• Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith (pictured) is to star opposite her husband in the forthcoming Muhammad Ali biopic according to ananova. Pinkett Smith will play Sonji Roi who became Ali's first wife in 1964 but whose opposition to the Nation of Islam was blamed for the end of their marriage less than two years later. The actress will film her role in Ali before joining the cast of the Matrix sequel in Australia.

• John Simm has joined the cast of Michael Winterbottom's "Madchester" film 24 Hour Party People as New Order frontman Bernard Sumner. The film based on the music scene in Manchester in the mid to late 80s is expected to go into production this month. Comedian Steve Coogan has already signed up to play Factory Records boss Tony Wilson and TV's Cold Feet star John Thomson will play a television producer in the production due for release in the autumn.

• Newspaper darling and current squeeze of Chris Evans, Billie Piper, is set to make her acting debut in a forthcoming British film, appropriately named Tabloid according to the The Sun. The 18-year-old singer will apparently star alongside veteran actor John Hurt, TV presenter Gail Porter and Coronation Street actress Beverly Callard in the £5m tale about a television show which unearths celebrities' darkest secrets. An "insider" on the project told the paper: "As well as John Hurt we have Graduate stage star Matthew Rhys, who plays a Chris Evans-style megalomaniac chat show host so hopefully that will make Billie feel at home!"