Movie/TV round up

Clint Eastwood's next project will be Gran Torino

The screen legend will both direct and star in the film for Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Pictures.

Eastwood's involvement in the movie was revealed on Tuesday, March 18 when the studio gave the film its release date schedule. His starring in "Torino" marked his first time return on screen after his last appearance in "Million Dollar Baby" with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman.
His latest outing behind the camera was prohibition-era thriller Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie. The Universal movie opens in cinemas in November.

Sam Raimi is in negotiations to revive the Jack Ryan franchise for Paramount.

The studio hopes Raimi will direct a series of films based on Tom Clancy's CIA analyst character, the first of which is being targeted for summer 2010, after he completes horror film Drag Me to Hell.

The Jack Ryan character features in several novels from US author Clancy and first appeared on screen played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October. Harrison Ford later took over the role in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger before Ben Affleck played a younger version of Ryan in 2002's The Sum of All Fears.

Ryan Gosling has been ">linked with the lead role in the new film, which is to take place during the character's early years at the CIA.

Paramount is yet to decide whether to use the upcoming Tom Clancy Ryan novel as the basis for the new film or come up with an original story.

Director Anthony Minghella has died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 54.

His publicist Jonathan Rutter said he had undergone surgery for cancer of the tonsils and neck last week and the operation "seemed to have gone well". However, he suffered a fatal haemorrhage at 5am this morning and died at London's Charing Cross Hospital.

The British filmmaker and playwright, who won an Oscar for 1996 film The English Patient, recently finished work on feature-length TV pilot The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Minghella was also nominated for an Academy Award in the adapted screenplay category for 1999's The Talented Mr Ripley and 2003's Cold Mountain.

His other acclaimed films include Truly, Madly, Deeply, which he wrote and directed in 1990.He had been chairman of the British Film Institute since 2003 and was appointed a CBE in 2001.

Producer Lord David Puttnam described the news as "a shattering blow", telling the BBC: "He wasn't just a writer, or a writer-director, he was someone who was very well-known and very well-loved within the film community. Frankly he was far too young to have gone."Minghella, who was born on the Isle of Wight, is survived by his wife, Hong Kong-born choreographer Carolyn Choa, and children Max and Hannah.

Danny Dyer has claimed that he would be perfect for the role of DS George Carter in the big-screen adaptation of The Sweeney.

According to UK newspaper The Sun, US producers are looking for someone to star alongside Ray Winstone in the film, but don't believe Dyer is famous enough in America to win the part.

Nick Love, who worked with Dyer on The Football Factory and The Business, is directing the movie.Dyer said: "This is the big one for me. Nick is campaigning for me but they want to sell it worldwide. There's no better combination than me and Ray for this."

The original 1970s cop show starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman in the lead roles.

Hat tip: Digital Spy.