A slew of screen idols are about to descend on Boston to shoot new movies, including, we’re told, Tom Cruise. That’s right, the world’s most famous movie star is in serious talks to shoot his latest flick here starting in September.

Would Paul Giamatti consider replacing Sean Penn as Larry Fine in the Farrelly Brothers upcoming “Three Stooges” flick? Soitenly!

A California studio developer yesterday launched plans to build a $147 million motion-picture complex on 30 acres at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

“The statistics are pretty astounding,” said Bob Coviello, owner of Main Street Antiques and member of the Essex Merchants Group. “The numbers are far more impressive than just the $150,000 paid to the town.” Coviello estimates the movie will bring in close to $1 million locally by the time it’s finished, and Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said that he has already seen a wide variety of benefits stemming from the movie.

International Studio Group is moving ahead with plans to build a 12-stage motion picture studio at SouthField at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

The developers of a proposed movie studio complex in South Weymouth are ready for the spotlight.

Big screen funnymen Ben Stiller, Harold Ramis, Peter Farrelly and Paul Giamatti are bound for the 14th annual Nantucket Film Festival, which kicks off tonight at the ’Sconset Casino.

Sandra Bullock is good for tourism. The actress gave a national TV shout-out this morning to Rockport, which is where she filmed her new movie “The Proposal”.

The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce aims to accelerate the growth of the film industry in all South Shore towns, not just the nine communities the organization serves, according to Executive Director Denis Hanks.

Brickyard VFX–up a flight of creaky stairs in an old brick building near the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue–handled most of the effects work on “The Proposal.” That great opportunity is the result of an ongoing boom in local filmmaking that followed the 2006 implementation of tax incentives for in-state film productions.

Plymouth Rock officials, however, plan to forge ahead with private money that has been committed to the project. Heavy machinery should be digging the road to the studio site on the 240-acre Waverly Golf Course within a month or two. The studio is projected to open in late 2010.

Massachusetts software maker and “Star Wars” studio form strategic bond.

A good chunk of the film was shot in Rockport, where the downtown was transformed into the town of Sitka, Alaska. Large totem poles stood tall in Dock Square and the usual storefronts and street pole banners became signs or symbols from Sitka.

Study says film tax credit more than pays for itself with jobs and spin-off economic benefits.

The cast and crew have shot scenes at the two lighthouses in Provincetown and currently are filming at Cook’s Camp, a 100-plus-year-old cottage colony overlooking the ocean at LeCount’s Hollow Beach in Wellfleet.

Shooting is set to start in late summer in Boston with a July 23, 2010, release date.

Filmmakers Collaborative is proud to present Making Media Now 2009, a full-day conference for film and media makers of every skill level. Held at Waltham’s Bentley University, Making Media Now 2009 will continue its tradition of providing the New England film and video community with the latest information and workshops around media making.