News You Can Use...For the Summer 06!

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Alicia Keys is Hollywood swinging -- for real.

The nine-time Grammy Award winning neo-soul wunderkind has signed a multi-year first look film production deal at Disney, with her producing partner and manager Jeff Robinson.

According to 'Variety,' the first project will be a remake of the 1958 film 'Bell, Book and Candle.' Keys, 26, is slated to play the role originated by Kim Novak. James Stewart and Jack Lemmon also starred in the Richard Quine-directed comedy about a modern-day witch who likes her neighbor but despises his fiancée, and then enchants him to love her instead, only to fall in love with him for real.

The duo reportedly chose the remake as a starting vehicle after Robinson watched the original and saw potential for Keys, who said the goal is to create vehicles that will prevent her from falling into predictable roles.

"I never wanted to play myself, not in the first role or even the second. I want to do the unexpected," she said.

Through their company, Big Pita, Little Pita, Robinson and Keys will aim to develop live-action and animated projects at their company.

Robinson said the company’s name is an acronym for the way he and Keys refer to each other: "It's big pain in the ass, little pain in the ass, and on any given day, I could be the Big Pita, or vice versa."

An office will be opened on the Disney lot, but their base of operations will be in New York City, where Susan Lewis has been hired to run the company.

Keys, who did some minor acting before being signed to Clive Davis' J Records, will make her feature film debut in Joe Carnahan's 'Smokin' Aces,' as an assassin. The Ben Affleck action flick, due out this fall, also stars Common, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Jason Bateman and Taraji P. Henson.

Keys also recently wrapped 'The Nanny Diaries,' based on the best-selling Nicole Kraus novel of the same name.