Pop band Gorillaz, the cartoon group created by Damon Albarn, are set to feature in their own film.

The Blur frontman said the animated band's second album will be the soundtrack for the movie.

The group is fronted by four animated characters created by cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, with music made by Albarn and a range of collaborators.

They had hits with songs including Clint Eastwood last year and are set to perform at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, where they are nominated in six categories.

 Click here to watch a clip of Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz

Hewlett told BBC Radio Four's Front Row programme that the Gorillaz film will be avoiding music movie clich�s.

He said: "We want to totally avoid any Spinal Tap-type references.

Damon Albarn is also Blur's lead singer

"It is just a story about the characters. It will give a strong idea about we think about celebrities and the pop world."

Albarn added that the look of the film would be different to what will be on show at the Brits.

The cartoon characters will be projected onto giant screens while the band play out of sight.

The virtual band are soon to become stars in the video game world.

Music fans will be able to take control of one of the characters through digital TV sets and guide them in an arcade-style game called Zombie Kong.

Gamers will control one of the virtual band members, Noodle, through 12 levels in which they must guide her through obstacles with their TV remote controls.

Big seller

The game, set to launch on Friday, will be similar to classic arcade game Donkey Kong and available on interactive TV station PlayJam.

Their debut album Gorillaz, which went to number three in the UK albums chart in March 2001, was one of the biggest-selling CDs last year.

They won two prizes at the MTV Europe awards, a trio of prizes at the UK Online Music Awards and one Q Award.

When they were named on the shortlist for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, they were made favourites but soon demanded to be taken off.

Winning would be "like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity", they said.