VENICE, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Martin Koolhoven decided to cast a female character in the lead of his Western "Brimstone" to finally portray the macho world of the Wild West from a woman's point of view, the Dutch director said at the Venice film festival on Saturday.

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - IM Global has sold out worldwide on Andrew Garfield-starrer "Hacksaw Ridge," which hits the Venice Lido on Sunday. It's Mel Gibson's first movie as a director in a decade, after 2006's "Apocalypto."

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - In what is proving to be a sleepy Labor Day weekend at the box office, "Don't Breathe" continues to dominate with $4.2 million at 3,051 locations on Friday. The film, which carries a price tag below $10 million, is heading for a $15 million second frame, bringing its total to about $54 million.

VENICE (Reuters) - Jude Law was thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, until it became clear that the character he was being asked to portray was that of a conservative, chain-smoking American pope named Pius XIII.

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Character actor Jon Polito, best known for his roles in Coen Brothers films, including "The Big Lebowski" and "Miller's Crossing," died of cancer on Thursday at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 65.

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Chinese government said on Friday it was investigating two high-profile takeover proposals involving U.S. companies, the latest sign of its growing influence on whether deals are approved - even those appearing to have little impact in China.

VENICE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Chilean director Christopher Murray cast people from a local community and included their real life stories in "El Cristo Ciego," aiming to add more truth to the drama about faith and exploitation in Chile premiering at the Venice film festival.

VENICE (Reuters) - Liev Schreiber took around 800 punches when filming "The Bleeder" to make the boxing drama more credible and to not upset the prize fighter whose real life story it portrayed, the U.S. actor said at the Venice film festival on Friday.

VENICE (Reuters) - After a seven-year hiatus, Tom Ford is back to film making with thriller "Nocturnal Animals" premiering at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, and the busy fashion designer promises he will be back much sooner next time.