristen Stewart) to fight. And in our exclusive interview in support of Breaking Dawn Part 1's release on Blu-ray and DVD, LaBow talks about joining the franchise, how they handled her vampire powers, working with Lee Pace who plays Garrett, and Twilight fans.

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Exclusive Casey LaBow Interview - Breaking Dawn originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 19:39:25.

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Plus, Michael Fassbender and Ridley Scott may reunite, Natalie Portman in two Terrence Malick projects, and a new Beauty and the Beast film is in the works...

The Hobbit Casting News: Peter Jackson made it official by announcing Billy Connolly has indeed joined The Hobbit. Connolly will be playing Dain II Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and a key figure in Tolkien's universe. For those not up on all things Hobbit, TheOneRing.net offers this description of the character: "Dain, actually named Dain II Ironfoot, was one of the great Dwarves of his age or perhaps any age and was an important figure in The War of the Ring, although much less heralded in the histories of Elves, Men and Hobbits."

Miley Cyrus Leaves Hotel Transylvania: E Online broke the news that Miley Cyrus has opted out of providing the voice of Dracula's daughter in Sony Picture Animation's Hotel Transylvania, with Selena Gomez stepping up to take over the role. Adam Sandler's set to voice Dracula, with Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Cee Lo Green, Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi, and Andy Samberg also lending their voices to animated monsters. Hotel Transylvania is set for a September 21, 2012 release.

Ridley Scott + Michael Fassbender = The Counselor?: Could director Ridley Scott be reuniting with his Prometheus star Michael Fassbender for The Counselor? Maybe. Deadline's reporting Scott will make The Counselor next and is eyeing Fassbender as the film's star. Cormac McCarthy wrote the spec script which quickly attracted the attention of big name directors, including Scott. Discussing the story, producer Steve Schwartz had this to say to Deadline back when the sale was initially announced: "Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It's a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy's wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy's most disturbing and powerful works."

Natalie Portman Gets Back to Work: After taking time off to give birth and spend some time with her son, Aleph, Oscar winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan) is ready to return to work in front of the camera. According to Deadline, Portman's returning in a big way with not one but two Terrence Malick films. Portman will first do Knight of Cups this coming summer and then move on to Lawless immediately afterward. Knight of Cups is set to star Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Isabel Lucas. Bale and Blanchett are also part of the Lawless cast with Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett.

The Return of Beauty and the Beast: When it rains, it pours. Disney's gorgeous animated film Beauty and the Beast just returned to theaters in 3D and there are multiple Beauty and the Beast TV projects in the works. Now word comes via Deadline that Silent House director Christophe Gans will helm a film version of the classic fairy tale. Filming's expected to begin later this year with Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux in the lead roles.

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Billy Connolly is in The Hobbit, Miley Cyrus Leaves Transylvania originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 12:41:59.

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I don't care if it's a little sappy. The Vow is what it is, a touching romantic film that makes no apologies for pulling out every trick in the book to make audiences shed a few tears. Advanced tracking shows The Vow should clean up this pre-Valentine's Day weekend as it's the obvious date movie of choice. And, thankfully, it's a solid film that deserves the attention.

Also of Interest:

(Photo &copy Screen Gems)

Movie Review: The Vow originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 09:05:21.

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Denzel Washington's the CIA agent who's betrayed his country and Ryan Reynolds is the earnest CIA agent on whose shoulders the job of bringing Washington in falls in the action thriller, Safe House. Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Safe House is sort of like a Bourne-lite with a predictable story that doesn't make full use of either Washington or Reynolds' talents. But the two manage to overcome the plot's shortfalls and deliver a decent action film.

(Photo &copy Universal Pictures)

Movie Review: Safe House originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 08:06:40.

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He's been working in feature films for over six decades, however Oscar winner Michael Caine has never starred in a film shot in the 3D format - until now. He's also never actually seen a 3D movie and experienced the 'joy' of wearing those incredibly annoying glasses, but that's all changing with his involvement in New Line Cinema's Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

In Oahu shooting the film, Caine told us why now was the perfect time to make his first foray into the expanded world of 3D. "I now have three brand new grandchildren and so I want to do a family film so this one was a good one to do," said Caine, adding, "I've done adventure films but not for small children. This is really fantasy. I mean, this afternoon we were riding around on bumblebees. My grandson is going to say to his friends, 'Can your granddad do that? No, he can't!" Read more...

More on Journey 2:

(Poster from Journey 2 &copy New Line Cinema)

Michael Caine Interview - Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Playing Alfred in the Batman Films originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 07:22:07.

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I'm not going to say I'm shocked over this. Plugs are being pulled on films in the works all over Hollywood, and Paradise Lost is just the latest victim of films in the pipeline with budgets that don't fall in line with what the studios wanted. Deadline reports with Paradise Lost it appears to have been a matter of trying to get the visual effects cost in line on what was sure to be a CG-heavy celestial battles.

Paradise Lost had been set up at Legendary Pictures with Alex Proyas (Knowing) on board to direct and Bradley Cooper, Benjamin Walker, Diego Boneta, Camilla Belle, Rufus Sewell, Callan McAuliffe, Dominic Purcell, and Casey Affleck signed up for roles. Filming was to have begun this June, with Legendary eyeing a 2013 release.

Legendary's still moving forward with other projects, including Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim (currently shooting) and the Seventh Son film adaptation.

(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Legendary's Not Moving Forward on Paradise Lost originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 17:25:01.

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Ecosse Films has announced they've found their Princess Diana. Oscar nominated actress Naomi Watts (Mulholland Dr.) will play Princess Di in Caught in Flight to be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall). Stephen Jeffreys (The Libertine) wrote the script, and filming is expected to begin later this year.

The official synopsis: "Caught in Flight is a compelling portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life. It charts how finding true personal happiness for the first time allowed her to achieve her defining successes evolving into a major international campaigner and humanitarian."

In the press announcement, Watts was quoted as saying, "It is such an honour to be able to play this iconic role - Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen."

Director Hirschbiegel added, "I am delighted to have such a truly exceptional actress who embodies the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon as Princess Diana."

Watts was most recently seen on the big screen in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar and has wrapped up work on Sunlight Jr with Matt Dillon and Norman Reedus as well as The Impossible with Ewan McGregor.

(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Naomi Watts Set to Play Princess Diana originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 11:06:13.

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Rachel McAdams stars as a young wife who winds up with amnesia and can't remember the last five years of her life in the romantic drama, The Vow. McAdams is no stranger to taking on roles in films aimed at capturing the hearts of romantics having starred in the tearjerker, The Notebook, and some are calling this film 2012's Notebook - a fair description in that The Vow also requires audiences to bring along a few tissues to blot away those tears.

More on The Vow:

(Photo &copy Screen Gems)

Rachel McAdams Talks About The Vow originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 09:05:16.

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Is it okay to declare my love for a list of films about the hazards of falling in love? I mean, the point of this Top 10 Movies That Make You Happy You're Not in a Relationship list is to show why being in love isn't all that it's cracked up to be, so loving a list seems sort of inappropriate. But if loving it is wrong, I don't want to be right - and after you browse through this collection of 10 films that will make you happy you're single, you could be joining me in declaring your love. Or, at the very least, you'll get a few chuckles out of reading this Top 10 list by guest writer Ian Forbes:

(Photo &copy Paramount Home Entertainment)

Top 10 Movies for Singles originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 08:05:51.

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Sullivan Stapleton, outstanding in the gritty 2010 indie drama Animal Kingdom, has been tapped for a starring role - probably Themistocles - in the 300 prequel/sequel/spin-off (also known as Xerxes at one point and 300: The Battle of Artemisia) says Variety. Also up for a major role in the currently untitled 300 project is Eva Green who could be playing Artemisia.

Noam Murro (Smart People) is on board to direct the film for Warner Bros from a script by Zack Snyder (300 and the upcoming Man of Steel) and Kurt Johnstad based on Frank Miller's Xerxes. In an interview with the LA Times, Miller described the story, "The time frame begins 10 years before 300 and the story starts with the Battle of Marathon, which was killer to draw, by the way, even if it was a lot of work. The lead character is Themistocles, who became warlord of Greece and built their navy. The story is very different than 300 in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood. The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he well on his way to godhood by the end of the story."

Stapleton recently completed work on The Gangster Squad directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, and Emma Stone.

(Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)

Animal Kingdom's Sullivan Stapleton Will Star in the 300 Spin-Off originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 05:18:14.

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