Rihanna and Chris Brown both set for upcoming film projects

Updated Wednesday, May 27th 2009, 9:32 AM

Rihanna and Chris Brown are both moving on - but with opposing films, not significant others.

A source tells us that the sexy songbird, who's in New York to work on her new album, is also taking acting lessons while in the Big Apple.

"Rihanna will start filming 'Personal Protection' later this year," says our insider. "She's not ready, actingwise, yet, so she's meeting with a coach."

Additional casting for the project will resume when Ri learns the celluloid ropes.

Similarly, Brown is making a leap to the big screen. The embattled R&B star - who will face the music in an L.A. court Thursday  for his alleged assault on Rihanna - has an untitled project that's said to be a "tearjerker," according to a pal. "Chris plays a homeless character," says the friend. "It's a real rags-to-riches story and should be good for his image."

Brown will film for three weeks over the summer in both L.A. and Memphis.

But before tongues start wagging, our first insider stresses that the exes are not trying to one-up each other with rival roles - acting was a natural progression for both.

As for the love department? Neither Ri nor Chris has become serious with anyone else. "Chris is being a player. There's no one exclusive," says Brown's pal. Rihanna, meanwhile, has been linked with everyone from Def Jam labelmate Kanye West to rapper Aubrey (Drake) Graham, but she isn't getting hot 'n' heavy with anyone, either.

"Kanye is all over Rihanna's album - not all over Rihanna!" says our insider. In addition to working together, the two are longtime pals; they even took in an evening showing of "Star Trek" at the Union Square multiplex last week.

Graham, the tween "DeGrassi" star turned rapper, is just a friend of Rihanna's. "She's feeling him but wants to take things slow. Right now they're just chilling," says our Ri source.

Graham himself echoed this sentiment during a recent interview with Hot 97. "I'm being honest, man," he said. "She's just a friend, that's all."

Says a second pal of the "Umbrella" singer: "RiRi needs the focus to be on her talents right now, not the bumps in her personal life. She doesn't want anything else to overshadow her career."

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