LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - John Brownlow, who penned the script for the biopic "Sylvia," has been hired to write " Captain Blood ," Warner Bros.' remake of the 1935 swashbuckler.

The Oscar-nominated pirate movie starred Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone and was based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini . Set in the 1600s, it tells the story of a doctor who, after being convicted for treason and sold into slavery, escapes to the high seas as a pirate.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fresh from the box-office success of "Twilight," Kristen Stewart is set to portray Joan Jett in " The Runaways ," the rock 'n' roll biopic of the 1970s all-girl band.

The Runaways were hugely influential as the first commercially successful all-girl hard rock band ; their members included guitarists Jett and Lita Ford , drummer Sandy West , singer-keyboardist Cherie Currie and bassist Jackie Fox . The band was brought together in late 1975 by impresario Kim Fowley , who thought a novelty act of teenage girls performing in leather and lace would be an easy sell. But the girls proved to be serious and influential musicians with songs like "Cherry Bomb." The band lasted about four years, falling apart over management and money issues.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Border smuggling crime movie " Frozen River " won best picture and breakthrough acting awards at the Gotham Independent Film ceremony on Tuesday, as well as sharing top billing in nominations for the Spirit Awards for independent filmmakers .

Melissa Leo , 48, was named by IFP, organizer of the Gotham awards, as breakthrough actor of the year for her role in "Frozen River." She portrays a desperate single mother who is drawn into the world of immigrant smuggling near a Mohawk reservation between New York state and Quebec

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - There probably never have been so many expletives used to show appreciation at an awards show as there were at the 23rd annual American Cinematheque Awards, which honored Samuel L. Jackson .

From Justin Timberlake to George Lopez and Andy Garcia to Sharon Stone , the F-bomb and the long-form version of "mofo" were tossed around like chicken feed Monday night as the Hollywood celebrated the actor whose name has become synonymous with "badass."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The family drama "Rachel Getting Married" starring Anne Hathaway shared top billing with border smuggling crime movie " Frozen River " and small town drama "Ballast" in the Spirit Award nominations for the top independent movies of 2008 on Tuesday.

The three movies each had six nominations, including those for best picture, best director and best actress , as Hollywood 's three-month movie-awards season kicked into gear.

TAIPEI (Reuters Life!) - Taiwan 's biggest ever box office hit, a love story involving former colonial power Japan , has been held up in China , possibly over its historical slant, the island's government and newspapers said on Tuesday.

But China, which claims Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province and often censors films that do not follow the government line, denied there had been any delay.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Moviegoers shook off economic gloom and gave Hollywood a gift over the U.S. holiday weekend, sending comedy " Four Christmases " to the top of box office charts and boosting ticket sales nearly 4 percent from last year, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

"Four Christmases," in which Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play a couple who learn about love during unexpected Christmas visits to their divorced parents, earned an estimated $46.7 million in five days and $31.7 million for three days ending on Sunday, according to its distributor Warner Bros .

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hunter Parrish , one of the stars of the Broadway musical " Spring Awakening ," has joined the cast of Michelle and Kieran Mulroney's comedy film "Paper Man."

The coming-of-middle-age feature chronicles the unlikely friendship between a failed author ( Jeff Daniels ) and a Long Island high school girl ( Emma Stone ) who teaches him about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary superhero friend.