Several more head to Narnia
Prince Caspian, aka The Chronicles of Narnia 2, is filming next week, so it's rather good news that casting is coming on apace. Little known Brit actor Ben Barnes will put on the Prince's crown. In a sentence that will flummox sub-editors the world over, Alicia Borrachero has been cast as Prunaprismia, the wife of General Miraz. But the one we're really pleased about is Peter Dinklage. The Station Agent star will play Trumpkin the Dwarf. Typecasting much?
Cruise and Stiller Fight Crime?
We’re pretty sceptical about this one, but US gossip site TMZ is reporting that Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise are in talks to star in an updated version of The Hardy Boys, tentatively titled, yes, The Hardy Men. The film would reportedly be directed by Shawn Levy, who directed Stiller in Night At The Museum and has just signed to make The Flash, and would see the former boy detectives all grows up but still fightin’ crime. We’d love this to be true. Cruise and Stiller made a great comic team in their Mission Impossible II skit at the MTV awards and it would be great to see Cruise trying something a bit looser.
**Kirsty Alley Finds God
**Every time we think America is becoming really quite clever, with all their TV shows that make ours look like the am-dram productions at the local nuthouse (not difficult, granted) there comes a story like this. Kirsty Alley is apparently preparing to star in a US version of The Vicar of Dibley. That would be big, brassy, shouty, ever so slightly batty Alley playing a woman of the cloth in a sleepy town. Because that makes perfect sense.
Hooray for Pan’s Labyrinth!
Gulliermo Del Toro and the stunning Pan’s Labyrinth have received a much-deserved double–whammy of British praise, with the director and the movie winning two gongs at the inaugural UK Regional Critics Awards. Pan’s was crowned Film Of Year and Del Toro secured the award for Filmmaker Of The Year. Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen and The Last King Of Scotland were also honoured, with Abigail Breslin (Newcomer Of The Year), Helen Mirren (Performance Of The Year: Actress) and Forest Whitaker (Performance Of The Year: Actor) all picking up trophies. Bravo.