Natalie Portman is 'Thor''s leading lady, 'Harry Potter' is poised to become the top-grossing movie franchise of all time, the U.K. is getting two versions of 'Bruno,' and more of today top movie headlines. If anyone can tame the brawny, hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder, it's Natalie Portman. The actress has been cast as the female lead in Marvel's superhero tentpole 'Thor.' She'll play Jane Foster, the scientist/doctor love interest of the titular deity (Chris Hemsworth), whose reckless actions get him booted from his heavenly abode in Asgard and cast down to Earth, where he learns what it truly means to be a hero. [The Hollywood Reporter] | [Variety]




With 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' hitting theaters on Wed., the 'Potter' series is set to surpass James Bond as the top-grossing movie franchise of all time. So far, the Bond films have pulled in roughly $5 billion worldwide to the Potter films' $4.48 billion -- but the boy wizard should have the superspy choking on his box office dust by month's end. [Variety]


Two different versions of Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' will be released simultaneously in the U.K.: One version, which bears the adult age classification of "18," is the same as the uncensored version in the U.S. The other, which will be classified as "15" to accommodate younger viewers, is 110 seconds shorter, having cut down three of the film's most racy scenes. Guess borderline porno sex gags aren't for everyone. [The Hollywood Reporter]


Denzel Washington has officially dropped out of Tony Scott's 'Unstoppable,' the Fox runaway train thriller in which he was to star opposite Chris Pine. Budget concerns have delayed the project, with Washington bowing out after the studio asked him to chop $4M off his $20M salary. The nerve ... [Variety]


The classic '60s TV Western 'The Big Valley' is headed for the big screen, with Daniel Adams ('The Golden Boys') set to write and direct and Kate Edelman Johnson, the daughter of series co-creator Louis F. Edelman, producing. The show featured Barbara Stanwyck as the matriarch of an 1870s ranching clan, and also starred Linda Evans and Lee Majors. [The Hollywood Reporter]


Columbia Pictures has acquired a pitch from 'Moneyball' co-writer Stan Chervin for a movie about legendary circus man P.T. Barnum. The film will focus on Barnum's rise from shopkeeper to founder of the circus known as "The Greatest Show on Earth." [Variety]



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