BBC - Films - High Noon - 13th February 2004

		Scorsese To Have Affairs Martin Scorsese is set to direct the remake of Hong Kong hit Infernal Affairs. And the Gangs Of New York helmer looks like landing Brad Pitt for one of the lead roles. Infernal Affairs has spawned a trilogy of movies in Hong Kong, with the movies depicting the ongoing bloody battles between local police and triad gangs. The original movie - which opens in the UK on 27th February - followed an undercover cop's successful infiltration of a triad gang. The Hollywood remake is currently being scripted by William Monahan, who's hotter than hot thanks to scripts for Ridley Scott's Crusades pic Kingdom Of Heaven and Jurassic Park IV.

		Chadha Lands Dream Job Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha is in talks to make I Dream Of Jeannie, a big screen version of the 60s sitcom starring Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden. The original series - which ran for five years until 1970 - featured a highly subservient genie whose 'master' was US astronaut Tony Nelson (Hagman, aka JR Ewing). The new version will apparently feature a more enlightened, independent genie. Chadha's involvement has already sparked rumours that Beckham star Keira Knightley will be getting bottled up as the lead.

		Ledger Boards Dogtown Aussie actor Heath Ledger will star in skateboarding pic The Lords Of Dogtown. David Fincher was originally set to direct the movie, but that honour now rests with Catherine (Thirteen) Hardwicke. A fictionalised version of the documentary Dogtown And Z-Boys - which examined 70s skateboarding culture - Dogtown will also star Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door), John Robinson (Elephant), and Victor Rasuk (Raising Victor Vargas). The film's set to roll (then do some awesome twists and jumps) in April.

		Cronenberg's Act Of Violence Canadian shockmeister David Cronenberg will direct A History Of Violence, an adaptation of the John Wagner graphic novel - the first in an unrelated series of novels which subsequently spawned Road To Perdition. The film is about a seemingly ordinary man whose shady past is dredged up when he's at the centre of a self-defence killing at his diner. The 60-year-old Cronenberg has quite a history of violence himself: his film CV includes Rabid, Videodrome, The Fly, Naked Lunch, and - most infamously - Crash. His most recent movie was the psychological thriller Spider, with Ralph Fiennes.

		Cage Declares War Nicolas Cage is to team up with director Andrew Niccol on Lord Of War. (Typical! You wait ages for a film with Lord in the title, then two come along at once.) The drama - which also looks set to star Matrix Reloaded's Monica Bellucci - will see Cage play a "ruthless global arms dealer" who's being pursued by a dogged Interpol agent. Bellucci would play Cage's conflicted wife. New Zealand-born Niccol first came to prominence with his script for The Truman Show, before directing intriguing sci-fi pic Gattaca. He misfired last year, however, with the Al Pacino satire S1m0ne.

		Marlon Wayans: Ladykiller Marlon Wayans has been blabbing about starring alongside Tom Hanks in the Coen brothers' remake of Ealing comedy classic The Ladykillers. The Scary Movie star says the two films are radically different, as anyone who's seen the trailer will confirm. "I watched the original but this is so different that you really can't take nothing from it," Wayans states. "It's set in a different world. All the characters are completely different. There's really nothing that's the same. The only things that are the same is the title and the story, sort of, but all the characters are so different and so crazy and so quirky. It's such a great ride man! It's funny." And completely unlike the original, apparently. As for working with Ethan and Joel Coen, Wayans has an interesting take on their characters: "It's like someone got two really smart people high!" he laughs. "They are just the coolest guys." The Ladykillers is released in the UK on 3rd September.

		Weisz Up! Runaway Jury star Rachel Weisz will star opposite Ralph Fiennes in the adaptation of John Le Carre's The Constant Gardener. Oscar-nominated City Of God helmer Fernarno Meirelles is the intriging choice for directorial duties, with shooting set to start in May. Despite boasting the worst film title since, well, Le Carre's The Tailor Of Panama in 2001, The Constant Gardener received warm reviews when first published in 2001. Fiennes plays the titular character, a plodding Brit diplomat in Nairobi. Weisz plays his wife, a law student whose snooping into a drug company's dangerous practices ends with her pushing up the daisies. Now it's time for the constant gardener to do some digging of his own (sorry). Weisz beat out Kate Winslet and Eva Green (The Dreamers) for the role.

		Jude Law: Ladykiller This upcoming Alfie remake - what's it all about? Who better to ask than one of Jude Law's co-stars, Omar Epps? "Jude and I are best friends who work for a Limo company, and we want to start our own company," Omar reveals. "I'm estranged from my woman [Nia Long] in the beginning of the film and my playboy best friend is giving me advice on how to get her back." Of course, this wouldn't be Alfie without lots of philandering and philosophising. Or, as Epps somewhat more bluntly puts it, "Jude is shagging everyone in town!" Alfie - directed by Charles 'Father Of The Bride' Shyer - will be released here later this year.

		Taxes And Death The British film industry is reeling (again) after being hit by a particularly savage tax demand - the Inland Revenue is stopping the UK's tax equity funds. Can't tell you what that actually means, but apparently it's bad news for any UK movie with a £10-£20 million budget. Movies set to be affected/potentially closed down include Johnny Depp's The Libertine and John Madden's Tulip Fever... Grosse Pointe Blank star Dan Aykroyd has joined the cast of John Grisham adaptation (dread phrase!) Skipping Christmas. Aykroyd will play "busybody neighbour" Vic Frohmeyer. The Joe Roth-helmed comedy also stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen... Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn will be vying for the affections of Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (us neither) in The Wedding Crashers. The comedy is about two divorce attorneys who pick up women at weddings (see what they did there with their careers?). Shanghai Knights' David Dobkin directs...