Screen Talk: Hero's tale comes out of Africa

Tinseltown Insider

Richard Leakey's Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures has been optioned for the big screen (Getty Images)

Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures by Richard Leakey (pictured) has been optioned for the big screen. The book tells of his efforts to stop elephant poaching in Kenya despite the danger. In 1993, a small plane he was in crashed, crushing his legs, and they were amputated. Sabotage was suspected.

Depp and Disney face Western woe

Hollywood has taken a knock as Disney's The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer stares at a substantial loss for the movie. With a $250m production budget and a worldwide marketing spend of $175m, the movie's five-day opening of $48.9m has been described simply as abysmal.

Carpenter claim could be costly

Richard Houpert, a set builder, has sued Sony Pictures, subsidiary Columbia and Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions after suffering an injury on That's My Boy, in May 2011. The carpenter had several fingers partially cut off and sustained fractures on his right hand, and is looking for $1m in damages.

Cabin fever at the horror show

The latest movie-inspired theme-park attraction has fans and Hollywood alike abuzz with surprise. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's horror satire The Cabin in the Woods is to be part of Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights celebration this autumn. The cabin and subterranean base will be used.

Michelin-starred role for Mirren

Lasse Hallström is to direct the DreamWorks-backed drama The Hundred-Foot Journey, based on Richard C Morais's best-selling book, which will star Helen Mirren and rising star Manish Dayal. It is the story of an Indian family in France who open a restaurant opposite a Michelin-starred eatery.

Old film sparks a butler battle

Lee Daniels' movie The Butler is embroiled in a battle. There's a 1916 short film of the same name in the Warner Bros library. Daniels wrote to the Warner studio head to plead for the film about Eugene Allen, who spent 34 years working at the White House until he retired as head butler.