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Adam Brody, Marley Shelton and Erik Knudsen have joined the cast of "Scream 4," which began shooting this week in Michigan.

The film reunites director Wes Craven with Kevin Williamson, who kicked off a horror movie revival with his "Scream" script in 1996.

Original cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox are also returning, though the plan is to pass the baton to a new generation of slasher victims, namely Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin and Nico Tortorella.

Brody will play a cop recently graduated from college who was raised on the "CSI" TV series.

Shelton will play a deputy who knew Campbell's character in high school. Lake Bell had been in negotiations for the role.

Knudsen will have a role similar to the one played by Jamie Kennedy in the first two installments, a character who is familiar with horror movie conventions and a provider of comic relief.

To preserve the identity of the killer, Craven and Williamson are operating under several layers of secrecy, including not sending the script to agencies. At a table read last week, the actors were told to stop reading at page 75 to prevent even those already cast in the film from knowing the climax.

Brody recently wrapped ensemble indie drama "The Oranges," which also stars Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester. He stars with Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin and Elijah Wood in "The Romantics," a romantic comedy slated to open this fall.

Shelton was most recently seen in director Sebastian Gutierrez's ensemble comedy "Women in Trouble." Other credits include "Planet Terror" and "Sin City."

Toronto-born Knudsen appears in the August release "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," Edgar Wright's adaptation of the Bryan Lee O'Malley graphic novel series, as well as "Beastly," a CBS Films fantasy romance.

Julia Roberts' niece Emma Roberts (pictured) has landed a role in the fourth Scream movie.  Wes Craven is bringing the film franchise back for another outing, and Roberts, 19, has a starring role alongside regular cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the role, she said: "I'm so excited to be part of this groundbreaking franchise. It's the perfect opportunity for me to do something completely different than I've ever done before."

Roberts isn't the only new addition to the cast - as Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin will also be joining.
Talking about Roberts, Craven said: "Emma's talent, beauty and range will add immensely to the sophistication, intensity and fun of the Scream franchise as it returns to the screen once more."
(Image: Splash News)

Just last week, we reported on the latest casting developments for Scream 4 (or, if you prefer the awful poster version, Scre4m), with Twilight’s Ashley Greene offered the plum lead role of Jill. Now it would appear that negotiations may have fallen through with Greene, as Emma Roberts seems to be locked in to play the heroine.

All this, is still up in the air as, despite Entertainment Weekly reporting on Roberts snagging a main role, Dimension Films is staying quiet on who exactly she’s playing. And we suppose there’s still a chance that Greene could show up in some capacity.

Roberts is joining the established cast, which includes returning stars Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell, alongside confirmed newbie Lake Bell. And there are still rumours swirling around the casting of Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin.

“I’m so excited to be part of this ground-breaking franchise,” Roberts, who last appeared in the likes of Valentine’s Day and has a role in Noel Clarke’s 4.3.2.1, which arrives next week, tells the magazine. “It’s the perfect opportunity for me to do something completely different than I’ve ever done before.” Hope she’s starting her lung capacity exercises now, then.

With a script by franchise creator Kevin Williamson, Scream 4 (we refused to write it like the poster) will kick off shooting under the control of Wes Craven this June in Michigan. Stocks in fake blood and cheap plastic scream masks expected to skyrocket.
 

Wes Craven and the Dimension Films team have started reaching out to young talent to join the cast of Scream 4.Twilight’s Ashley Greene, Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin have all been offered roles, while Lake Bell is already in negotiations.

If they all sign, they’ll be joining returning regular stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who are ready to show up, albeit in a slightly more limited capacity as they pass the torch on to the new cast.

Greene is wanted to play Jill, Campbell’s cousin and the heroine of the piece, while Panettiere would be her best pal, a big film nerd (always a requirement for the terminally self-aware slasher series). Culkin, meanwhile is being lined up as a guy competing for Greene’s love.

Bell, last seen in It’s Complicated, is likely to appear as a police officer that has a history with Campbell’s Sidney Prescott.

Director Craven and writer Kevin Williamson are apparently trying to keep the new script’s secrets away from the prying eyes of the Magical Internet and part of the secrecy involves only giving actors and their agents the most basic character descriptions, according to the Heat Vision Blog.

The shoot is planned to kick off this July in Michigan, which has apparently offered up some killer tax incentives.
 

The 53rd Times bfi London Film Festival moved into its second George Clooney-dominated day yesterday, with the Oscar-winning megastar again on hand to promote The Men Who Stare At Goats, the second of his three movies here.

The military satire, which stars Clooney as a possibly deranged ‘psychic’ soldier on an odyssey through Iraq with Ewan McGregor’s bemused journalist, bagged the prestigious Times Gala slot, which meant it received the full red carpet treatment outside the Odeon Leicester Square, with a large crowd gathered to greet Gorgeous George.

And he didn’t disappoint, spending a decent amount of time with his adoring fans. Clearly in a good mood from all the adulation, Clooney even came over to spend some (brief) time with the press – you can see the results in the Day 2 videblogisode when it goes up later today. Probably.

He wasn’t the only star in attendance, though. Neve Campbell showed up, to give support to her former next door neighbour, the ace British journalist Jon Ronson, on whose book the film was based, while the film’s director, Grant Heslov (yes, him from True Lies) looked delighted by all the attention his offbeat but thoroughly disarming film was getting.

That’s it for Clooney, though. Although the acclaimed Up In The Air launches here on Sunday, the screen’s fourth greatest Batman won’t be in attendance, though Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and director Jason Reitman will be able to shoulder the responsibility. Still, the LFF will miss you, George – you and your twinkly smile, and lovely hair.

 

Contrary to previous reports, a story in Variety this morning about the upcoming Dimension Films slate suggests that Neve Campbell will be returning for Scream 4 after all. If it's true, she'll be joing Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

Production on the first part of a mooted new Scream trilogy begins in late spring next year, and Bob Weinstein is attempting to woo Wes Craven back to direct. Craven, you'll recall if you've been following the story so far, was pretty lukewarm about the idea back in June, but didn't completely rule it out, telling Digital Spy "I'm not closed to it, I'm not open to it, I'll be perfectly happy to read a script and tell Bob what I think." Time (and perhaps salary) will tell. 

Campbell has yet to speak about it, so bets are on as to whether Syd's return will be as the centre of the film, or as a cameo (a-la Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween: Resurrection) that kills her off.

Elsewhere in Variety's story it's also confirmed that the future for Dimension is all about the tried-and-tested. So we're looking at a roster that potentialy includes Robert Rodriguez' Spy Kids 4, Halloween 3, and remakes of Hellraiser and Scanners - all in 3D. As previously announced there are also planned new versions of Children of the Corn and An American Werewolf in London, and the reassembly of Jonny 5 in a new Short Circuit.

"I'm heading back to my franchise films," says Bob. Er, back?

 

Keeping herself busy, mommy-to-be Sarah Michelle Gellar was spotted strolling down the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica on Wednesday afternoon (August 12).

Clad in an adorable dress and cardigan, the “Buffy” babe was accompanied by her mother, Rosellen, as the pair shopped it up during what was a warm summer day.

Meanwhile, Sarah Michelle’s kiss with Selma Blair is still making headlines - as it was voted the best lesbian kiss of all time from the movie, “Cruel Intentions.”

The Sun reports that the steamy kiss from the movie, which was out in 1999, beats Neve Campbell and Denise Richards in “Wild Things” in 1998.

Taking the third spot was “The Hunger� smooch between actress Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon.