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British actor Alex Roe has signed on to play the male lead in Paramount's Rings, which we reported last week will be a prequel to the studio's 2002 thriller The Ring. While that report has yet to be confirmed, it claimed that this new story will be set several years before The Ring, focusing on the origin of Samara's reign of terror and how the mysterious video tape was created. In The Ring, anyone who watches this VHS tape dies seven days later.

We reported in January that Matilda Lutz has signed on as the lead character, but no details about her role were given. Deadline reports that Alex Roe is playing Holt, the boyfriend of Matilda Lutz's character who suddenly becomes distant after he watches the aforementioned tape. Since the earlier report reveals the story will examine how the tape is created, these new details could either mean that the previous report was inaccurate,...

• Benjamin Walker will part with his presidential past as the male lead in the adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel The Choice. The Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson star will play Travis Parker in the story that spans a decade long love affair in a small coastal town. Bryan Sipe (A Million Miles) wrote the screenplay with no director currently attached. [Deadline] • Rosa Salazar has just joined the cast of another Ya trilogy. The Parenthood actress will play Brenda in the sequel Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, which will once again be directed by Wes Ball and star Dylan O'Brien.

Given man's unwavering fascination with woman, it's no surprise that the female star acts as the anchor to a dominant portion of horror pictures. I mean really, who wants to see a bare chested man tearin ass through the woods screaming at the top of his lungs while a bladed assailant nips at his heels? I don't - I know that much, although I'm certain there are plenty of men who would disagree (and that's okay with me, to each his own!). The simple fact remains however, women bring a unique appeal and certain sensual atmosphere to film that no man ever could. And it's not all about gratuitous T&A.

There's a comforting quality in the hands of the heroine; a fascinating maternal strength that, as a man I cannot genuinely relate to. I can however admire, and in many cases it's nearly impossible to not admire the lone...

U.K. television company Target Entertainment, which is taking its first tentative steps into the world of film production, and fledgling movie production label Pink Sands, formed by Kate McCreery and former WMA Europe topper Charles Finch, are partnering on Kfir Yefet's "The Smell of Apples".

The two companies will bankroll and begin shooting the film, based on the novel by Mark Behr, in early 2008. Gillian Anderson ("The Last King of Scotland") and Julian McMahon ("Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer") are set to star. No budget was disclosed.

Produced by McCreery and Finch, "Apples" is billed as a coming-of-age family story set in 1970s Cape Town, South Africa.

"Our new partnership with Pink Sands demonstrates that Target is serious about its commitment to investing in film production and development," Target Entertainment's Chris Rayson said.

Target also has snapped up the worldwide sales rights to "We're Here to Help" from the production company behind Niki Caro's "Whale Rider".

The company also is in postproduction on Jan Dunn's latest film, "The Calling", starring Brenda Blethyn, Suzannah York and Corin Redgrave, and is handling the global licensing for Andrei Konchalovsky's "Nutcracker: The Untold Story".

Target has several other projects in development under the new Pink Sands partnership deal, including "Bleeding London", based on Geoff Nicholson's novel of the same name.