Director Oliver Stone has reportedly lost out in his bid to beat Moulin Rouge filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to shooting a biopic of Alexander The Great. Luhrmann has apparently secured a budget for his project so big Stone will be forced to shelve his rival plans for a similar film. The Australian is backed by big names such as Universal Pictures and 20Th Century Fox - and has signed up major star Leonardo DiCaprio as well as having a $150 million budget. And now Intermedia, the producer of Oliver Stone's picture are reluctant to commit in light of the competition. The German-owned company has recently financed two massive flops - K-19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. An industry expert opines, "They might not want to take another gamble."

Asteeg. This should be fun. Strange, but fun.