Production on the Anton Yelchin/Olivia Thirlby sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour got held up two weeks after forest fires around Moscow scuttled the film's exterior location shooting. The film deals with American students battling aliens during a trip to Russia; reps at Summit Entertainment said the delay won't threaten the film's remaining schedule or wrap date. Whew. [THR]
Acclaimed actress Patricia Neal died on Sunday from complications due to lung cancer at age 84. After winning an Oscar for her work opposite Paul Newman in Hud, she suffered a series of debilitating strokes that took away her capacity to speak and walk. Neal was able to recover, however, and was again nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1968. She went on to start the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center in her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn. [Huffington Post]
Also in this morning's Hollywood Ink: Cillian Murphy wakes up to find another movie... Tony Scott makes a decision... a Green Lantern sequel is en route... and more.
As it turns out, the fourth time wasn't the charm for Inception. Christopher Nolan's Scrooge McDuck-inspired blockbuster was knocked out of the top spot at the box office this weekend by Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg and a cadre of Prius jokes. Click ahead for the full assortment of weekend receipts.
Further proof that the adult entertainment industry can create a parody film out of anything has arrived: director Lee Roy Myers and Tom Byron Pictures will take The Human Centipede and turn it into -- wait for it -- The Human Sex-ipede. Hilarious rationalizations for this project ahead.
At Saturday's TCA panel for HBO, programming president Michael Lombardo announced that Entourage will end next summer with a shortened, six-episode order. But don't expect all those answers you've been waiting patiently for over the past seven seasons. Said Lombardo: "[Creator Doug Ellin] is appropriately reserving -- he wants to write a film, but wants to do it when the story will make sense." Just don't have Vince and the boys head to Abu Dhabi and things should be fine. [THR/The Live Feed]
Lest you think James Cameron is spending his summer vacation sitting on the giant pile of money he made off Avatar, the King of the World is busy working on two other giant piles of money: the Avatar sequels. No deals are signed yet -- nor is there a script -- but Cameron has already had discussions about what the future installments would include. He also has some theories on how he'd like to shoot them. Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon, take some notes.
Let's just make this fast -- kind of like the way the week (let alone most of 2010) has gone here at Movieline HQ. Read on for our customary reflections, memories, notes and preoccupations to keep it all alive through the weekend, during which time weekend editor Dixon Gaines will be here adding even more to the rich mix. Enjoy, and have a good one!
· It's been a really wild season on The View. Lots of faux-sassy comebacks and mild-to-hot topics enjoyed by all. You'll notice that ABC doesn't think opinions about Mel Gibson or Kathy Griffin rank among the series' finest moments. However: "Did y'all know that King Tut's penis is missing?" Sigh. I didn't. [YouTube]
· I'd ask if you could pick Megan Fox out of a seventh-grade yearbook lineup, but trust me: You can. She's no Christina Hendricks. Click for bigger as Buzz Break continues after the jump.
Grains of salt at the ready: According to Cinema Blend, Jon Favreau was all set to direct The Avengers, but Marvel wouldn't meet his asking price and went instead with the more budget-conscious choice of Joss Whedon. To make matters worse, CB's sources report that Favreau was so unhappy with Marvel's meddling on Iron Man 2 that he won't return to direct Iron Man 3. Somewhere, Terrence Howard is nodding his head with satisfaction. [Cinema Blend]
It's that time of year again, everyone! Someone's having a birrrrrrthdaaayyyyyy... And this is no ordinary birthday, either: In a milestone befitting the man who achieved it, Manoj Night Shyamalan today hits the big 4-0. Check out Movieline's special commemorative banner -- and send along your best wishes -- after the jump!
The Saw franchise's producers confirmed at Comic-Con that Tyler Perry's Saw VII: The Traps Come Alive 3D would indeed be the series' last installment. Enter Saw mainstay Betsy Russell, who this week cheerfully overrode that statement. "Before we thought it was ending [with Saw 7], the writers came up with an unbelievable idea [for Saw 8]," Russell said. "It's an amazing story that I would love to see. [...] We want to end near the top, with our integrity intact and not letting the characters die a slow death, so to speak. But I believe in my heart that someday, somehow, [Saw 8] will happen." Fine -- anything for more Tobin Bell interviews. [NYP]
Also in this morning's Hollywood Ink: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo finds two more cast members... Tom Cruise gets a pay cut... the world will have to watch another Nicholas Sparks adaptation... and more ahead.
Due to some internal shuffling and the utter abstraction of of its name, the feature known as Movieline Attractions will not be seen this morning (or probably ever again). Welcome instead to Movieline's Weekend Forecast, your one-stop guide to everything new, noteworthy and/or rescued from oblivion at the movies. This week, it takes a pair of cops to vanquish Christopher Nolan, yet another 3D effort kicks and shimmies your way, and the art-house glut continues. Read on for the full forecast:
FILM NEWS 
