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EXCLUSIVE: Idris Elba has signed to play Dr. Alex Cross in Cross, a new installment of James Patterson's bestselling murder mystery series that will be directed by David Twohy. Kerry Williamson wrote the script. Elba takes over the role originated by Morgan Freeman, who played the sleuth in the Paramount Pictures thrillers, 1997's Kiss the Girls and 2001's Along Came A Spider. In the novel, Cross tracks a serial rapist who may have murdered his pregnant wife years before. The film is being produced by Lloyd Levin and Leopoldo Goutm, along with the author and Steve Bowen. Production will begin in 2011, likely in the spring. The film will be privately financed and distribution is being set. Paramount is a possibility. There are few franchises out there with a black actor in the lead role. So this is a big star-making step for the British actor who emerged from the Showtime series The Wire and into films like RocknRolla, American Gangster, Obsessed and The Losers. He just wrapped the role of Heimdall in Marvel's Thor, and next stars in the Screen Gems heist film Takers, which opens August 27. Elba has also kept his hand in TV. After a memorable arc in NBC's The Office last season, he played the title role in the British detective miniseries drama Luther, and will next be seen in an arc of episodes playing Laura Linney's love interest ... Read More »

'The mixtape was an idea to paint a picture of what we're trying to do,' frontman Free tells Mixtape Daily of RockNRolla.By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes FreeSol Photo: MTV News Fire Starter: Free Sol We usually like to put our Fire Starter out a little later in the week, but this is a special edition. We have Justin Timberlake giving a major co-sign to a new mixtape. You've seen JT present artists from his burgeoning Tennman Records, such as Esmee Denters and Matt Morris. Next up under the Grammy winner's wing are FreeSol, a group from his hometown of Memphis that fuses rock, hip-hop and a little R&B. "They're rock stars," Justin said of the group at February's William Rast fashion show in New York, where they also performed. "It's nice to work them organically and not feel like, 'Hey, you gotta listen to this band!' I'm trying to find cool ways to implement them into the culture of what it is we already do." "It's like a school, it's like a classroom," frontman Free said earlier this year of working with Timberlake. "He's a genius. A lot of people think he's [just] that dude from 'NSYNC, but really, he's a baby Quincy [Jones]. We learn a lot." Along with Free, the group consists of Premo D'Anger on keys and bass, "Kickman" Teddy on the drums and guitarist Elliott Ives. The collective has already recorded more than 100 songs for their debut album — some of them with Timberlake — and they just dropped their mixtape, RockNRolla, with DJ Benzi. "The mixtape was an idea to paint a picture of what we're trying to do," Free said. "A lot of people, whenever they describe us, they say 'rock/rap.' So immediately you may think of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park, something you've heard before. I think that what we do is something extremely different, original. I think the mixtape was an idea to kind of create the picture of what we're trying to do. We took a lot of older [songs], whether it be AC/DC or Smashing Pumpkins, and make them our own. Live bands, live musicians. We approached the mixtape concept through the eyes of a band." "I got a call from Free saying, 'Let's do this mixtape,' " Ives recalled. " 'Can you take some samples of some rock stuff that you're a fan of and dice them up? Make some beats and let's make some songs. We're gonna call it RockNRolla.' " Teddy said the most liberating thing about the project is that the group worked on its own. "Having a free will of our own to do it, without working with any producers," he described. "Not having somebody be like, 'Do it this way' or 'Do it that way.' Taking everything we've learned up to this point and say, 'Look at us and what we have to offer. We can do this on our own,' and put it out there and be like, 'What you think about it?' " With talent like FreeSol on his roster, Timberlake hasn't been rushing back into the solo spotlight, instead overseeing the production of his acts' debut albums. "Right now, I'm enjoying working with new artists," Timberlake told MTV News earlier this year. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc. Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Freesol Related Artists Justin Timberlake

'The mixtape was an idea to paint a picture of what we're trying to do,' frontman Free tells Mixtape Daily of RockNRolla.By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes FreeSol Photo: MTV News Fire Starter: Free Sol We usually like to put our Fire Starter out a little later in the week, but this is a special edition. We have Justin Timberlake giving a major co-sign to a new mixtape. You've seen JT present artists from his burgeoning Tennman Records, such as Esmee Denters and Matt Morris. Next up under the Grammy winner's wing are FreeSol, a group from his hometown of Memphis that fuses rock, hip-hop and a little R&B. "They're rock stars," Justin said of the group at February's William Rast fashion show in New York, where they also performed. "It's nice to work them organically and not feel like, 'Hey, you gotta listen to this band!' I'm trying to find cool ways to implement them into the culture of what it is we already do." "It's like a school, it's like a classroom," frontman Free said earlier this year of working with Timberlake. "He's a genius. A lot of people think he's [just] that dude from 'NSYNC, but really, he's a baby Quincy [Jones]. We learn a lot." Along with Free, the group consists of Premo D'Anger on keys and bass, "Kickman" Teddy on the drums and guitarist Elliott Ives. The collective has already recorded more than 100 songs for their debut album — some of them with Timberlake — and they just dropped their mixtape, RockNRolla, with DJ Benzi. "The mixtape was an idea to paint a picture of what we're trying to do," Free said. "A lot of people, whenever they describe us, they say 'rock/rap.' So immediately you may think of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park, something you've heard before. I think that what we do is something extremely different, original. I think the mixtape was an idea to kind of create the picture of what we're trying to do. We took a lot of older [songs], whether it be AC/DC or Smashing Pumpkins, and make them our own. Live bands, live musicians. We approached the mixtape concept through the eyes of a band." "I got a call from Free saying, 'Let's do this mixtape,' " Ives recalled. " 'Can you take some samples of some rock stuff that you're a fan of and dice them up? Make some beats and let's make some songs. We're gonna call it RockNRolla.' " Teddy said the most liberating thing about the project is that the group worked on its own. "Having a free will of our own to do it, without working with any producers," he described. "Not having somebody be like, 'Do it this way' or 'Do it that way.' Taking everything we've learned up to this point and say, 'Look at us and what we have to offer. We can do this on our own,' and put it out there and be like, 'What you think about it?' " With talent like FreeSol on his roster, Timberlake hasn't been rushing back into the solo spotlight, instead overseeing the production of his acts' debut albums. "Right now, I'm enjoying working with new artists," Timberlake told MTV News earlier this year. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc. Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Freesol

With star Robert Downey Jr. in fighting form and enjoying an easy rapport with his costar, Jude Law, the filming of Sherlock Holmes in London last year was trouble-free. The only drama seemed to take place off the set, where the film’s director, Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla), and his then-wife Madonna filed for divorce. The