Screentalk: Cameron Diaz show she's still hot property

Tinseltown Insider

Cameron Diaz is lined up to play a down-on-her-luck divorcée in Agent: Century 21 (Reuters)

Cameron Diaz, having played a bad teacher, is about to tackle another unlikely profession.

She's lined up to star in Agent: Century 21, a story about a down-on-her-luck divorcée desperate to protect her job as a real-estate agent and her children who end up in the middle of a Mexican drug war.

When Nights turns to Days

Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria is to get a contemporary facelift starring Juliette Lewis. The original movie followed a prostitute looking for love in Rome only to discover heartache. Named The Days of Mary, the fresh take will be directed by Brad Michael Gilbert and sees the action relocate to Reno, Nevada.

Busy star won't be an Iron lady

It was a dark day for fan boys after it emerged that Jessica Chastain will not be part of Iron Man 3. The in-demand actress just hasn't got the supersuit to get her to her various sets on time. She was offered the role of a scientist in the third outing of Marvel's film franchise, but has officially passed on the part.

All set to electrify the audience

Russian-born film-maker Timur Bekmambetov has secured movie rights to The Current War, a 2011 Black List script written by playwright Michael Mitnick. The story is based on a real-life public battle fought between pioneers Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to develop electricity and bring it to the masses.

Mystery men go back in time

Top animation director Brad Bird is teaming up with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof for 1952, the mystery project set up at Disney. Lindelof is producing and writing the script with Jeff Jensen, a graphic novelist. Like all projects shrouded in Hollywood cloak of secrecy, it has emerged it will be an epic tent pole.

A movable feast comes to China

China is to be offered a taste of The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence. Lionsgate scored a green light to release the picture from the authorities there. It's a coup for the movie and aims to feed the $650m global box-office coffers the first film has swallowed so far.