Percival to helm 'Book Thief'

John Percival originates onto direct "It Crook" for Fox 2000. The British director has helmed multiple segs of "Downton Abbey." Fox 2000 optioned youthful-adult novel "It Crook" in 2006 and push the button with Karen Rosenfelt. The variation remains put together by Michael Petroni. Fox 2000 hopes to remain in production this summer season. Composed by Australian author Markus Zusak, the 550-page, World war ii-era novel is read by Dying and notifies the story of Liesel Meminger as soon as she's taken at 9 to reside in getting a promote family in the German working-class neighborhood. Liesel arrives getting just stolen her first book, "The Gravediggers Guide" -- marking the beginning of an affection affair with books. Percival is repped with the Gotham Group. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln on Rick vs. Shane: "Not Everybody Gets Out Alive"

Emilie de Ravin Emilie de Ravin has signed on with an ABC drama pilot, but it's not Beauty and the Beast. The former Lost star has joined the cast of Americana, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Deadline first reported the news Pilot Season: Get the scoop! The soap about a famous fashion industry clan stars Anthony LaPaglia as fashion icon and patriarch Robert Soulter. De Ravin will play his stylish and friendly daughter Francesca, who is competent at planning events for their famous label, Americana, but whom daddy doesn't really consider as a candidate to run the empire. Brothers & Sisters alum Ken Olin also recently joined the project as Martin, the owner of a clothing manufacturer and the father of the company's designer. Natalie Mendoza will also star in the drama written by North Country's Michael Seitzman and executive-produced by Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy) De Ravin currently appears in the recurring role as Beauty and the Beast's Belle on the network's Once Upon a Time.

Jennifer Aniston & Paul Rudd Reveal All In After Hours

There are many interesting facts about celebrities that won't be learned anywhere other than an MTV After Hours session. The same can be said during the latest "Would You Rather?" edition of MTV's hit segment featuring "Wanderlust" stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. For instance, did you know that Aniston would totally be down to have sex with Megan Fox? Like, without hesitation. Also, where else are you going to see Rudd do a terrible Oprah Winfrey impression? Yes, these are the joys After Hours can provide for you. Here's a taste of some of the other hard-hitting questions asked in the above video: Would Aniston rather have Justin Bieber or Robert Pattinson portray her in the biopic of her life? Would Rudd rather have sex with Betty White or George Clooney? And would Aniston rather pee or fart every time she laughs? The answers might surprise you. So what are you waiting for? I'm pretty sure we had you had "Aniston would totally be down to have sex with Megan Fox."

Tugg sets deals with exhibitors

Tugg Inc., touted as a Web platform for do-it-yourself exhibition, has announced it's started working with exhibitors Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theaters, Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinemark Theaters, Goodrich Quality Cinemas, Rave Cinemas and Regal Cinemas. Austin, Texas-based Tugg, which has Ben Affleck, Richard Linklater and Terrence Malick on its board of advisers, said its partnerships with distributors will be announced prior to the official launch at South by Southwest next month. Tugg, founded by Nicolas Gonda and Pablo Gonzalez, provides for individuals to select a film, screening time and nearby theater and then spread the word to their immediate and online community. Once a necessary number of people commit to attending, Tugg will reserve the theater, manage ticketing and ensure delivery of the film. "Every film speaks to a different person, and the most exciting thing about Tugg is that it allows for audiences to find their films and films to find their audiences," Gonda and Gonzalez said. "We are eager to offer a platform that enables studios, filmmakers and exhibitors to have unprecedented interaction with communities and influencers." Gonda has worked with Malick and Steven Soderbergh. Gonzalez is a high-tech and marketing exec who leads Tugg's development and operations. "As the film exhibition industry continues to evolve, AMC Theaters remains committed to staying at the forefront of innovation, which is why we've been proud to work with Tugg from the very beginning to determine the feasibility of its platform," said Robert J. Lenihan, president of programming at AMC. "As we continue to evaluate the program through trials at our theaters, we've experienced its potential first-hand through successful results by not only putting the choice directly into our guests' hands, but also through the power of grassroots, guest-advocate marketing." Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Colin Ferrell, Willem Dafoe, John Waters To Present At Weekend Spirit Awards

EXCLUSIVE: Colin Farrell, Willem Dafoe, John Waters, Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde are all on tap as presenters at this weekend’s Film Independent Spirit Awards. Anthony Mackie and Kate Beckinsale unveiled the nominees for this year’s awards in November. Seth Rogen will host the annual awards show taking place on the beach in Santa Monica Saturday. Now in its 27th year, Film Independent’s Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American independent filmmakers.

Saoirse Ronan to star in Disney's 'Seven'

RonanSaoirse Ronan is in final talks to star in Disney's "Order of Seven," a project that was originally developed as a Kung Fu retelling of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The pic has since been reworked as a standalone action adventure that's cut all ties to the classic tale. The Mouse House first began developing the project a decade ago. Ronan would play Olivia Sinclair, a British expat in 19th century Hong Kong, who seeks the protection of a centuries old group of warriors, now a jaded group of outlaws. After the reemergence of an ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the warriors reclaim their destiny and noble roots. Disney hopes to boost the international appeal of the pic by casting the roles of the warriors with well-known stars in China, Russia and Japan, creating a global team of heroes. Studio execs have been making trips to those territories to begin talks with local talent. Commercials helmer and visual effects supervisor Michael Gracey is set to make his directorial debut on the fantasy pic that Andrew Gunn is producing through his Disney- based Gunn Films banner ("Race to Witch Mountain," "Freaky Friday"). Production starts this fall. The latest version of the script was written by Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn. Project was originally penned by Michael Chabon, when it was set up as "Snow and the Seven" and incorporated more elements from "Snow White," including a murderous stepmother and magical mirror. Film has been in development at Disney since 2002. In 2005, "The Matrix" trilogy and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping was attached to direct. Since then, a number of directors have come and gone, including Francis Lawrence, along with scribes Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3"). Natalie Portman had been circling the project when Lawrence was attached to direct. Move away from "Snow White" should be smart for the Mouse House given that Relativity's "Mirror Mirror" and Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman" are bowing this year. Ronan ("Hanna") is a voice in "The Secret World of Arriety," that Disney is distributing for Studio Ghibli; is attached to Neil Jordan's vampire pic "Byzantium;" and will star in Andrew Niccol's "The Host," based on "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's novel. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

BBC America promotes Johnson

BBC America has promoted Devin Johnson to vice prexy of publicity for the cabler and for consumer products. Johnson will oversee all BBC America programming publicity efforts, including the launch this summer of the network's first original drama, "Copper." Johnson had been director of publicity for BBC America and global brands. He joined the cabler in 2007 after having been a member of NBC's "Today" production team. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

SXSW reveals film selection

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in Sony's '21 Jump Street,' that's been selected as SXSW's Focus pic.Sony's "21 Jump Street" and Emmett Malloy's documentary "Large Easy Express" are among game game titles searching for the South by Southwest Film Conference, which has introduced its feature choice of 130 game game titles. "Jump Street" world preems March 12 like a focus screening, while "Large Easy" might be the closing evening film. Fest runs March 9-17 in Austin, Texas. The narrative feature competition includes: "Booster," directed by Matt Ruskin "Eden," directed by Megan Griffiths "Gayby," directed by Jonathan Lisecki "Gimme the Loot," directed by Adam Leon "Los Chidos," directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez' "Pilgrim Song," directed by Martha Stephens, Celebrity," directed by Sean Baker, and "The Taiwan Oyster," directed by Mark Jarrett. "21 Jump Street," starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, opens March 16. Other notable game game titles introduced Wednesday include Wiliam Friedkin's "Killer Joe," Gotham Chopra's doc "Decoding Deepak," Jay & Mark Duplass' "Do-Deca-Pentathalon," Mark Ford's "Uprising: Stylish Hop & The LA Riots," Matt Piedmont's "Casa p mi Padre," Patrick Forbes' "Wikileaks: Secrets & Lies," Nelson George's "The Announcement," Adam Sherman's "Crazy Eyes," Jacob Rosenberg's "Waiting for Lightning," Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe's "Black Pond," Kristen Sheridan's "Toy house" and Gareth Huw Evans' "The Raid." Film Conference and Festival producer Jesse Pierson mentioned the choice keeps the fest's tradition of cutting-edge game game titles. "SXSW has extended been a haven for bold filmmaking together with a beginning pad for authentic voices," Pierson mentioned. "Every year beginning anew, trying difficult to not depend on our own formulas or anticipation. This year we're excited use a completely new slate of breakout talent, just one that's still exclusively SXSW." The program includes 51 films from first-time filmmakers, 65 world premieres, 17 U . s . States premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The choice was culled in the record 1,957 feature-length film distribution, comprised of 1,387 within the U.S. and 570 from worldwide filmmakers. Pierson noted the submission deadline was elevated monthly to November. 15 but nevertheless saw a 7% increase in overall distribution over 2011 getting an archive 5,243 total as costs of indie filmmaking still decline as cameras and editing equipment improve. She mentioned the fest, now within the 19th year, is dedicated to focusing on crowd-pleasing game game titles by having an edge and noted that newbies were up over a year ago within the same point. "We are turning lower plenty of films that are commercial and engaging,In . she mentioned. "We tell plenty of peope something such as 'That's not for that audience' because people who showed up at SXSW expect plenty of genre films, plenty of comedy and several raunchiness. And also, since it's less pricey to produce films now, plenty of filmmakers reveal that they're going to return next season. " Pierson told Variety that art galleries are growing progressively considering debuting their game game titles within the fest. Last year's focus title was Summit's "Source Code" because the 2010 selection was Liosngate's "Kick-Ass." SXSW may even feature over 100 sections, courses, small-conferences and mentor periods. The Midnighters feature section as well as the Online Video program will probably be introduced Feb. 8 as well as the final conference selection will probably be revealed soon after. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Free La Tests of 'The Help'

Attend a totally free screening from the Help, then a cast Q&A! You and also a guest are asked to go to among the following tests from the Help, then a Q&A with indicated cast and crew. The accessible tests are:Wednesday, Feb 1, 7:00 pmSilver Screen TheatrePacific Design Center8687 Melrose Ave., West HollywoodImmediately then a Q&A with Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer,Author/Director Tate Taylor and Producers Brunson Eco-friendly and Michael BarnathanMonday, Feb 6, 7:00 pmWriters Guild of America Theater135 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly HillsImmediately then a Q&A with Viola DavisTuesday, Feb 7, 7:00 pmArclight Hollywood6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Los AngelesImmediately then a Q&A with Octavia Spencer,Allison Janney and author/director Tate TaylorTo RSVP for any screening, send an e-mail to DisneyAwardsOffice@Disney.com and indicate which date you want to attend and when you're getting a guest. You won't get a response, however your title is going to be on a listing in the door.