FUN IN BEIRUT

Dustin Hoffman as a ladies’ man? Warren Beatty as a novice in chasing ladies? The unlikely casting supposedly is set for what was being called “Untitled Comedy.” Sources close to Beatty say it’s now called “The Beirut Hilton” and relates the bizarre adventures of a piano bar player (Hoffman) and a shy waiter (Beatty). With Elaine May directing, it’s set in contemporary, civil war-torn Beirut.

A spokeswoman for Columbia Pictures’ New York production office for the film laughed and then denied the details. “None of that is true. . . . We aren’t saying anything yet.”

Locations are being scouted in Tunisia and Morocco. Hoffman and Beatty each reportedly will receive $5 million and 5% of the gross.