Screentalk: Hugh Laurie's rumble with Robocop

Hugh Laurie

There was a time when no Hollywood movie was complete without a British baddie.

So it's no surprise that House star Hugh Laurie is in negotiations to play the villain in the Robocop remake, backed by MGM and Sony. José Padilha directs Joel Kinnaman as the title character. Gary Oldman and Samuel L Jackson also star.

Captive audience for Woodard

Alfre Woodard will join Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in the cast of Twelve Years a Slave. Directed by Steve McQueen, the project is based on an autobiography written in 1853 by Solomon Northup, a free black man who became enslaved after being kidnapped and put in a slave pen.

Toy story is ready to hit the road

First came the big-screen take on battleships, and the announcement of a Lego movie. Now it is the turn of toy line Tonka, best known for its trucks, for the Hollywood treatment. Sony Pictures Animation, Hasbro and Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions will produce the silver-screen version.

Mystery woman makes a killing

Charlize Theron is eyeing the comedy whodunit Murder Mystery directed by John Madden. James Vanderbilt is also on board, and Theron will also produce. The film, "an affectionate deconstruction of an Agatha Christie-style thriller", tells the story of a honeymoon couple who witness a murder.

Chilling news for fairytale fans

Fans will have to wait until 2013 before getting a glimpse of CG-animated movie Frozen featuring the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. The Walt Disney film, about a kingdom trapped in eternal winter, is directed by Chris Buck (Tarzan), and will feature songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Revenge tale is a real thriller

A film based on the best-selling novel Land of the Living by Nicci French, (the pseudonym of husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French) is heading for the big screen. Olivier Megaton will direct the thriller, about a young advertising executive who is kidnapped, escapes and tracks down her would-be killer.