Happiness Sold Separately

Julia Roberts will produce and perhaps star in an adaptation of Happiness Sold Separately, a novel by Lolly Winston. Says director Scott Coffey, "I've been looking for something to do with Julia for a really long time, and I finally found the project that was worthy of her," he admitted. "I couldn't get Julia out of my head when I was reading Lolly's book. Elinor is such a strong, complicated woman, and bringing her to the screen required Julia's integrity, empathy, humor and legs." --Kim

A Royal Welcome

Here are the first two official stills from the sequel to Elizabeth, (a.k.a. "The Golden Age") starring Cate Blanchett and Clive "Mr. Darcy" Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh (I'm weak in the knees already). The movie was filmed last year in the UK and will be released next year. Samantha Morton plays Mary Queen of Scots and Geoffrey Rush is back as Sir Francis Walsingham. -- Amy

Incidentally, here's what Cate told The Guardian about her decision to do the sequel:
"...I don't think I wanted to play Elizabeth I in the first place. I remember reading the script and saying, 'Wow, this is going to be an ego trip for someone, but it's not going to be for me' - but there I was, having the ego trip. ...I've remained really good friends with Shekhar [Kapur, the director], and he and Geoffrey Rush had been talking about [the Elizabeth sequel] The Golden Age for a long time. I kept saying no because I couldn't see why. But suddenly there was this fantastic script that had the potential to talk about a woman approaching middle age; and I thought that, if the first film was about denial, this one, in a way, is about acceptance of that ageing process."

Who's Counting?

Dark Horizons reports that a modern retelling of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is in the works. The Prince is a psychological thriller set at a prep school where one student is framed for perpetrating a Columbine-style attack. After being sent to prison, he remerges with a new identity -- and a serious bone to pick with his former classmates. -- Amy

Ioan Blasts Burberry! Stars Unite Against Clothing Manufacturer

"Last September, Burberry announced it was to close its Treorchy factory in the Rhondda valley. But it has met fierce opposition from celebrities including Ioan Gruffudd, the global face of Burberry known for his roles in Titanic and Horatio Hornblower, and Charlotte Church." (The Observer) --Kim

Book or Film? Jude the Obscure

The Daily Telegraph's Philip Horne weighs in on which is better: Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, or Michael Winterbottom's 1996 "not so feel-good" film adaptation starring Christopher Eccleston in the title role and Kate Winslet as his unlucky charm, Sue Bridehead. Horne loved the movie, which is funny, seeing as how we at Romancing the Tome described it at The Happy Booker as one of the all-time most anguishing film adaptations we can recall. Of course, we're a little partial to period movies where the characters are still alive by the end. Leave it to Hardy to leave us clamoring for a Prozac prescription. -- Amy

The Write Stuff?

Johnny Depp did it. So have Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and Anne Hathaway. And now....Lindsay Lohan? Find out what has the Guardian scratching its head today... -- Amy

"The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat in Medieval France"

I've never heard of this book by Eric Jager, but the title makes me giddy. And Scorcese directing? Huzzah!!!!-- Amy