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Film News

04th February 2007

Just a few headlines to keep people up-to-date with the goings on in the world of celluloid before the next Front.

Polanski to Covers Us in Lava

Empire are reporting that acclaimed Roman Polanski is set to follow up his critical successes of Oliver Twist and The Pianist with his interpretation of Robert Harris' Pompeii. Calling upon the visual techniques of Chinatown, Polanski will look to show the corruption, intrigue and love that surrounded the bloody massive eruption of Pompeii in Ancient Rome in 79 AD that reduced the city to ash and legend. Harris' novel follows one young man, Marcus Attilius Primus, in charge of fixing the aqua-duct to the city and eight surrounding towns but politics, love and a volcano get somewhat in the way. It's reputedly getting $130 million to make us go blind when the actual mountain pops its top and could be this generations Titanic... but with fire!

Apparently You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Again with Empire, just twenty-four hours after DreamWorks severed ties with Aardman Animations a mere two flicks into a five-film deal, it has been announced a sequel to the hugely popular, if not hugely lucrative, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wear-Rabbit, is on the way. Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff made the announcement to Reuters Friday morning, possibly as a means of reassuring investors. However, he did not say if it would be another big screen adventure or something for the telly.

Departed but not Gone

It seems that Oscar-hungry gangster epic The Departed is already in line for a return, according to Empire, aintitcool.com and upcomingmovies.com. Following in the foot-steps of its loose basis Hong-Kong series Infernal Affairs, the Scorsese helmed piece that seems likely to finally gain the acclaimed director a little gold man is set for a second instalment that will focus on foul-mouthed Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) a part so good it earned him an Oscar nod in the 'Best Supporting' category. William Monahan, screen-writer of the first, announced the news and looks set to pen the sequel.

Virgin's Getting 'Knocked Up'

Reading that back, that title looks wrong. Any who, Judd Apatow (Forty Year Old Virgin) has been turning heads over at aintitcool.com with his off-beat rom-com follow up to the 2006 success that show-cased Steve Carrel at his vulnerable best. 'Knocked Up' will star Seth Rogen, Virgin's pot-smoking deviant Cal, as the unlikely father of a self-centred model's child after a one-night stand. Now that does sound callous and unfortunate but the trailer is laugh-out-loud-funny (and very rude, so proceed with caution).

Oh and it's two weeks 'til Hot Fuzz! (14/02/06)

Chris Sloley