Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging
Do you want to be the next Keira Knightly or Parminder Nagra? Well, if you want to be Keira, then just stop eating. And if you want to be Parminder, just start practicing all that ER jargon, like CBC, BP, EKG, pulse ox and tox screen. Stat! Or you could just audition for the new Paramount Pictures film from director Gurinder Chadha — best known for the hit Bend It Like Beckham. The film is called Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging, and is based on Louise Rennison's bestselling book. Open casting auditions for girls aged between 12 and 16 will take place in Brighton, Bristol, Oxford and London from June 2nd. And if you aren't able to attend, there is also the facility to post your info online. All the details can be found at the official website here. — Stuart O'Connor
In other news
• Exclusive trailer launch for new Ben Stiller comedy: Yahoo! Movies
• Florida to get Harry Potter theme park: Reuters
• Pirates 3 sets new world record: Hollywood.com
Does Miami even have an East End?
So the Hollywood remake bandwagon rolls on and on and on. This week comes the news that the classic 1980 British gangster film The Long Good Friday is to be remade for America — this time set in Miami rather than the East End of London — by none other than that purveyor of fine cinematic fare, Paul WS Anderson. You know, the guy who made Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, Resident Evil and Alien vs Predator. The guy who is currently remaking Death Race. Yeah, him. Of course, there's been much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Old Blighty, particularly over at the Guardian blogs — how dare those upstart Yanks mess with our heritage etc etc. But one poster sums it up nicely: "They're American. They have to remake things to remove the moral ambiguity and long words. Best to just let them get on with it." Indeed. Personally, I just take the "ignore it" approach — I've never seen the remake of Alfie, never seen the remake of Get Carter, never seen the remake of The Wicker Man, never seen the remake of Psycho, never seen ... well, you get the picture. It's the only way to beat the bastards. — Stuart O'Connor
In other news
• Mischa Barton joins cast of new St Trinians movie: The BBC
• Spielberg and Jackson team up for Tintin: Times Online
• All the latest from Cannes 2007: Guardian Unlimited
Rodriguez to direct live-action Jetsons?
Robert Rodriguez is reportedly in talks with Warner Brothers to direct a live-action version of classic 60s toon The Jetsons. Reports say Rodriguez is keen to do the flick before Sin City 2. Good news, methinks — Rodriguez certainly has a knack for effects-laden kids' films (see the Spy Kids trilogy). And as for casting ... how about William H Macey as George, Gillian Anderson as Jane, Hayden Pantttiere (the cheerleader from Heroes) as Judy, Haley Joel Osment as Elroy, and Scooby Doo as Astro? Despite the poor US performance of Grindhouse, the double feature he made with Quentin Tarantino, Rodriguez is very much in demand. As well as the Jetsons project, he is in talks to direct an adaptation of another old American TV show, the 70s fantasy Land of the Lost, for Universal. Will Ferrell has already been signed for the lead role. Sources say that The Jetsons has the edge because its script is further along the development path. — Stuart O'Connor
Spider-Man 3 smashes box-office records
What a surprise. The friendly neighbourhood wallcrawler's third outing has seen box-office records tumble around the world. According to studio estimates, the film has taken US$375 million since it started rolling out last Tuesday. Spidey might be raking in the dough, but he's not thrilling the critics. Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian says it's over-long and messy with a number of disjointed storylines. "There's no clear villain to boo and, by the end, no clear hero to cheer." Manohla Dargis at The New York Times reckons "this latest installment in the spider-bites-boy adventure story shoots high, swings low and every so often hits the sweet spot, but mostly just plods and plods along, as if its heart were pumping tired radioactive blood". And our own Neil Davey says: "For all its innovation, and the effects and action sequences are mindblowing even by this franchise’s high standards, there’s an unshakeable sense of déjà vu running through this sequel." — Stuart O'Connor
In other news
• At least three more Spider-Man films, says Sony boss: The BBC
• Young Hollywood's top-earning stars: Forbes.com
• Wall Street to get sequel: Cinematical
Spider-Man swings into action
It's had its fancy, "celebrity" enhanced red carpet premieres and its preview screenings for critics. Now the first of this summer's big blockbusters is about to open for the people who really matter — you, the ticket-buying public. Yes, Spider-Man 3 is rolling out around the world this week. We here at Screenjabber have seen it and will deliver our verdict in a couple of days. In the meantime, we're getting into the Spider-Man spirit with our new-look masthead and we'll have some interviews with the stars and (hopefully) a competition with some fabulous Spidey prizes to be won. Watch this space. — Stuart O'Connor
In other news
• Die Hard sequel big in the blogosphere: Reuters
• Grindhouse carved in two for its UK release: Total Film
• Disturbia tops US box office for third week: BBC.co.uk