Fly, You fowls!

It is an absolute pleasure to report that Hollywood is planning to make a film based in no way on a video game. Nor is it a sequel, nor an adaptation of a novel featured on Oprah's Book Club, nor is it a remake of a superior Japanese film. No, The Big Year is based on a non-fiction book about three rival birdwatchers. That's right, rival birdwatchers. Adapted from Mark Obmascik's book, this story centres around three fowl-crazed gentlefolk in their quest to be winner of the North American Big Year: the Super Bowl of the birding world, a Cannonball-esque race to spot as many birds as possible in one year. With the competition attracting die hards obsessed with birds and given to cheeky-chappy competitor tactics, and no doubt plenty of foul jokes, this film could really fly. Before we go any further, we have to confess that we are slightly unsure how bird watchers could be rivals or, indeed, compete. Do they purposely get in each other's line of sight? Do they scratch each other's eyes out? Perhaps they place stuffed birds in strategic spots to confuse rivals. Anyhoo, we're sure that the film will explain it all. Howard Franklin, screenwriter of The Man Who Knew Too Little and, er, The Name Of The Rose, is on script duties, and with the very funny Ben Stiller on producing duties, this could well turn out be next years' Dodgeball. For those of us who have never heard of a Bristle-Thighed Curlew, now might be the time to find out