After conquering the ballroom on Dancing with the Stars and soaring to the top of the country music charts with her singing, of course Julianne Hough would also want to try her hand at acting on the big screen. And, what better way for her to do so then as the female lead in director Craig Brewer’s take on the 1984 classic Footloose. As Ariel, the rebellious preacher’s daughter, Hough got to utilize her known talent as a dancer, while drawing from her own experiences growing up in a religious family where she had to fight for attention among her brothers and sisters. What results is a performance that not only can she be proud of, but that will also establish her as a true triple threat.

At the film’s press day, Julianne Hough sat down with Collider for this exclusive interview about the challenge of starting from scratch with her acting career, her desire to fight for the role because it was something she wanted to show people that she could do, how much she really identified with Ariel, the instant chemistry that she had with her co-star Kenny Wormald, and how important dancing is, in her own life. She also talked about how incredible the experience of making Rock of Ages was, how excited she is to work with Diablo Cody for Lamb of God, and how she plans to start a production company with her brother, Derek Hough. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

The first trailer for Jason Reitman’s Young Adult has gone online.  Written by Diablo Cody, the story centers on an alcoholic writer of young adult fiction (Charlize Theron) who decides to return to her small hometown and pursue her high-school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) even though he’s now happily married and has a young child.  What I dig about this trailer is that it is almost entirely devoid of sentiment.   Charlize Theron’s character is apparently just a sad, selfish person and Theron looks like she’s having some fun with the role when she’s not giving a dead-eyed stare. The film also stars Patton Oswalt, J.K. Simmons, and Elizabeth Reaser.  Young Adult opens in limited release on December 2nd and expands nationwide the following weekend. [Update: Hit the jump to check out an alternate, slightly raunchy trailer]

We’ve got a few more casting stories for you this evening. First up, The Help star Octavia Spencer is in negotiations to join the cast of Diablo Cody’s untitled directorial debut. Penned by Cody, the comedy “follows a sheltered young woman (Julianne Hough) who loses her faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life.  On her journey, she meets an unlikely companion (Russell Brand) who inadvertently helps her find her true self.” Showblitz reports that Spencer will play a card dealer at the casino where Brand’s character works. Spencer was celebrated for her more dramatic turn in this summer’s hit drama The Help. She’s also in talks to star in the indie dramedy Smashed. Production on Diablo Cody’s untitled project (previously referred to as Lamb of God) is set to begin next Spring.

Hit the jump for casting news on the indie drama The East and the Tom Cruise thriller One Shot.

Mandate Pictures has just sent out a press release announcing that Russell Brand and Julianne Hough (Footloose) will star in an untitled comedy directed by Diablo Cody from her own script.  We previously reported that Brand was offered the male lead and that Hough was in the running for the female lead so it looks like that all panned out.  However, the film was previously titled “Lamb of God” but now it looks like that title has been dropped.  The untitled comedy “follows a sheltered young woman (Hough) who loses her faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life.  On her journey, she meets an unlikely companion (Brand) who inadvertently helps her find her true self.”  Sounds a little cornball but I have faith that Cody has taken an interesting approach to the material.

Hit the jump for the full press release.  Mandate says the project is on a fast track for a spring start.

Juno scribe Diablo Cody is set to make her directorial debut with a project she wrote called Lamb of God, and it sounds like she’s settled on her male lead. TwitchFilm reports that Russell Brand has been offered the co-lead role in the religious comedy. The story centers on a young conservative religious woman who heads to Las Vegas to live the life of a sinner following a plane crash that results in a loss of faith. One expects that Brand will play a flamboyant troublemaker of some sort from Sin City, but it would be a nice twist if the actor were instead playing one of the female lead’s religious cohorts.

There’s no word on who will nab the female role, but TwitchFilm says they’ve heard rumblings that Julianne Hough (Footloose) is in the running. I’m a fan of Cody’s work, and the prospect of her signature dialogue being delivered with a Brand flair is definitely intriguing. The screenwriter recently re-teamed with Juno director Jason Reitman for the drama Young Adult starring Charlize Theron, which hits theaters December 9^th.

Director Jason Reitman and scribe Diablo Cody’s dramedy Young Adult finally has a release date(s). Paramount has announced that it will open the film to limited theaters on December 9th, 2011, one week before rolling out the pic to a wide release on December 16th. For those unfamiliar with the project, Young Adult stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, J.K. Simmons, Patton Oswalt, and Elizabeth Reaser in the tale of a female fiction writer (Theron) who gets a divorce, moves back to her population-challenged Minnesota hometown, and pursues an ex-flame (Wilson) who is now married and a father.

Given the talent behind the project, and its end of the year release, I’m expecting the film to be an awards-season contender in some shape or form. As for its December 9th limited release, Young Adult will be going up against the ensemble rom-com New Year’s Eve. On the 16th, the pic will face some stiff box office competition in the form of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Meryl Streep’s The Iron Lady, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

It’s official: The Evil Dead remake is alive and well. Ghost House Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi and original producing partners Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell are onboard to remake the horror classic. Following Campbell’s enthusiastic confirmation of the remake yesterday, we reported that Uraguay-native Fede Alvarez would be helming the film, and today’s press release confirms the director’s involvement. Apparently Raimi and Tapert were so impressed with Alvarez’s short film Panic Attack that they signed him to a blind deal, and shortly thereafter attached him to write and direct the Evil Dead remake. Hit the jump for more details, as well as the full press release.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for her debut script Juno, is ready to try her hand at directing. The scribe is poised to make her directorial debut with Lamb of God, a comedy that she also wrote. The story centers on a young conservative religious woman who, after losing her faith following a plane crash, heads to Las Vegas to “live the life of a sinner.” However, during her new life of sin, she somehow regains her faith.

Mandate Pictures acquired the screenplay, and Mason Novick (500 Days of Summer) will produce. Cody recently re-teamed with Juno director Jason Reitman for Young Adult, which stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt. Hit the jump to read the full press release regarding Lamb of God.

Paramount Pictures has purchased the worldwide distribution rights to Jason Reitman’s Young Adult. Penned by Diablo Cody, the film stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt.  Briefly, Cody’s script focuses on a divorced novelist (Theron) who moves back home to pursue an old flame who just had a baby.  The film will see Reitman and Cody reunite for the first time since Juno (which garnered four Oscar nods including a Best Screenplay win for Cody) and will mark the third team-up between Reitman and Paramount.  The studio also distributed Reitman’s Up in the Air and will perform similar duties on the upcoming Jeff Who Lives at Home which Reitman is producing.  Mandate Pictures is financing and producing Young Adult.

According to Variety, principal photography on the film is set to begin in New York later this month.  To check out an extended synopsis for the project, hit the jump. [Update: We've now included the press release after the jump]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) and Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2) may soon be lending their talents to a “zombie comedy.”  Pajiba is reporting that the two are “loosely attached” to Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament based on S.G. Browne’s 2009 novel of the same name.  Currently, Diablo Cody (Juno) is set to produce the script by Geoff Latulippe (Going the Distance).  Per the report, Latulippe’s script is being circulated to potential directors as I type, meaning Gordon-Levitt and Johansson’s involvement may be either confirmed or denied sooner rather than later.

Browne’s novel is described as a romantic comedy about a dead man named Andy who finds himself brought back to life as a middle-aged zombie.  Andy must then “figure out it means to live as an Un-dead in a society that denies his kind basic rights.”  I’ll trust you to interpret the metaphorical social commentary from there.  If cast, one would assume that Gordon-Levitt would portray Andy with Johansson playing Andy’s love interest (hence the “romantic comedy” description).

It seems as if Josh Brolin is interested in joining Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody’s Young Adult. Showbiz 411 is reporting that the actor is in talks to play the male lead opposite Charlize Theron. Briefly, the film is said to revolve around a ghostwriter of young adult novels (Theron) who moves back home with the hopes of meeting up with her old flame (potentially Brolin). Though only recently announced, Mandate Pictures seems to be moving full-speed ahead on the project, which supports Brendan’s assertion that the production company would like to have the film shooting in New York by November of this year.

For more incisive commentary on the project as well as a more elaborate synopsis, hit the jump.

Hot on the heels of the news that screenwriter Diablo Cody would have yet another script in the safe hands of director Jason Reitman, the good news just keeps rolling in for Cody as THR reports Fox has picked up her comedy pilot The Breadwinner. However, the title is the only information that has been given with the script details under tight wraps (though I imagine this is just another family sitcom with Diablo Cody’s signature quirky, hipster style).

Whatever the pilot is, it must be good since Fox bought it under a put-pilot deal where the pilot will be shot and must air on TV or the network will have to incur a financial penalty. This isn’t the first time Cody has ventured into television since she worked with Steven Spielberg to bring The United States of Tara to Showtime, but it will be her first foray into the less edgy network arena rather than a free-roaming, censorship free pay-cable network. We’ll see how she’ll fare down the road, but for now stay tuned as more details become available.

It appears that director Jason Reitman will follow up 2009′s superlative Up in the Air with a script from his Juno PIC, Diablo Cody, entitled Youth Adult.  To ensure that each corner of the film’s production is packed with Oscar recognition, Charlize Theron is set to star.  The script revolves around a ghostwriter of young adult novels (Theron) who, in an effort to “reclaim her identity,” attempts to reconnect with an old high school flame who has long since moved on.  If all goes according to plan, Mandate Pictures and production company would like to have Young Adult in front of cameras in New York by November 10th.  More after the jump:

For those looking forward to the musical Burlesque–starring Christina Aguilera, Cher, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Eric Dane, and Stanley Tucci–seven images from the film are now online.  The movie is about a small-town gal (Aguilera) who runs away from Iowa in search of fame and ends up waitressing at The Burlesque Lounge on the Sunset Strip and goes on to become one of its performers.  The film was written and directed by Steven Antin with input on the script provided by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) and Diablo Cody (Juno).

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Burlesque opens on November 24th.

Earlier today, we reported that Columbia is trying to get Ivan Reitman off of Ghostbusters III. Of course oddly enough one of their hopes was that Reitman would be too busy to direct the sequel because of his other project for Paramount, Friends With Benefits. Variety now has the scoop on that movie, which will be staring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. The script is being written by Elizabeth Meriwether, the youngest member of the so called “Fempire”, a group of women screenwriters including Diablo Cody (Juno) and Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist).

The story is somewhat the opposite of When Harry Met Sally, with two people having a purely sexual relationship which begins to blossom into something deeper. The film has a tentative release date of January 7, 2011. The film is set to be produced by Reitman’s own Montecito Picture Co., as well as Spyglass Entertainment and Cold Spring Pictures. We’ll give you more on the film as we hear of it.