We hope you’d rather see the latter, because that’s the only one that’s actually happening. We reported yesterday that Front Row Networks was going to be distributing 3D Metallica films in the near future. Well, as it turns out, those reports are false. The band themselves shot down Front Ro Networks’ press release, while the band’s attorney Peter Paterno said the following:

“Metallica owns and controls its recorded performances and Creeping Death Music owns the vast majority of any music embodied in Metallica recordings. Pretty much any legitimate business would have contacted us to see how Metallica felt about it. Maybe these guys just forgot.”

Marc Reiter, from Q Prime (the band’s management), had the following to add:

“We are very happy to have bolstered the Writers Group Film Corp. stock price by using the Metallica name. We only wish they would have told us sooner so we could have bought some.”

It is presently unsure as to whether the band will take legal action against the film company, though it wouldn’t be the first time Metallica has sued other companies for creative property infringement (remember Napster?). We’ll keep you posted if more develops.

So we may not get to see Lars Ulrich in 3D now (or at least anytime soon), but we will get to see him act next to Nicole Kidman. Yup, Ulrich was recently cast in HBO’s Hemingway And Gellhorn, starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owens. The drummer will be playing Dutch documentarian Joris Ivens in the TV movie that follows the romantic relationship of Ernest Hemmingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Rollingstone.com has already gotten their hands on a picture of the cast (including Ulrich) on the set filming, which can also be seen above.

Ulrich is no stranger to the camera, having made a hilarious cameo in last Summer’s Get Him To The Greek. However, it’s still a bit bizarre to see the drummer next to Hollywood elite on the big screen. Making this project even more ironic, though, is that Hemmingway’s relationship with Gellhorn (which the film chronicles) apparently inspired his novel For Whom The Bell Tolls. We can only hope that they blasted the Metallica classic of the same name on the set of the film whenever Lars was present.

[quotes via Blabbermouth]