Last August, it was all but assured that "Grindhouse" babe Rose McGowan was set to star as the title character, an ultra-hot space vixen, in Robert Rodriguez's remake of "Barbarella."

Or so we thought.

Because soon came the budget disputes. And the posturing. And the claims that Universal didn't want McGowan at all, preferring instead a bigger name actress like Jessica Alba or Nicole Kidman.

Turns out, we got it right the first time, McGowan insisted, telling MTV News that she was still very much signed on to play the lead in the upcoming film. Read more...

Words, words, words. A writer's strike hasn't stopped a slew of news from pouring into our laps, including the latest on Jessica Biel, Sylvester Stallone, Jake Gyllenhaal, and more.

- Hasbro says "G.I. Joe" will be a modern telling of the "Joe vs. Cobra storyline." (ComingSoon)

- Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel are "Nailed." Political satire is to be directed by David O'Russell. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Sylvester Stallone has a "Death Wish." 60-year-old star in talks to remake Charles Bronson vigilante classic. (Variety)

- Hayden Christensen to star in "Beast of Bataan," about the trial of a Japanese general implicated in the Bataan Death March. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Robert Rodriguez contacted for, not interested in, "Clash of the Titans" remake. (AICN)

The less preamble the better: Our links today need no introduction with news on “The Dark Knight,” “Star Trek,” “Hellboy 2,” “Wolverine,” “Rambo,” and more.

- It’s gonna be a “Long Halloween.” Joker website Why So Serious updated with an image of a grinning jack-o-lantern. (Why So Serious)

- Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor not a man of Rohan! “LOTR” star Karl Urban to play “Bones” in “Star Trek” remake. (AICN)

- Join the Golden Army. “Hellboy 2” site goes live. (Hellboy Movie)

- Liev Schreiber in talks to play young William Stryker, “Wolverine” sets his claws on a May 1, 2009 release date. (Variety)

- Robert Rodriguez’s insistence on casting girlfriend Rose McGowan jeopardizing “Barbarella” remake. (Hollywood Elsewhere)

- First poster for “Rambo” surfaces online. (IGN)

Okay, here's the deal. There truly might be nothing to this, but you never know, so here we go with the facts as I know them. I chatted for a bit with Jessica Alba yesterday (stop drooling, you look like an idiot) and we were talking about her action chops as an actress. Basically, she said she really wants to do another big action role, so I threw out "Barbarella" as a possibility. She paused and simply said, "Isn't that going to Rose? I think it is."

So what have we learned from this? Probably nothing. Jessica Alba has most likely read, like we all have, that Robert Rodriguez may be considering his "Planet Terror" star for the role.

Or maybe Alba's got some inside info thanks to her relationship with Rodriguez? Bottom line? I don't know. Just something to think about. At the very least, you tell us what you think. Who should be Barbarella: Alba, McGowan, Estelle Getty? The floor is yours.

"If you're going to hire Machete to kill the bad guy, you had better make sure the bad guy...isn't you!" Danny Trejo's now-immortalized anti-hero from Robert Rodriguez's faux trailer was one of the few universally-acclaimed parts of "Grindhouse," the dead-on-arrival double-feature from the "El Mariachi" director and Quentin Tarantino.

Rumors of a feature-length leap for the Machete character began almost immediately, given the audience's enthusiastic response to the no-nonsense, ass-kicking, revenge-seeking Mexican immigrant played by Trejo, a fan-favorite character actor and frequent collaborator of Rodriguez. It's a movie that's close to becoming a reality according to the star...if Bob and Harvey Weinstein can just be convinced to pony up the dough (See Trejo's message to the Weinsteins below, and then read about the film's status after the jump).

Read more...

Walk down the right back alley in "Sin City" and you can find almost anything. Walk down the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards and you can find even more.

Two years after "Sin City" thrilled audiences with its revolutionary style, author and co-director Frank Miller was eager to tease fans with talk of the sequel. "Robert [Rodriguez] and I have a script and we're all raring to go. We're aching to get started," he said. "I want to work with that crew again...that wonderful cast."

Rodriguez previously revealed to MTV News that the film will be an adaptation of Miller's "A Dame to Kill For," a prequel to "The Big Fat Kill." But what Miller could really use is a Big Fat Starting Date. With Miller set to direct "The Spirit" and Rodriguez gearing up for a remake of "Barbarella," it was recently announced that filming on the sequel would be pushed back.

"There was just some problems above us that I don't understand...that I don't really want to understand," Miller said matter of factly about studio delays in pre-production. All of which shouldn't bum out fans, he insisted, since he expects not only to eventually film "Sin City 2," but "Sin City 3” as well. That story, Rodriguez divulged, would concentrate on Miller's "Hell and Back," the story of a hallucinating artist named Wallace. Rumors have persisted for months that the role of Wallace was being written for Johnny Depp, a casting coup that Rodriguez himself was coyly confident would eventually happen.

As for Miller? "I ain't talking cast until we're actually shooting," he said, a large smile crossing his face at the possibility of getting Depp, "or close to it!"

Rodriguez does Jane Fonda redux, "Star Wars" flicks a no-go, Lohan gets naughty and more, in this edition of our daily linkification.

- Fans may have a bit longer to wait for "Sin City 2” as director Robert Rodriguez signs up for "Barbarella." (Hollywood Reporter)

- Hughes Brothers tackle "Book of Eli" about hero in post-apocalyptic America. Luke Perry sits by the phone. (Variety)

- Oh, well. Lucasfilm debunks rumors of future "Star Wars" movies. (MovieWeb)

- Jodie Foster and Abigail "Little Miss Sunshine" Breslin join Gerard Butler on "Nim's Island." (Hollywood Reporter)

- John Turturro to spin the tale of ballet's most famous works with "The Nutcracker: The Untold Story." (Variety)

- Hollywood finally tells the story behind World War I. "No Man's Land" coming from "Valkyrie" screenwriter Chris McQuarrie. (Variety)

- First image of Lindsay Lohan as a stripper for "I Know Who Killed Me." Something seems familiar... (People)

Hey, movie gang. A bunch of interesting casting news to update you with today. Some people still want to work with Tom Cruise, apparently. But most interestingly, how about a "Jetsons" movie by Robert Rodriguez? Wonder if Astro will wear chaps a la Alba in "Sin City"...

- Robert Rodriguez may look to the future with "The Jetsons". (Hollywood Reporter)

- Tom Cruise joined by Branagh and Nighy in Bryan Singer's latest. (Latino Review)

- Michael Moore's "Sicko" set for release June 29. (Variety)

- "Daybreakers" brings Ethan Hawke into the light for horror flick. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Jessica Biel to be a "Street Fighter"? (Latino Review)