Jennifer Connelly will star opposite Keanu Reeves in 20th Century Fox’s feature remake of Robert Wise’s 1951 sci fi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. Kathy Bates is also in negotiations to star.

Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) will direct from a David Scarpa (The Last Castle) script.

The story is about an alien who comes to Earth carrying a message for all humans: Live in peace or be destroyed.

Connelly is set to portray Helen Benson, the scientist who first encounters the alien, named Klaatu (Reeves). Production is scheduled to start next month.

Jennifer Connelly at last night’s “Reservation Road” premiere. (PS: You guys have to check out the closeup of those shoes!)

Gorgeous!

ONTD

Jennifer Connelly was so affected by her latest role as a mother mourning the death of her child, she started stressing out on set. Connelly tried to avoid thinking about her two sons as she made Reservation Road, but she couldn’t avoid the obvious – her 10-year-old son Kai is the same age as the boy who dies in the film.

She says,

“I tried my hardest to really separate it (filming) from my personal life. I didn’t let myself think about my own family and my own kids. It feels too exploitative… but I was having nightmares and having a hard time sleeping. Then my jaw kept locking up, and I couldn’t eat. I got a week into it and thought, ‘What have I done to myself?’”

As a mother – I have a hard time even watching ER lately.  I can’t watch any TV or movie that deals with a childs death.  I know it’s not real…it’s just tv.  But still – I can’t let my mind go there.  So, with all this said, I can’t imagine what it’s like to try and portray a mother whose lost her child.

Pictures of Jennifer, Joaquin Pheonix and Mira Sorvino at the Reservation Road premiere.

Jennifer Connelly and her husband Paul Bettany are known for their stunning turns on the red carpet.

Her tip: “I avoid flimsy straps,” Connelly (in Balenciaga), 36, said last night at the Elle Women In Hollywood Tribute in Beverly Hills. “I’ve had a couple of incidents.”

Paul’s faux-pas? “Never wear cowboy boots. I think they’re inappropriate,” he said, joking, “they imply, ‘I’m hot in bed!’”

And how do they make their four-year marriage work? “We don’t do that many films in a year — we try to stagger!” Connelly said. “It takes a bit of planning, but we spend the vast majority of our time together.”

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