Gere rejects Sound of Music lead

Hollywood veteran Richard Gere has turned down the lead role in London musical The Sound of Music - despite a personal invitation from music mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The British composer has been desperate to land the 55-year-old actor in the lead role of Captain Von Trapp for more than a year after seeing his impressive performance in the movie Chicago - in which he starred alongsi de Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.