Retreat! Retreat!

Here at Empire, our staff days out tend to take us to medieval torture chambers, Turkish prisons and Blackpool - to keep us motivated and remind us of the price of failure. Other companies, however, apparently mount away days that involve such mysterious but fun-sounding activities as paint-balling, go-karting and drinking, rather than Chinese water-torture and compulsory karaoke. One such day is to be the focus of a new comedy from New Line. The Retreat tells the story of a newly appointed executive, who joins a staff retreat on his second day on the job. Once there, however, he discovers that he is the target of the ire of a disgruntled fellow employee, who is intent on sabotaging our hero's chances. Naturally, it all comes down to a paintball battle for the job. It's based on a script by David Dorfman, who wrote Anger Management and My Boss' Daughter, and it's being produced by the same men behind Elf. James Dodson will make his feature debut as director. Well, it all has the potential to be amusing, we suppose, as long as some top-quality comedic talent is attached. Adam Sandler, for instance. Or Will Ferrell. Or Rhys Ifans. And now, if you'll excuse us, it's our turn on the rack.