Imogen Poots Joins 'Squirrel to the Nuts'; Sacha Baron Cohen Exits Freddie Mercury Biopic

* Although he hasn't had a feature film since 2001's The Cat's Meow, Peter Bogdanovich is still facing a lot of trouble in putting together his latest film, the screwball comedy Squirrel to the Nuts (or She's Funny That Way). With Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach producing, everything seemed to be on the right track with Owen Wilson and Brie Larson starring, but now the latter has dropped out for unknown reasons, only to be replaced by Fright Night and Need for Speed star, Imogen Poots. Wilson plays an married Broadway director, with Poots as the prostitute-turned-actress who gets a career boost when he becomes smitten with her. Jennifer Aniston, Richard Lewis, and Cybil Shepard co-star, with production currently underway in New York. [TheWrap]

* The long-developing Freddie Mercury biopic Sacha Baron Cohen has been attached to has hit a major stumbling block, as the actor has dropped out of the film after a dispute with Queen. The legendary rock band Mercury was the frontman for has the final say on the approach taken with the film, and they wanted a PG-rated version that centered on the band, whereas Cohen was looking for a gritty, adult take centered on the rocker. Without Cohen on board it's tough to imagine who else would be open to taking the role, and share the obvious physical similarities. The project was still a long ways off, anyhow, as a director had yet to be found. David Fincher, Stephen Frears, and Tom Hooper's names had surfaced to helm, with Peter Morgan (The Queen) presumably still on board to pen the script. [Deadline]