BBC - Films - High Noon - 12th January 2004

		Galaxy Quest For Nighy And Freeman Love Actually star Bill Nighy and Martin Freeman (Tim from The Office) are set to topline sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Talking exclusively to BBCi FILMS, Nighy says he's been cast as alien planet designer Slartibartfast in the long-gestating adaptation of Douglas Adams' novel. Freeman will play Arthur Dent, the everyday Earthling thrust into an interplanetary adventure. "I'm a big fan of the book and the people who are making it are very cool people and I think they're going to do a good job," says Nighy. "It's a really good script. It's really, really faithful [to the book]. All the jokes are there and they're big fat jokes. It's wonderful. And with all the technology we have now, it can not only be a big satisfying comedy but I figure it could be quite exciting as well." Nighy also states that a director isn't set yet, although hotshot music vid team Hammer & Tongs (aka writer-director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith) were on board last High Noon heard. Fingers crossed, it sounds like this could finally liftoff.

		Critical Kudos For King The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King captured four gongs at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards this weekend. Peter Jackson won best director, while Howard Shore nabbed best composer and the cast were named best ensemble. The film, naturally, won best picture. Jackson accepted his award via satellite from New Zealand, where he is working on the extended DVD version of King - for those who thought the third film "too short" (ho ho). Billy Boyd (Pippin) was there on behalf of the cast, and we grabbed a word. "It feels kind of weird but great," he said of the experience. "I just flew in. I've been on holiday. I am going to try and hang around now until the Oscars." Of the movie's Oscar chances, he says, "People have always said since the first one that they're waiting for the third one so we'll wait and see. It seems to be that this is everyone's favourite as well so we'll cross our fingers and see what happens." Other winners on the night included Sean Penn and Tim Robbins as best lead and supporting actors for Mystic River, while Charlize Theron won best actress for Monster and Renée Zellweger was awarded best supporting turn for enlivening Cold Mountain. Finding Nemo won best animated movie, while Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl won best family flick. The superb The Barbarian Invasions was named best foreign film. In America won best screenplay.

		Baldwin Camps Out Alec Baldwin is eyeing a project by Daniel Minahan, director of caustic black comedy Series 7: The Contenders. The Glengarry Glen Ross star, who has won raves for his performance in dark casino comedy The Cooler, says, "I've one or two scripts I'm looking at right now and I really like a script about the life of the designer [Roy] Halston. It's a beautiful movie because his life overlaps the dawn of the age of AIDS in the gay community and the death of couture fashion in America. I hope we get to do that. We're trying to put it together right now."

		Hartnett Harpoons Whale Josh Hartnett as a maths genius with Asperger's syndrome? Anyone? Hello? Well, the Pearl Harbor actor has signed to star as the very same in Mozart And The Whale, a true-life tale about his character's love for a music and arts whizz (Rachel Weisz) who also suffers from the same sort of autism - making their relationship rather tricky. Hartnett appears determined to make it as a Serious Actor and is the driving force behind the project, which he'll make before Brian De Palma thriller The Black Dahlia. Elling director Petter Naess will helm.

		Costner On Horizon Yehaw! Etc. Kevin Costner is going West again. Following the $60 million success of his hardy western Open Range, he'll star and direct Horizon - another oater which he no doubt hopes will replicate the Oscar success of his directorial debut Dances With Wolves. There's no word on the story yet, although we bet he plays a tough-yet-soft-centred frontiersman who must overcome personal trauma to unselfishly aid others.

		Blighty's Booming After years of doom and gloom, the British film industry is benefiting from a boom in production. Investment ballooned to £1.17 billion in 2003, with 177 movies made either in Britain or with notable British involvement. Several Hollywood productions helped, with the Harry Potter series, Troy, and Alexander bringing coin to these shores. Working Title continued to dominate British-led investment, shooting Thunderbirds, Wimbledon, and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.