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Vin Diesel will play the lead role in Soldiers of the Sun.

Universal has picked up the rights to the science fiction action franchise, which has Diesel attached to a spec script written by Arash Amel.

Diesel will also produce alongside Lorenzo di Bonaventura with the hopes of launching an “ensemble-type franchise series”, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Soldiers of the Sun follows a squad of soldiers struggling to liberate Mexico from an alien race, while also searching for a legendary city of gold.

Amel wrote the upcoming Grace Kelly biopic Grace of Monaco, and is attached to pen the sequel to Will Smith’s I Am Legend.

Diesel is reportedly in talks to voice the role of Groot in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy.

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Matt Damon’s Elysium topped this weekend’s US box office charts.

Director Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller stars Damon as Max, an ex-con who barters for his life in a future where Earth is in ruins and the wealthy live on a man-made space station.

Bowing at theatres in the number one spot, Elysium earned $30.4m, pushing last week’s winner, Denzel Washington’s 2 Guns, to the fifth spot with $11.1m.

Coming in at the number two spot, We’re the Millers with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis earned $26.5m.

The family animation Planes also made its debut at the box office this weekend, landing in the number three spot with $22.5m, followed by Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in the number four spot.

The fantasy film was released on August 7, earning $14.6m in its opening weekend.

Filling out the rest of the countdown are The Smurfs 2 with $9.5m, The Wolverine with $8m and The Conjuring with $6.7m.

Falling to the bottom of the top ten at the box office, Despicable Me 2 earned $5.7m with Grown Ups 2 taking home $3.7m.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. Elysium – $30,400,000
2. We’re the Millers $26,555,000
3. Planes – $22,525,000
4. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – $14,600,000
5. 2 Guns – $11,128,000
6. The Smurfs 2 – $9,500,000
7. The Wolverine – $8,000,000
8. The Conjuring – $6,700,000
9. Despicable Me 2 – $5,748,000
10. Grown Ups 2 – $3,700,000

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CBS has ordered new sci-fi drama Extant to series.

The project – from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television – will bypass a pilot order and shoot 13 episodes.

Extant is a futuristic thriller about a female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space.

Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

Spielberg will serve as an executive producer for the series, which will be distributed worldwide by CBS Studios International.

“Extant is a very original concept with layers of humanity, mystery and surprise that reveal [themselves] throughout the script,” said Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment.

Denzel Washington’s 2 Guns has topped the US weekend box office chart.

Washington stars alongside Mark Wahlberg in the graphic novel adaptation about a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer who go on the run after a failed undercover drug operation.

Debuting at number one, the film earned $27.3m, knocking last week’s winner The Wolverine to second spot with $21.7m.

Animated sequel The Smurfs 2 underperformed in its debut week, coming in at third place with $18.2m.

Vera Farmiga’s The Conjuring dropped two spots to number four with $13.6m, while Steve Carell’s Despicable Me 2 came in at number five with $10.3m in ticket sales.

Ryan Reynolds’s animated flop Turbo plummeted even further from number four to number seven, earning $6.4m.

Red 2, The Heat and Pacific Rim round out the top ten.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (-) 2 Guns – $27,361,000
2. (1) The Wolverine – $21,725,000
3. (-) The Smurfs 2 – $18,200,000
4. (2) The Conjuring – $13,660,000
5. (3) Despicable Me 2 – $10,391,000
6. (5) Grown Ups 2 – $8,100,000
7. (4) Turbo – $6,400,000
8. (6) Red 2 – $5,650,000
9. (8) The Heat – $4,725,000
10. (7) Pacific Rim – $4,570,000

The revenue for 3D movies has hit a record low in the US.

Recent releases The Wolverine and Turbo performed the worst yet for 3D animated and action movies.

“3D showings of Turbo accounted for just 25% of its total box office, which represents the format’s worst showing yet. The Wolverine fared only slightly better, with 3D screenings contributing 30% of its $53.1 million opening weekend,” according to a report by The Wrap.

“That represents a new low point for 3D action releases. Both breakdowns were substantially worse than this summer’s previous worst showings for 3D, when only 31% of Monsters University‘s $82 million debut came from 3D screenings, while roughly 34% of World War Z‘s $66 million bow came from the format.”

The Wolverine has debuted at the top of the US box office.

The Hugh Jackman-starring X-Men spinoff earned $55 million in its first weekend on release. It was outgrossed by 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which took $85 million on release in 2009, but emerged level with X-Men: First Class‘s debut domestic weekend.

Vera Farmiga’s The Conjuring has stormed the US weekend box office chart.

The horror movie stars Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston, and focuses on a family who are terrorized by ghosts in a secluded home.

Debuting at number one, the film earned $41.5m, pushing last week’s winner Despicable Me 2 into second place with $25m.

The new animated film Turbo also made its debut this weekend, coming in at third place with $21.5m.

Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 dropped two spots to number four with $20m, while Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis’s sequel Red 2 came in at number five with $18.5m in ticket sales.

Ryan Reynolds’ R.I.P.D. had a dismal premiere at number seven, making only $12.7m. It cost $130m to make.

The Heat, World War Z and Monsters University round out the top ten.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (-) The Conjuring – $41,530,000
2. (1) Despicable Me 2 – $25,059,000
3. (-) Turbo – $21,500,000
4. (2) Grown Ups 2 – $20,000,000
5. (-) Red 2 – $18,500,000
6. (3) Pacific Rim – $15,955,000
7. (-) R.I.P.D. – $12,763,000
8. (4) The Heat – $9,325,000
9. (7) World War Z – $5,200,000
10. (6) Monsters University – $5,005,000

Despicable Me 2 has maintained its lead at the top of the US box office.

Steve Carell’s animated family caper holds off two new entries – Grown Ups 2 and Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim – which enter the standings in second and third place respectively.

The Heat and Johnny Depp’s The Lone Ranger round out the top five.

There are no further new entries in the lower half of the chart, with Man of Steel hanging on in tenth place in its fifth week of release.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (1) Despicable Me 2 – $44,754,000
2. (-) Grown-Ups 2 – $42,500,000
3. (-) Pacific Rim – $38,300,000
4. (3) The Heat – $14,000,000
5. (2) The Lone Ranger – $11,140,000
6. (4) Monsters University – $10,621,000
7. (5) World War Z – $9,430,000
8. (6) White House Down – $6,150,000
9. (8) Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain – $5,000,000
10. (7) Man of Steel – $4,825,000

Steve Carell’s Despicable Me 2 has stormed the US weekend box office chart.

The animated sequel stars the voice talent of Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt and Russell Brand, and this time focuses on Carell’s character Gru helping the Anti-Villain league defeat a new criminal mastermind.

The movie debuted at number one, earning $82.5m, making it one of the highest Independence Day debuts of all time.

It fared far better than Johnny Depp’s The Lone Ranger, Disney’s highly-anticipated action western that debuted in second place with a disappointing $29.4m. The movie cost $215m to make.

Rounding out the top five are Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock’s The Heat, Monsters University and Brad Pitt’s World War Z.

Comedian Kevin Hart’s Let Me Explain premiered at eighth place, earning $10.1m, coming in above This is the End and Now You See Me.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Despicable Me 2 – $82,518,000
2. (-) The Lone Ranger – $29,432,000
3. (2) The Heat – $25,000,000
4. (1) Monsters University – $19,590,000
5. (3) World War Z – $18,200,000
6. (4) White House Down – $13,500,000
7. (5) Man of Steel – $11,415,000
8. (-) Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain – $10,100,000
9. (6) This is the End – $5,800,000
10. (7) Now You See Me – $2,770,000

Monsters University has topped the US weekend box office charts for the second week in a row.

Pixar’s movie prequel scared off competition from new entries such as The Heat and White House Down, taking an estimated $46.1 million over the weekend.

Sandra Bullock’s The Heat debuts in second place on $40 million, with Brad Pitt’s World War Z dropping one place to third position.

White House Down opens at number four, with Superman movie Man of Steel rounding out the top five.

The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (1) Monsters University – $46,100,000
2. (-) The Heat – $40,000,000
3. (2) World War Z – $29,800,000
4. (-) White House Down – $25,700,000
5. (3) Man of Steel – $20,820,000
6. (4) This is the End – $8,700,000
7. (5) Now You See Me – $5,500,000
8. (6) Fast & Furious 6 – $2,410,000
9. (9) Star Trek Into Darkness – $2,040,000
10. (7) The Internship – $1,425,000