BBC - Movies -news article - High Noon

		Space Race Forget the zombies. Forget the Millions: Danny Boyle's latest movie is out of this world. The British helmer is prepping space travel sci-fi thriller Sunshine for lift off with a pencilled in cast that includes Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans (the Fantastic Four actor, not the carrot topped TV presenter). Following a team of astronauts who are sent out into space on a search and rescue mission, Sunshine is scripted by Alex Garland, who previously worked with Boyle on 28 Days Later. Production begins in the UK this August. 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!

		Asterix Returns Here's something to cheer the heart of every depressed Frenchman: Asterix The Movie Part Trois has just been given the green light. Titled Asterix at The Olympic Games, the third film in the Gallic blockbuster will see the return of Gérard Depardieu as Obelix, but feature a new (and as yet unnamed) thesp in the title role. Also joining the cast are Alain Delon and, er, Jean-Claude Van Damme. "It has been a long, hard slog, but the difficulties are behind us now," producer Thomas Langmann told Daily Variety about the struggle to get the third film off the ground. Production is scheduled to start in March 2006 with a French release pegged for 2007.

		A Girl's Best Friend Jennifer Lopez has received a $1 million engagement ring from hubby Marc Anthony to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary. Why the lavish gesture? Possibly because it's the first time that three-times married J-Lo has managed to stay the course for so long - her previous wedlocks with Cuban waiter Ojani Noa and dancer Cris Judd didn't go the 12-month distance. A "family friend" (with a big mouth) told America's Star magazine that since the couple never got properly engaged before their marriage, Anthony decided to splash out on the bling-bling ring: "It's huge, and it sparkles beyond belief. Jennifer was very excited to get it." Marriages may not be forever, but diamonds are...

		It's All Gone Yellow On your marks, Get set, D'oh! It's official: Homer Simpson is coming to a movie theatre near you (hide your popcorn now!). The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has secured the vocal talent of his regular cast and is said to be "delighted" with the finished script for the TV series' first big screen outing reports The Internet Movie Database. "We're going to get the best of both worlds," says spokeswoman Antonia Kaughman. "They finally worked out a movie team, a team of the writers, because we could never hire outside writers - they had to be Simpsons writers, and most of them were working on the show. They finally put this team together that has time on the side, and they've been working on the script. So the movie won't be at the end of the series - they'll be working simultaneously."

		And Finally Ryan Murphy, creator of TV plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, is to direct Need, a psychological thriller about, um, a psychologist. No scalpels required. Angelina Jolie has joined the Live 8 campaign to eliminate Third World Debt. An insider says, "Angelina won't just be putting her name to Live 8, she's also agreed to sacrifice a considerable amount of time for us, which is pretty much unheard of for a Hollywood star." Bless. X-Men 3 director Brett Ratner says he's already taking heat from diehard fans after becoming a last minute replacement for recently departed helmer Matthew Vaughn: "[They think] I'm the antichrist!" But Ratner promises he won't make the same third movie mistakes as 1995's Batman Forever: "I'm not Joel Schumacher. I'm Brett and all I know is what I know, what I can do and what I have to work with." Um, Red Dragon, anyone?