'Sin City 2' Enlists Oscar-Winning Writer William Monahan for Script Work (Exclusive)

Brad Barket/Getty Images Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are bringing in some Oscar-winning firepower to help shape the script for Sin City 2, the sequel to their 2005 hit graphic novel adaptation. William Monahan, who won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for 2006's The Departed, has been hired to work on the script, according to sources, supplementing a draft completed recently by Miller. STORY: Robert Rodriguez on 3D, the 'Sin City' Sequel and 'Red Sonja' Momentum has been building lately behind the long-in-development sequel to Sin City, which grossed a healthy $100 million worldwide in 2005. Rodriguez, who co-directed the original with Miller (who scripted and authored the source material), said at Comic-Con in July that financing for the sequel had been arranged and shooting would begin as soon as a script could be locked, possibly by the end of this year. It's not clear which actors would return from the original, though rumors on fan websites have suggested a storyline featuring the characters played by Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba. Rodriguez indicated to THR during an interview at Comic-Con that actors playing characters that survived the first film are expected to return, and that because much of it is shot in pieces against green screen that scheduling shouldn't be too difficult. THR's Complete Comic-Con Coverage Monahan has been in high demand since taking home the Oscar. His active dossier includes the scripts for the hot Tom Cruise sci-fi project Oblivion, which is currently casting at Universal, as well as a slew of other projects. As THR first reported on Friday, Monahan also is reuniting with his Departed director Martin Scorsese for a remake of the 1974 drama The Gambler. Monahan is repped by WME and Anonymous Content. Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Kit Sin City Robert Rodriguez Frank Miller

'Harry Potter' Leavesden Studios Tickets Go On Sale This October

Mark October 13 on your calendars and then start saving your pennies, "Harry Potter" fans, because Warner Bros has announced that tickets to "Warner Bros. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter" will go on sale that day. Stars Evanna Lynch and Warwick Davis made the announcement Tuesday at the Empire Big Screen Event in London. Though the tour still doesn't have an official opening date -- Warner has only given the very vague Spring 2012 period -- I'm placing my bets that pre-order tickets sell out within 24 hours. Above is a rendering of what the exterior of the studio will look like upon completion. It certainly looks a bit Disney-fied and not very similar to the Leavesden we know and love, but that is kind of the point. Tickets can be booked through this official site and will cost 28 for adults and 21 for children. That's about $46 and $35, respectively, and a lot cheaper than I was personally expecting. The tour is three hours long and involves walking around the studio's 150,000 square feet, including two soundstages. The Great Hall, Dumbledore's Office, Hagrid's hut and the Gryffindor common room are among the actual sets that will be showcased on the tour. There also is a Creatures Effects workshop that will show how special effects artists were able to turn characters like Aragog, Fawkes, Buckbeak and the "Chamber of Secrets" basilisk to life. Do you plan on buying tickets to the tour? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

George Lucas' Allowance, 'Star Wars,' Has 40 Hrs Of Additional Footage For Blu-Ray Version

Nobody finds a method to squeeze more spend of the film franchise than George Lucas has been doing with The Exorcist, and he's in internet marketing again. Here is a trailer for that discharge of the six films on Blu-ray. I caught the bug about the original trilogy which was far in front of it is time, however i found the prequel unexciting in comparison to films such as the Matrix, that was launched around the same time frame. Still, Lucas is serving up 40 hrs of extra supplies during these releases. But does anybody apart from the hardcore geek really care?

Whoa There, Silver: Disney Pulls Plug on Johnny Depp's The Lone Ranger

Big, bad news, Lone Ranger fans: According to Deadline, Disney has decided to halt production on Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, which was to star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the titular masked crusader. The pricey blockbuster was to begin filming this October, but too many other $200M+ projects set up at the studio may have led to the project’s demise. From Deadline’s Mike Fleming: “I’m told this all just happened, and Disney pulled the plug because the budget, which I’ve heard the filmmakers were trying to reduce from $250 million—I’ve heard from insider that they’d gotten down to $232 million, but whatever the number, it wasn’t close to the $200 million that Disney wanted to spend. This had to be an incredibly tough call for Disney’s Rich Ross and Sean Bailey, but they have several huge live action bets on the table already. John Carter, the Andrew Stanton-directed adaptation of John Carter of Mars with Friday Night Lights’ Taylor Kitsch in the lead role, has a budget that has ballooned to north of $300 million because of extensive re-shoots [a studio insider said the number is lower], and The Great and Powerful Oz, the Sam Raimi-directed James Franco-starrer has a budget is hovering at $200 million.” The news comes as even more of a surprise since Disney announced a December 2012 release date for The Lone Ranger only back in June. Also: The Lone Ranger was to reunite Pirates of the Caribbean colleagues Depp, Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Guaranteed moneymaker, right? Maybe this frees up the trio to go back to developing Pirates 5, the inevitable next installment of their proven (but creatively tired) billion-dollar franchise. UPDATE: According to Variety, Disney is still trying to find a way to proceed with The Lone Ranger. “The pic is far from dead at the studio,” says the trade, citing anonymous sources “close to the production.” Hmm. Is this an effort to temper the cancellation report, or will Disney soon go on record to support this latest claim? Developing… Shocker! Disney Halts Johnny Depp’s ‘The Lone Ranger’ [Deadline]

Matt Dillon Joins Imogene

He'll co-star with Kristen WiigThe cameras are already cranking on the set of indie comedy Imogene, but that doesn't mean co-directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini aren't still adding names to the cast. The latest to sign on? Matt Dillon. Imogene, written by Michelle Morgan, has been something of a passion project for Bridesmaids' Kristen Wiig, who's has finally be able to dig up the financing and team to get it made. She's starring as a playwright who fakes a suicide after she loses her job, her boyfriend and her apartment. Unfortunately for her, her gambling addicted mother (Annette Bening) is assigned custody of her, which doesn't exactly make matters any easier. Dillon is on to play Bening's oddball love interest, a man who claims to be a CIA agent, but is likely either A) a big liar or B) crazy cuckoo bananas. He's available for the movie after dropping out of the Elmore Leonard adaptation Freaky Deaky. With the likes of Natasha Lyonne and Glee's Darren Criss also in the cast. Imogene should be out next year.

Sean Kingston Aiming to Release New Single by Dec.

Sean Kingston is back and better than ever. On Tuesday, the singer sat down with MTV for his first televised interview since his May 29 jet-skiing accident. Kingston was visibly slimmer and discussed his recovery, how his lifestyle has changed and what's next. HOSPITALIZATION AND RECOVERY Kingston was taken to the Jackson Memorial Hospital after crashing his jet ski into a bridge. He had a shattered wrist, a broken jaw and water in his lung. He says he took nutrients through a feeding tube for the first few days and had his jaw wired. The "Beautiful Girls" crooner revealed that when he was ready to leave the hospital, he felt a sharp pain in his chest that he told doctors was a "9" on a pain scale of 0-10. The pain was the result of a torn aorta that had filled his lungs with blood and he was immediately given open-heart surgery. Complications ensued and Kingston was sent for a second open-heart surgery shortly after his first one. During the early days of his hospitalization, Kingston could only communicate by writing things down. He told MTV this served him well in thinking about future songs and lyrics. Kingston was on the pain medication Percoset but doesn't take it anymore. LIFESTYLE CHANGES After losing weight during his recovery, the 21 year-old said he's making a concerted effort to lose even more. He has a trainer, is watching what he eats and aims to lose 20 more pounds. He said, "My goal is just to get healthy as far as what my ideal weight has to be for my height." Kingston is 6'3". Would he give up jet-skiing? Kingston says, "I'm definitely going to be jet-skiing again. I have to overcome my fear. It wasn't the jet ski, it was not knowing the area." Kingston also said he has a renewed faith in god and now attends church every Sunday. WHAT'S NEXT Kingston returned to the stage on July 22 to join pal Nicki Minaj on their collaboration "Nutty Love." It was first time he'd performed publicly since the accident. Kingston says he's "100% better" and "focused on music again." He gave a shout-out to L.A. Reid, the new head of his label, Epic Records. In response to a fan question about whether he'd write a song about his recovery, Kingston said he makes musically organically and doesn't set out with a specific goal or topic in mind. He said he's "going in another direction with producer J.R. [Rotem]" on his next effort. "The whole reggae island pop thing. Going back to my roots. I'm back with him. I love him more than anything. We're about to kill it, man." He's headed to L.A. to start work on new material and will perform "spot dates." He hopes to have a new single out by December. Kingston plans to be a mogul in 25 years ala Jay-Z or Sean "Puffy" Combs. He says, "Five years from now what I want is more production and writing and give other artists time to shine." Asked if he could change anything about the day of the crash, Kingston said he'd "keep the tide steady, have the bridge a little bit higher." Related Topics Sean Kingston

Nobleman of Leon cancel U.S. tour

Following a rough date in Dallas on Friday, the Nobleman of Leon have cancelled the rest of the 28 shows on the U.S. tour, this guitar rock band introduced today. Cancelled shows won't be rescheduled, and also the band is providing refunds for those dates through Sept. 28, including scheduled stops in the Verizon Wireless Carrier Amphitheater in Irvine and Johnson Beach in New You are able to. Finally Friday's show, frontman Caleb Followill left happens early, worrying of warmth-related difficulties with his voice, along with a subsequent statement in the band's publicist blamed the cancellation on "vocal issues and exhaustion." More ominously, Kings' bassist Jared Followill Tweeted on Saturday that "You will find problems within our band larger than not consuming enough Gatorade." The Tennessee band broke in to the majors in 2008, when album "Only through the Evening" went double platinum and single "Use Somebody" won this year's Grammy for record of the season. The group's newest record, "Plainly Sunset," was launched last October. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Idiot Carjacker Arrested by Plainclothes Cop, Blames Dark Knight Rises Script

The city of Pittsburgh has Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises production to thank for making it snow in summer and giving newlyweds an unforgettable Kodak moment. Now, in the grand spirit of the Dark Knight Catwoman robber, comes news that a Pittsburgh man was arrested for carjacking in the name of Batman. Isn’t this viral marketing going a little too far, fellas? According to an AP report, 21-year-old Micah Calamosca allegedly attempted to carjack a plainclothes police officer near the set of The Dark Knight Rises over the weekend, claiming it was a part of the production. AP via MyFoxPhilly: “The officer drew his gun and ordered the suspect, 21-year-old Micah Calamosca, out of the car. He says the suspect told him he was part of filming for The Dark Knight Rises and that taking the vehicle was in the script.” To be fair, if it was in the script, who was Calamosca to argue? A quick perusal of Facebook leaves it unclear whether or not Calamosca was indeed in the employ of Warner Bros. at the time of his attempted carjacking (kidding), but we did find a photo that appears to be him holding a snake. So there you go. Why so serious? Oh, right — because carjacking is a felony. Cops: Carjacker Uses ‘Batman’ As Ruse [AP via Buzzfeed]