Brad Pitt is in negotiations to play Jesse James in a big-screen adaptation of the novel "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Pitt and wife Jennifer Aniston's Plan B Productions would co-produce the movie. In the meantime, Pitt's "Troy" opens May 14, and he's shooting "Ocean's 12" in April. ... Aniston, meanwhile, is set to spend the summer shooting "Diary," about a married woman whose diary is stolen and used against her. She has also signed on to star opposite Luke Wilson in "A Soapbox Opera." ...

Scarlett Johansson will voice a new character in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," the spinoff of the Nickelodeon hit opening November 19. Alec Baldwin has also been cast, voicing a hit man who attempts to keep SpongeBob from King Neptune (veteran Jeffrey Tambor). ... Elijah Wood has been cast as the lead in "Everything Is Illuminated," the directing debut for actor Liev Schreiber (the "Scream" series). Based on the novel of the same name, the movie follows an American Jewish man on his quest to find a woman who saved his grandfather in a small Ukrainian town wiped off the map during the Holocaust. ...

Even though the release of "Spider-Man 2" is months away, Sony Pictures Entertainment has scheduled a May 2007 launch date and lineup for "Spider-Man 3." Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst will be returning, as will director Sam Raimi, according to Reuters. The announcement was made by S.P.E. Vice Chairman Jeff Blake, who also said that the company is "so excited" about "Spider-Man 2" that it has moved up the release date, from Friday, July 2 to Wednesday, June 30. ...

"Joan of Arcadia" star Amber Tamblyn is the first actress attached to the ensemble coming-of-age drama "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Based on the novel of the same name, the movie centers on four former high school friends during their first summer apart; the friends keep in touch by passing along a magical pair of second-hand jeans that fits each of them perfectly. ...

Alicia Silverstone has joined the cast of Queen Latifah's "Beauty Shop" as the only white stylist in the salon. Mena Suvari and Djimon Hounsou of "In America" have also signed on, to play an opinionated socialite and Latifah's love interest, respectively, in the "Barbershop" spin-off, which Bille Woodruff ("Honey") is directing. ...

Selma Blair has signed on to star opposite one of her childhood crushes, Christian Slater, in "The Deal," a Wall Street thriller involving government secrecy, illegal oil trading and the Russian Mafia. "We're a couple of lawyers," Blair said of the movie, which starts shooting in April. "I'm kind of gothic and I'm kind of a geek and environmental and I don't want to go corporate, but I do. And we're both kind of fighting the forces of evil. It's a bit comic-booky. It's a low-budget independent. It might never see the light of day, or it could be great." ... Blair, who co-stars in "Hellboy" (in theaters April 2), recently shot John Waters' "A Dirty Shame" with Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak and Tracey Ullman. It's opening in September.

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Kevin Smith is keeping his mouth shut about the casting for "The Green Hornet," but sources confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter that the director has met with Jake Gyllenhaal. ... Shia LaBeouf, of "Holes" and "The Battle of Shaker Heights" fame, is in negotiations to star in "The Greatest Game Ever Played," based on the true story of amateur golfer Francis Ouimet, who beat Harry Vardon, the most famous golfer at the time, in the 1913 U.S. Open. LaBeouf will next appear in "Constantine" with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, followed by "I, Robot," with Will Smith. ...

David Arquette, who co-stars with DMX in Friday's "Never Die Alone," will next be seen on the small screen in Showtime's "Stealing Sinatra," based on the 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. "It's this black comedy in a sense, although not a very funny situation at the time, I'm sure," the actor explained. "We sort of make light of it and hopefully don't offend the Sinatra family too much." Thomas Ian Nicholas of "American Pie" plays Sinatra Jr., while William H. Macy also co-stars. "He's an incredible actor and acting opposite him was funny in general," Arquette said. ...

Brittany Snow ("American Dreams"), Max Thieriot ("Catch That Kid") and Brad Garrett ("Everybody Loves Raymond") will co-star with Vin Diesel in the comedy "The Pacifier," about an undercover agent hired to protect a scientist and his family. Snow and Thieriot will play kids in the family, while Garrett will tackle the nemesis principal role when shooting starts in April. ... Burt Reynolds has signed on to star as a has-been coach who launches a women's volleyball team for strippers in "Cloud Nine." Paul Rodriguez, D.L. Hughley and current Playboy cover girl Rachel Hunter are also on board for the comedy, which starts shooting in April in Malibu, California. ...

Inspired by the success of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," Monty Python's 1979 biblical satire "Life of Brian" is being rereleased in theaters in April. The classic comedy is celebrating its 25th anniversary. ... "Secret Window" star Maria Bello hosted a Back Up Your Birth Control Day rally at the University of Southern California campus Tuesday, encouraging college students to support over-the-counter access to emergency contraception when other forms of contraception fail. Bello and other celebrities, including Christina Aguilera, are sponsoring the March for Women's Lives on April 25 in Washington D.C., which will support the same issue.