Russell (Koala, Not Crowe) Is Coming

If we were to tell you that an Australian film about someone called Russell has just been greenlit, you'd assume it's about Mr. Crowe, right? Wrong. In fact, this Russell is a talking koala, fact fans - the star of a new movie produced by Baz Luhrmann's Aussie pal Martin Brown, producer of Moulin Rouge and the charming Romeo + Juliet. Russell takes the form of a fun family adventure comedy about a poacher who gets trapped in the body of a koala, as you do. Expect Silence of the Lambs-style horror in this gruesome tale of taxidermy gone wrong. Or not, as the case may be. And how precisely does Russ get there, you might ask? Well, he falls foul of an ancient Aboriginal spell, of course. Then he's accidentally shipped to London Zoo, where he's doomed to spend the rest of his days - which won't be very long, judging by the life span of your average koala. Once there he befriends a little girl who likes to cry wolf, who becomes his only hope of salvation.* Unbelievably no cast is signed as yet, but March is penned in as the start date. So, as summer sets in down under, let's sit back, relax, and throw another shrimp on the (indoor) barbie in preparation... * And yes, it's a slow news day. Even Sammy the Movie News Sloth has taken the day off, the lazy git.