Burton's Immortal Award

Legendary cult director, Tim Burton, is due to attend the Scream 2008 Awards at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles this Saturday where he will be accepting his 'Immortal Award'.

The award will mark Burton's contributions to horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres as the Scream people say he has "contributed more to the genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror than any other filmmaker of his generation."

The Los Angeles Times have scooped a brilliant exclusive interview with Burton on the set of his new film, Alice in Wonderland, take a look at it here.

Co-writer denies Pirate rumours

Co-writer of the three Pirates of the Caribbean movies has quashed some of the rumours circulating about the fourth edition to the series of swashbuckling adventures.

Rumours have said that Depp is set to make a huge $56 million for Pirates 4 and that Sacha Baron Cohen and Russel Brand will co-star while Tim Burton is on board to direct.

He revealed on Wordplay Forums: 'For the record, none of the recent Pirates 4 rumors have any truth, including the so-called record 50 million dollar payday for Depp.'

He added: 'Some pretty funny stuff, though. Sacha Cohen? Tim Burton? Studios are way too protective of their franchises for that sort of thing. '

It has been confirmed that Depp will return as loveable rogue Captain Jack Sparrow but, it is thought that Keria Knightley will not be returning as Elizabeth, Terry writes: 'All I know is what I read, which is that Keira is not interested in doing another Pirates film, so that means the Elizabeth character cannot come back.'

So it looks as though Pirates 4 is not going to be Sweeney Todd incarnate and that it will probably stick to what we are used to, which is for the best really.

No production date has been set yet.

Face your fears on new SAW ride

Empire have announced that popular theme park Thorpe Park are due to launch a ride based on the horror movie series 'SAW' next spring.

It will mark the worlds first horror movie based roller coaster and it is thought that it will be one of the scariest rides around as visitors face their fears.

Empire write: 'With a ‘beyond vertical’ drop of 100º from a height of 100ft, SAW – The Ride will be the steepest free fall drop in the world, and riders will endure three inversions to fuel the adrenaline-drenched fun for thrill seekers. Visitors will be at the mercy of the series’ master manipulator, Jigsaw who will test the nerve of all who dare ride it.'

The people responsible for the horror series, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures, are on board to help bring the ride to life.

Take a look at the rides website to keep updated on its progress.

In the meantime, the next frightening film in the series, Saw V, is due to hit our screens at the end of the month, just in time to spook us all for Halloween.

Cast of Alice in Wonderland announced

Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter have joined the cast for Tim Burton's take on the original Disney hit Alice in Wonderland.

Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart) will star as the White Queen while Burton's partner Helena Bonham Carter (Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd) will appear as her formidable sister, the Red Queen, who has a tendency to shout the infamous line 'off with their heads' and who deposes and banishes the White Queen.

Johnny Depp will star as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska will play Alice.

The film will use a combination of live action and performance-capture technology and is due for release in 2010.

Tom Thumb the film

Little English folklore character,Tom Thumb, is set to make a big appearance on the film scene.

Enchanted's Kevin Lima has been attached to direct the film staring the miniature hero.

The production will be brought to our screens by Warner Bros and Red Wagon and screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) will re-invent Tom as an arrogant knight who is shrunk to a mere 6 inches tall and has to discover what it means to be a true hero.

It is thought that the film will be shot as a live action movie with Tom Thumb being a CG animation.

The production date is yet to be announced.

Dracula's Back

It seems that Dracula is not dead yet and is in fact due back on our screens next year.

It has been revealed that the sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) is to be called Dracula: The Undead and is due to start filming next June.

Empire online writes: 'Holt and Stoker used Bram Stoker's original notes and found characters and plot threads written by him but cut from the original novel. Even the title of this one is Bram's original title, so with a bit of luck it will feel like a real sequel and not just another spin on the myth.'

So have your garlic at the ready because Dracula is back!

Mosley attempts to change the face of journalism

I am outraged to hear that Formula One chief Max Mosley is attempting to change the way journalism works in this country.

Reports say that he has launched a bid to re-write English privacy law so that editors are required to inform the people who they're writing about before the article is published. The person in question then has the chance to request an injunction against the article.

Press Gazette writes: 'Mosley is arguing that English law is in breach of Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, the right to privacy, by not requiring editors to inform people that their private lives are being written about.'

Whilst I agree that everyone has a right to privacy, I don't feel there is any need to go to such extremes as practically gagging the press. There are plenty of options available for those who feel they have been wronged by the press without having to jeopardise the freedom of speech our press have in this country.

Mosley was awarded £60,000 in damages against the News of the World earlier this year after their reports that he was taking part in a Nazi-themed sex orgy in London were rejected in court. That is a higher amount of damages than is usually awarded for a case of invasion of privacy but, Mosley doesn't seem content with that as he is now trying to completely reform the newspaper industry as we know it.

If his bid is successful, we will be subjected to a far more restricted press, much like that found in other countries. I don't think the possible effect of this has quite been contemplated on all parts and so we can only hope that the bid is unsuccessful and that we can retain the freedom of our press.

See the full story at Press Gazette.