Cleese To Star In 'Scorched'

John Cleese, Q’s Assistant in the World Is Not Enough, has joined the cast of a new heist comedy Ananova has reported.

The film is scheduled to begin production in Los Angeles at the end of the month and is being directed by Gavin Grazer. Cleese will co-star alongside Woody Harrelson, Rachael Leigh Cook and Alicia Silverstone.

The film is about three bank employees, played by Harrelson, Silverstone and Paolo Costanzo, in a small desert town, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Each makes plans to rob the bank during the same weekend, unaware of the others’ schemes.

Cook plays an embittered clothing store employee with plans of exacting revenge on a local millionaire, who will be played by Cleese.

Cleese has confirmed that he will appear in Bond 20 which is due for release in November 2002. It has come to light recently that his character will most likely be ‘promoted’ to Q. You can discuss John Cleese in the CommanderBond.net Forums, see you there!

Lars Von Trier Wants To Direct A Bond Movie

From Ananova:

Danish director Lars Von Trier has revealed he would love to direct a James Bond film.

Von Trier was speaking at the Cannes Film Festival where he won the prestigious Palme d’Or award last year for Dancer in the Dark.

“I’ve always felt that Ian Fleming’s books are better than the movies.They take place in a serious universe and are much more perverted,” said Von Trier.

He also said he thinks the books suggested Bond could be a homosexual.

“And it’s obvious the enjoyment of pain is one of his little foibles,” he said.

Von Trier’s next project will be Dogsville, which stars Nicole Kidman.

Roger Moore's New Film

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) — Former James Bond star Roger Moore will venture into comedy as he is in negotiations to join the cast of the indie feature Boat Trip for first-time director Mort Nathan. Shooting begins at the end of the month in Germany, with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz in lead roles.

In addition, Roselyn Sanchez has been cast as the female lead in the film, which is a joint venture between Brad Krevoy’s Motion Picture Corporation of America and Germany-based International West Pictures.

Co-written by Nathan and William Bigelow, the story centers on two straight men (Gooding and Sanz) who embark on a Caribbean cruise on the USS Calypso in search of love and romance only to realize that they are on a gay cruise. Moore would play Lloyd, an elegantly dressed gay man who served for 30 years in the Army. Sanchez plays Britt, the ship’s only female crew member, who befriends Gooding thinking he is gay yet finds herself falling in love with him.

IWP and German film fund Apollo will finance Boat Trip. Krevoy and IWP’s Schmidt will produce. MPCA senior vp development and production Adam Richman is shepherding the project. MGM will distribute the film under MPCA’s three-year, 12-picture worldwide distribution deal with the studio.

Moore is repped by his agent Tom Chasin.

Sanchez, repped by WMA and her manager Sara Ramaker, next will be seen as the female lead in New Line Cinema’s Rush Hour 2.

John Rhys Davis is 57

Happy Birthday today to John Rhys Davis who turns 57. We all know Rhys Davis for his role of General Pushkin in Timothy Dalton’s The Living Daylights. Pushkin was of course the Russian General who Bond had to assassinate – and well, didn’t!

Rhys Davis also starred as Professor Arturo in the TV Series Sliders, where the above picture comes from.

So again Happy Birthday! And thanks to NJ for the reminder.

CCBB & CR Director Ken Hughes Dies

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British director and screenwriter Ken Hughes, best known for the 1968 children’s comedy caper “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” has died at the age of 79, family members said Wednesday.

Hughes, who was born in Liverpool, England, died in a Los Angeles area nursing home last weekend. He had been in poor health for some time.

Hughes began his filmmaking career in England, making documentaries and short features for the BBC. But his most popular feature film was “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” which starred Dick Van Dyke. The story of an eccentric inventor and his magical car proved a family favorite.

He was one of a number of directors who worked on the 1967 James Bond spoof, “Casino Royale” and also directed and wrote the script for the movie, “The Trials of Oscar Wilde”.

He also directed Mae West in what proved to be her last film, the 1978 movie “Sextette.”

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

Dame Judi To Star In New Ealing Comedy

Ananova has reported that Academy Award winning actress Dame Judi Dench, M in the last three Bond films and again in Bond 20, it to star in the first Ealing comedy in more than 40 years.

A new production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest will
be the first to be released under the west London studio’s banner since
1957.

Dench will star opposite actors Rupert Everett and Colin First (who has recently been rumoured as a Bond contendor) and actress Reese Witherspoon.

It has already been confirmed that Dench will appear as Lady Bracknell in the film which is expected to be released in 2002.

Mr Wint Reaches 71!

“Curious, how everyone who touches those diamonds seems to die….” well dying isn’t something on the cards for Bruce Glover who turns 71 today.

Glover portrayed Mr Wint from the Mr Wint and Mr Kidd duo in 1971’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and just like Mr Kidd he came to a disastorous end.

So Happy 71st Bruce with many more to come! And thanks to NJ, our Birthday Correspondant, for the tip off!

Brosnan and Shaye Smith To Receive Award

A very short story here from Yahoo News!. Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith will this year have the The Humanitarian Crystal Award presented to them for their charitable contributions.

Congrats to them both!

Dame Judi Joins Cancer Foundation

Dame Judi Dench has accepted an invitation to become a patron of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.Her husband, actor Michael Williams, died of lung cancer earlier this year, an event that few media stations reported.

Professor Ray Donelly, founder of the foundation, said the organisation was very pleased to have Dame Judi on board: “It is a great encouragement to us all to have the public support of Dame Judi and we are very grateful to her,” he said.

The 66-year-old Oscar-winning actress said: “I hope that, by offering my support to the foundation, I can play a part, however small, in finding a cure for this devastating disease.”

It’s great to see Dame Judi behind such an organistion. Reading her biography a while ago I discovered she is the patron to over 200 charity organisations world wide. If you’d like to read the full report please visit Ananova.

John Glen Interview On Net Radio Station Today

John Glen, who worked on many a Bond film, will today be interviewed on the internets best streaming radio station, NetFM.

The interview will begin around 2pm GMT (that’s British time). Be sure to listen to this one! I’m sure we’ll hear heaps of news about Glen’s new novel and his choice of Russel Crowe for Bond 20! Now if you’re wondering what time it is in Great British visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=136 which will tell you the time in London!

And don’t forget that NetFM is running a cool competition for its listeners giving them the chance to win cool Bond prizes including Bond multimedia gadget packs, Corgi replica Bond vehicles and the entire Bond DVD collection! Now that is cool!

NetFM is this week having their Bond week! And from personal experience I listened for 1 hour and heard about 3 to 4 James Bond theme songs, including some from David Arnold’s James Bond Project Album; now that’s something other radio stations aren’t cool enough to play!