The Hollywood centric E! Online is disputing a report this month in The Hollywood Reporter that suggested writer and director Andrew Niccol would cast a computer-generated actress in his upcoming film Simone. Apparently, The Hollywood Reporter mixed up reality with the plot of the film, in which a desperate director, played by Al Pacino, casts a digital actress in his movie-within-a-movie. In the film, the computer-generated star gets taken for the real thing and goes on to become a sensation.

But partly in response to complaints from the Screen Actors Guild based on the report, Niccol assured the union that he will hire a flesh-and-blood actress to star in Simone instead of the reported CGI creation. Another report also indicated that Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) has signed on to the film, while Oscar nominee Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich) is currently in the casting process to play the character of Pacino's ex-wife.