· When it was first reported that Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds was planning to auction off her treasure trove of Hollywood memorabilia, it was thought the famed "subway dress" worn by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch would fetch somewhere near $2 million. Talk about an undersell! The dress was auctioned off over the weekend for the eye-popping price of $5.6 million ($1 million of which will go to the auction house). Reynolds was reportedly "in tears" following the 20 minute bidding frenzy; the buyer was not immediately identified. [CNN]
· Back when financing for Paul Thomas Anderson's next film fell apart last year, it was known as The Master. That changed to untitled when the religious drama was resurrected by Megan Ellison and The Weinstein Company earlier this year, but now it appears everything is back where it initially began. Variety reports that the untitled film is now retitled The Master, and that Anderson has added two more actors to its cast: Josh Close and Fiona Dourif. They join Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams in the currently shooting drama. [Variety]
· Famed author Michael Chabon has been hired to write Magic Kingdom for Disney and director Jon Favreau. Per THR, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Chabon is a big fan of Disney and "spent time at the Anaheim park with Favreau." Research! Kingdom is expected to be a big, rollicking family adventure. [THR/Heat Vision]
· Many people assume Meryl Streep will be in the thick of the Oscar race next year because of her performance as Margaret Thatcher in the unseen The Iron Lady. The film's release date will do nothing to change those opinions: The Weinstein Company has set Lady for Dec. 16, 2011. Other TWC awards contenders getting primo calendar placement: My Week With Marilyn arrives in theaters on Nov. 4, while The Artist quietly waltzes into theaters on Nov. 23. [Box Office Mojo]
· Anton Corbijn (The American) will direct an adaptation of John le Carre's A Most Wanted Man. [THR]
· Warner Bros. has purchased a spec script by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) called Arthur and Lancelot, a "contemporary re-imagining" of the classic tale of King Arthur and Sir Lancelot. Your eyerolls go here. [Deadline]