Movie Minesweeper - The Mini Minesweeper

I've just found out the UK press screening of Transformers coincides with a Wedding I not only have to attend, I have to 'film'. Very disappointing.

Here's a small-ish Minesweeper update to take my mind off of the disappointment.

- Michael Apted has signed on to direct Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Where were those Neil Burger rumours coming from? And where did they vanish to?

- Zac Efron's debut star vehicle is Seventeen, pitched as Big in reverse and written by Bringing Down the House's Jason Filardi. Which only reminds me how much I love Big and don't like Bringing Down the House at all. Interestingly, Efron is already making weak excuses for his non-involvement in Haunted High School Musical in the mini-interview. Why can't people just be honest about their real motivations?

- The Ridley Scott/Monopoly story has been bouncing around for at least nine days. I didn't buy it then, and I don't buy it now. Though I do know exactly how it could work and... actually, I've just cracked it. A great idea for a Monopoly movie. Hmmmm.... I'll probably have forgotten it by morning, but at least I won't be so cynical about the movie now. Probably.

- Melvil Poupaud is to play a race commentator in Speed Racer.

- SlashFilm has saved our memories and imaginations the bother by putting John Lennon and Yoko Ono alongside Dane Cook and Jessica Alba.

- Jim Broadbent has confirmed his Indy IV role - a Professor at Yale. Teeny cameo? I hope not.

- Talking of that Jones boy, MTV have the first look at Lego Indy. Tee and indeed hee.

- The AV Club have spoken to Joe Dante. Read it.

- The estate of Dr. Seuss have refused to sanction the name Sam I Am for Christina Applegate's new show. The replacement? Samanth Be Good. Better.

- Paul Reubens has a role in Todd Solondz' new film. That strikes me as a perfect combination.

- This all comes from Variety: Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe, Bruno Ganz and Valeria Golino (three and a half out of four is pretty grand) are to star in Theo Angelopoulos' Dust of Time. Meanwhile, Susan Nettlebeck has cast Gillian Anderson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Helen.

- Disney aren't the only US animation house forging alliances in India. Time Warner are also up to the same trick.