Even by Hollywood “In Development” standards, World War Z, the film adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel about a global zombie outbreak has been dragging its heels.

We reported as long ago as last July that Brad Pitt was confirmed on board and although there is plenty of credible talent on both sides of the camera (Babylon 5 and Changeling scribe J Michael Straczynski, Lions for Lambs and State of Play scripter Matthew Carnahan, Monsters Ball and Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster helming) it seems to be taking an absolute age to get going.

Apparently filming is due to get underway this month and frankly, about time too. Newly on board the growing cast list are now Ed Harris (A History of Violence, Apollo 13, Gone Baby Gone) and Matthew Fox (Lost, Party of Five, Speed Racer, Vantage Point). Whether they will each be one of the characters who provide the first-person narration of the story of the war, which in the book is told some 10 years after the events themselves have taken place, is of course very much down to Straczynski and Carnahan and how faithful they choose to remain to the source material.

Here’s to hoping for a lot of globe-spanning zombie carnage before too long.

Sourced from purest, distilled Deadline with a dash of Bloody Disgusting.

American director, Neil LaBute, has cast four of the lead roles for the upcoming film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Crooked House with some of the finest English and Irish actors, Variety reports.

Now signing on to the project are Dame Julie Andrews, Gemma Arterton, Gabriel Byrne, and Matthew Goode, a great mix of classic talent and upcoming stars.

The film is set in 1947 in London. The lead character, Charles Hayward (most likely to be played by Goode) is told by his fiancé, Sophia (most likely Arterton), that the two cannot be wed until the murderer of her grandfather is found. As such, Hayward makes it his business to discover Sophia’s grandfather’s murderer.

Andrews is perhaps most likely to play the role of Sophia’s great-aunt, with Byrne either playing Sophia’s father or uncle. As is natural in Christie’s novels, everyone has a motive, and it is up to Hayward to find the killer before any more lives are taken.

The book has been adapted by the writer of the incredibly popular ITV series, Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, and Tim Rose Price. The budget is set at about $20 million, and shooting is set to start this summer here in the UK. With such a stellar cast now attached to the project, there’s even more reason to expect it to be a success, with so much talent in the cast and crew alike.

LaBute has currently been working in London as director of the play, In a Forest, Dark and Deep, starring Matthew Fox (Lost) and Olivia Williams (An Education), which started in March and will run through until the start of June. Hopefully being in London for the past two months has given him a chance to already start thinking in detail about how he’s going to bring the script to life.

It’s not often that I’ll post things without even watching them but there’s no way I’m spoiling it for myself after so many years of not knowing what the heck is going on in J.J. Abrams’ hit TV series, Lost.

It’s season 6, the final season, we know some things, we don’t know a lot more but to help us on our way, ABC held a sweepstake for 815 winner to receive the first four minutes of Lost, message in a bottle style. Well, those four minutes have now made their way online thanks to Dark UFO. I’m not watching them but I know some of you are on a need to know basis and need to know so here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

Feel free to comment, I just wont read any of them!! Lost is coming back 5th February, 9PM on Sky One.

It’s been a long time coming with polar bears, VW Campers, a company called Darma and a lot of characters but the hit TV show, LOST has been given it’s finale date by hosts, ABC as Tuesday, 2nd February 2010. They also said that they’d end the show with a special “all-night event” which will start at 20:00 ET with a one hour recap special followed by a two-hour premiere leading us up to what we hope might be some answers and the end of one of the best TV shows on the naughties.

Obviously all this info has been released for the US audience. As soon as we find out what’s happening in the UK, we’ll let you know. Matthew Fox was on Jonathan Ross a while back but was giving nothing away. According Fox, Abrams knew at the beginning of the series how it would end, but how he got there was made us as they went along. You can check out the interview here.

One other thing to note is that all of the cast are on the banner above (click to enlarge), does that mean some may return?! Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

Check out the ABC website for more info.