Snoop Dogg and heartthrob actor Dylan McDermott may seem an unlikely pairing, but McDermott says the two came to appreciate each other while playing '70s-era novelists in their upcoming film "The Tenants." "As a rapper he has such poetry, and I don't think anyone has let him riff in a movie. It's always been the pimp or the badass guy. But I think if you allow him to do his riff, and let him rap a little bit on his own, something really cool could happen." Snoop said that the film's largely improvised script made it easier for him to feel at home: "In the rap world, they call it freestyling, and in the movie world I guess it's a form of freestyling as well." The film is slated for release later this year. ...

Jennifer Lopez is planning to unite with fellow superstar Nicole Kidman on a film currently titled "American Darlings," which was pitched to them both by a common friend. "We have the same acting coach," the actress/singer said, "and she came up with the idea and brought it to both of us. She was always looking for something for Nicole and me to do together. So that's kind of how it came to be; hopefully it turns into something great." The film, which will cast Kidman and Lopez as swing-music songstresses in a wartime period drama, is currently in pre-production. Lopez looks forward to filming it, but laughed while admitting that there's one small problem: "I have to get a script first." ...

You may have already heard about "Stay Alive," the soon-to-be-filming slasher movie that will mark Frankie Muniz's first adult stab at drama. You may have even heard about the film's "Ring"-influenced plot, which centers around a group of teenagers who find themselves hooked on a video game that kills them one by one. The surprising news, however, is that the serial killer inhabiting the game is going to be portrayed by a woman. "[I've] landed a principal role in 'Stay Alive,' " said actress and former Miss Russia Masha Kalinina. "I'm playing a serial killer. So I kill everyone in the film. She's a pretty nasty individual, like a Freddy Krueger-type. She enjoys killing kids and licking their blood." According to Kalinina, the "Malcolm in the Middle" star is working hard to expand his range, and the filmmakers already have such high hopes that they're talking sequel. "It's going to be a big stretch for [Muniz] in this kind of movie," she said. "I don't know exactly what kind of character he plays, because I'm too busy developing my own [character]. They already sold the sequel for this film. So let's see if we survive with one group altogether. We're going to be shooting in New Orleans May 1." ...

The long, horrifying, cursed saga of the "Exorcist" franchise continues. Following the footsteps of "Exorcist: The Beginning" -- last summer's horror prequel that disgusted fans and critics in more ways than it intended -- comes "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist." Those of you scoring at home should note that this is an alternate, drastically different version from the Stellan Skarsgård-as-Father Merrin film. After director Paul Schrader's original, psychologically terrorizing flick was rejected by Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek Productions, Renny Harlin was brought in to make the more graphic version that you most likely skipped eight months ago. Now, in a move that occurs as rarely as a 360-degree head turn, the studio has decided to release the original, previously discarded film. "Dominion" has been rated R for "strong violence and disturbing images" and will receive a limited release beginning on May 20. ...

The director of the 2001 martial arts/ horror cult hit "Brotherhood of the Wolf" played the hit video game "Silent Hill" to relax during that film's tense shoot; now, the game will play itself out for him any way he chooses. French filmmaker Christophe Gans has cast Radha Mitchell ("Finding Neverland"), Sean Bean ("National Treasure") and Deborah Kara Unger ("White Noise") in his big-screen adaptation of "Hill," which began shooting in Toronto this past Monday. Mitchell is playing Rose, a distraught woman frantically searching for her missing daughter. When she enters a reality-bending portal, she finds herself in an eerie town filled with a mysterious, horrifying darkness. Gans, a self-professed gamer, is teaming with "Pulp Fiction" writer Roger Avary to bring "Hill" to TriStar Pictures. A release date has not yet been announced for the film, budgeted between $45 million and $50 million. ...

Imagine having your life turned upside-down by a voice only you can hear. This time, however, it isn't asking you to build a baseball field. Principal photography began earlier this week on "Stranger Than Fiction," a Will Ferrell comedy about an IRS agent who hears the voice of a narrator (Emma Thompson) attempting to write a book about him. The Charlie Kaufman-esque plot takes some radical twists as the voice in Ferrell's head suggests that his death is looming. Dustin Hoffman, who plays an eccentric English professor, is sought out by Ferrell for help and guidance. Maggie Gyllenhaal will be playing Ferrell's love interest in the film, while Queen Latifah is cast as the unyielding assistant who insists that the book, and the death of Ferrell's Harold Crick, be hurried along. "Finding Neverland" director Marc Forster is overseeing the Mandate Pictures comedy, which is shooting in downtown Chicago. ...

"Batman Begins" has a new trailer, and you won't find it anywhere but here (see [article id="1500723"]"New 'Batman Begins' Trailer Shows Superhero's Human Side"[/article]). In what might be the darkest look at the summer blockbuster thus far, Liam Neeson's Henri Ducard asks Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne what he fears, and then we see a few of the bats flying around in the Dark Knight's belfry. The legend of comicdom's most mysterious superhero will be relaunched in theaters June 17. Now if only they could somehow convince Prince to record a techno-inspired song for the soundtrack, this flick might sell a few tickets.

Visit [article id="1488131"]MTV Movies[/article] for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.