BBC - Films -news article - High Noon

		Aviator Flies Martin Scorsese has wrapped shooting on Leonardo DiCaprio starrer The Aviator - a mere day over schedule. The biopic of aviator/filmmaker Howard Hughes was slightly delayed because a set was damaged during the recent fires in Southern California. The $110 million blockbuster is described by producer Graham King as "a lot more commercial than we imagined". He told Variety, "We show the man's passion for aviation, business, movies - and women." The star-heavy picture features turns from Jude Law (as Errol Flynn), Cate Blanchett (as Katharine Hepburn), and Kate Beckinsale (as Ava Gardner). If Gangs Of New York is anything to go by, expect it to take about 14 years to edit.

		Freddy's Dead... Well, Ill Cult star Robert Englund, who regularly dons pizza-face makeup to play everyone's favourite serial child killer Freddy Krueger, has been taken ill. The Freddy Vs Jason star was shooting horror flick 2001 Maniacs when he was rushed to hospital complaining of pain following an all-night shoot. After treatment, he was released. There has been no comment on the cause of his sudden sickness.

		That's Magic! Another Harry Potter-alike franchise is in the works - this one a twist on the Arthurian legend. TA Barron's series of stories The Lost Years Of Merlin is about to be bought by Scream producers Dimension Films. Former Warner Bros honcho Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce the project, about the coming-of-age of Arthur's magician pal. Di Bonaventura's involvement is significant because he was instrumental in launching the big screen adventures of JK Rowling's speccy wizkid. Chris Columbus, stand by your phone!

		Follow Mangold Identity director James Mangold is eyeing femme fatale thriller Follow Me. The Conversation-like picture is about a woman who hires a surveillance expert to film her every move. Mangold's Mrs, Scream producer Cathy Konrad, is partnering him on the project. Other movies the duo have in the pipeline include Johnny Cash biopic I Walk The Line and western remake 3:10 to Yuma.

		Fool's Ransom Ever-funny supporting star Anthony Anderson is finally getting a star vehicle. The Cradle 2 The Grave sidekick will topline King's Ransom, a comedy about an obnoxious businessman who plans to stage his own kidnapping so he can avoid paying his wife a huge divorce settlement. But then he discovers several others are already planning to kidnap him...

		Volcanic Eruptions City Of God director Fernando Meirelles is teaming with What Lies Beneath scribe Clark Gregg on a volcanic project. The untitled movie will tell the true tale of how the Roman city of Pompeii was buried under volanic ash in AD79. Meirelles, who will next helm an adaptation of John Le Carre's The Constant Gardener, told Variety, "I'm interested in capturing the connections between the end of Roman Empire and the present day, as well as the end of a civilization." Ooh.

		Virgin Territory A Richard Branson biopic, anyone? Anyone? Hello? Well, someone thinks it's a good idea, with production outfit Crystal Sky splashing a seven-figure sum for the rights to the tycoon/failed balloonist's memoirs. The title? Losing My Virginity. Yes, we've found the level.