· The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. announced Thursday that it will reopen its investigation into the 1981 drowning death of Natalie Wood. "Recently Sheriff's homicide investigators were contacted by persons who stated they had additional information about the Natalie Wood Wagner drowning," the office claimed in a statement. "Due to the additional information, Sheriff's homicide bureau has decided to take another look at the case." Wood's husband Robert Wagner, meanwhile, welcomes another look but hopes "that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death." Or the 50th anniversary of West Side Story. Ahem. [LAT, THR]
· All that speculative yakking and saber-rattling about Steven Soderbergh's big-screen The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has yielded this typically rewarding Hollywood payoff: Soderbergh is off the project, reportedly unhappy with the mid-level budget proposed by Warner Bros. Alas. I hear Brett Ratner's free? [The Playlist]
· Angelina Jolie is attached to play the title role in Gertrude Bell, a planned biopic about the Englishwoman who was instrumental in the reshaping of the Middle East in the early 20th century. Ridley Scott would produce and may direct. Ha. Haaahahahaha. Sigh. [THR]
· Aussie writer/director Stuart Beattie has selected compatriot Yvonne Strahovski as the female lead in I, Frankenstein; she'll star opposite Aaron Eckhart in the adaptation of Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel. [Deadline]
· Are you laying down? Because otherwise your jaw might fall right the hell off: "Activision's latest Call of Duty title has shattered all previous entertainment records, grossing more than $775 million in its first five days of sales." [AllThingsD]
· What's shakin' in North Korea? Oh, not much, just getting closer to testing out its brand-new light water reactor, which will finally enable the nation to embark on its coveted uranium-enrichment efforts. Congrats? [38North]