Ahead of next week’s publication of Lord Smith’s review on the state and future of the British film industry David Cameron visited Pinewood Studios today to deliver a speech setting out his thoughts on the aims of the industry.

The choice of Pinewood was well made. The studio, which is already two projects into its new initiative of film production as well as being an icon of British film, is at the heart of the industry in this country and much of what Mr. Cameron said will impact those working in this, and other, British studios.

Lord Smith’s report is expected to focus lottery funding to encourage more commercially successful, the word ‘mainstream’ rears its head here, as well as culturally rewarding films and the Prime Minister talked about the £4bn contribution to the economy as well as the ‘incalculable contribution to our culture’ of British film in his speech. His encouragement of the talent in the industry here is commendable, and he is right to promote this sector in the glowing terms he does.

However, unless you’re Martin Sheen, politics and filmmaking are rarely tender bedfellows, with the clamour for immense financial returns often running up against the artistic vision of the filmmakers. Though this is clearly not always the case it is at the heart of the statement from the Prime Minister.  A key misunderstanding comes here, the devil revealed in this particular detail,

Our role, and that of the BFI, should be to support the sector in becoming even more dynamic and entrepreneurial, helping UK producers to make commercially successful pictures that rival the quality and impact of the best international productions.

Equating quality and the nebulous notion of impact with commercial success gives us a few scenarios. The first is that we pump out films like Disney’s recent Alice in Wonderland which, through star power and audience familiarity with the characters, made a mint despite disappointing many. A second, and more troubling, option is that projects are only put into production once their original vision is adapted for maximum financial potential.

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire surprised many people with its success, not least at the 2009 Oscars; it became a defining film of that year, and many in the UK will remember the marketing campaign coating the image of a hugging Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel with the graceless misnomer ‘The Feel-Good movie of the Decade’. That this was not expected to make any money, and was considered for a straight-to-DVD release, is important.

Number 10 are naturally keen to pull out The King’s Speech as an example of how successful a British Independent film can be. Likewise Harry Potter is rolled out as the other end of the production spectrum, focusing on the British talent involved in front of, and behind, the camera. When I spoke to Tom Hooper last year, prior to his Oscar win, he talked of the process of getting the film out there, and how he found the commercially focused studio system,

[The King's Speech] has taken on this momentum, so people might not acknowledge it as a British, small budget, independent film. But that’s what it is. Without the Film Council it would not have got made, without Momentum, the distributors, it wouldn’t have got made. And the studios all had it, but they were never going to make it in today’s climate.

It may change, and these things are cyclical, but at the moment the studios are focused on films that make £400 million or so, or franchises that can make over a billion and they’re not so interested in this kind of filmmaking. I think it might change but certainly when I was setting The King’s Speech up that was the world we were in.

So what do we do? Have Noel Clarke complete the Kidulthood trilogy with Knighthood? Should Joe Cornish have made Decorate the Block (with Carol Smillie and Alesha Dixon), maybe Ben Wheatley have made a film about two men organising a dinner party,

Shopping List?

Should Andrew Haigh have been encouraged to throw in a mainstream actor to bump up the audience appeal for Weekend?

Where will it all end?

Not here. But you get my point?

The recent BAFTA awards longlist failed to include Kill List or Weekend, despite both films having a very strong showing critically and commercially. Whether it is the pre-Oscar placing or a desire to be seen as mainstream and populist those omissions are stark indicators of where we find ourselves. Richard Ayoade’s Submarine was a shining example of a new voice emerging, as was Chris Morris’s Four Lions the year before. Both had the quality Cameron appears to be talking about, but not the impact, assuming soaring box office hauls and success abroad (i.e. America) is what is suggested here. The question therefore is, if the UK Producers are being supported to focus on making commercially successful films as a guiding principle, would these films have been made?

We need a British Film industry that encourages, develops, supports and celebrates the variety of talent it has, commercial success is necessary and a very high priority for everyone involved in each film that is produced. Understanding that the nuturing of homegrown talent enables the individual rivulets to find their way to making up the mainstream rather than simply being thrown in and becoming obscured by it is crucial.  If the report by Lord Smith has these ambitions then we should see a continuation of the emergence of a strong identity through filmmaking. Focusing on the box office take is not the way to do this.

David Cameron’s full speech is printed below and further information is available on the Number 10 website,

The UK film industry, the skills and crafts that support it, and our creative industries more widely, make a £4bn contribution to our economy and an incalculable contribution to our culture.

“But in this year when we set out bold ambitions for the future, when the eyes of the world will be on us, I think we should aim even higher, building on the incredible success of recent years.

“Our role, and that of the BFI, should be to support the sector in becoming even more dynamic and entrepreneurial, helping UK producers to make commercially successful pictures that rival the quality and impact of the best international productions. Just as the British Film Commission has played a crucial role in attracting the biggest and best international studios to produce their films here, so we must incentivise UK producers to chase new markets both here and overseas.

“I am confident that Lord Smith’s Review will form an ambitious blueprint, and look forward to his recommendations next week.

As do we all.

It’s an unusal beauty parade but the latest image to wing its way from Bag End is the perfect way to complement the many seperate images we’ve seen of the dwarves from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films.

With the third of Jackson’s video blogs from the set pushing all the right buttons the momentum for this film is building slowly and while The Hobbit won’t have a presence over in San Diego this weekend there should be a teaser trailer not too far in our future.

Rope of Silicon had this image and list the cast as follows:

JED BROPHY as Nori, DEAN O’GORMAN as Fili, MARK HADLOW as Dori, JAMES NESBITT as Bofur, PETER HAMBLETON as Gloin, GRAHAM McTAVISH as Dwalin, RICHARD ARMITAGE as Thorin Oakenshield (center), KEN STOTT as Balin, JOHN CALLEN as Oin, STEPHEN HUNTER as Bombur, WILLIAM KIRCHER as Bifur, ADAM BROWN as Ori and AIDAN TURNER as Kili.

Here’s the image, get clicking to have it get all big.

After giving us a second look at the production of The Hobbit less than two weeks ago, Peter Jackson’s now released the third instalment of the video diary from the two-part film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There And Back Again.

Just like the first two, Jackson has released this third video via his own Facebook page. He apologises that The Hobbit won’t be coming to this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, but says that it’s more than likely they’ll be there this time next year.

He explained his decision by saying,

“New Line and Warner Bros were very happy to support a presentation, but I declined, simply because I felt it was too early. There’s so much more of the films still to shoot. I just wanted to get that out there, because I’ve seen various references to the possibility of something Hobbity at Comic Con. Hate to disappoint anyone. But something tells me we will be there in force next year.”

And as a sort of consolation, we’ve got the third production video diary to enjoy. It’s made up of footage taken from the first of the three blocks of shooting being done for this film, and it opens and closes with Peter Jackson wandering around Pinewood Studios here in the UK, which suggests that filming in the second and/or third blocks could well be done here in our own backyard.

Through the course of the video, we get to see some great footage of Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis as Bilbo and Gollum on set in a cave. We also get to see Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Sir Ian McKellen in costume as the brilliant Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf. Brilliant stuff. And be sure to watch until the end to get a great last line from Christopher Lee.

We’ve been getting so many photos lately of all of the dwarves, we now get to see them all in and out of costume, talking about their favourite memories from the first shooting block. And there’s a really nice moment near the end, talking to Richard Armitage, who plays Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves, and he tells us that one of his favourite moments so far was when they were all lined up together wearing their gear, taking it all in. As he says in the video, it’s spine-tingling material watching it happen, being taken back to Middle-earth.

At just under a quarter of an hour, these video diaries might seem like they’re quite long, but you lose yourself in them as soon as they start, and this one’s definitely a must-watch for fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. One of the highlights for me has got to be the dwarf Bombur’s ridiculous air guitar/drum rendition of one of Tolkien’s songs from the novel. We also get a nice shot of John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings, visiting the set – just visiting – whilst the Company of Dwarves are sitting round the table in Bag End.

Jackson writes on his Facebook page,

“I’ve been on the go since wrapping the first shooting block, but I’m about to settle down and get into the much delayed 20 Questions. I’ve a few half-written and will get those done very, very soon! I promise!”

So we can expect more updates to come from him in the near future, and you can be sure we’ll keep you up to date on that and everything else when it comes. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due out on 14^th December, 2012, and The Hobbit: There And Back Again is due out a year later on 13^th December, 2013, with both films being released in 3D. And without further ado, here is the latest video diary. If you’d like to watch it in beautiful HD, then you can do so here.

Last week we managed to tap into our dormant mutant powers and attend the press conference for X-Men: First Class to hear firsthand experiences of the production from key members of the cast and co-scribe Jane Goldman. Our review of the film is here and you can check it out right now as it is released in UK cinemas today.

Everyone appeared to be in a fun and playful mood (probably bolstered considerably by the more than favourable feedback the film is currently receiving) and amongst more general chitchat, the cast was happy to discuss the more outlandish aspects of bringing comic book characters to life on the big screen.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were first asked about how they tackled the pivotal roles of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, and how much they looked towards the previous actors who inhabited both roles to inform their own performances:

Fassbender’s initial approach was to follow what came before:

“When I first found I’d got the job, I thought about studying Ian McKellen and getting my hands on anything I could when he was a young man on screen and studding his physicality and voice. Then I sat down with Matthew [Vaughan] and we decided that wasn’t the way he wanted me to go and so I ditched that idea totally and used the comic book source material.”

McAvoy’s take differed slightly:

“It had to be different because the franchise needed to be freshened and new but also there’s no point having that same character played the same way in a different suit as it doesn’t validate the movie. It has to be different. I took a lot of notes on Sir Patrick Stewart’s performance but it was more about seeing how I could make him different, so where Sir Patrick was wise, I’d be foolhardy, where he was chaste, I’d be randy.

If we end up making another couple of film, I’ll end up doing something much more like Sir Patrick Stewart, but it was really important to start from a different place.”

McAvoy was asked if he has any idea how Xavier’s baldness could be addressed in a later film:

“Not sure yet. In the comic books he loses his hair the day his powers are activated but we decided not to do that and maybe it’s a smart move in an origin story. We spend time in this movie explaining why he can’t walk and so we get to see how he loses his hair in another movie. I don’t know what we’ll do it, but we need to embrace the change and not just have him at the start of another movie bald.”

McAvoy in on how the mutant abilities are portrayal in the film:

“At the beginning of the film, a lot of the powers are quite off-hand and flippant, and I like that. It made it much more part of their everyday life.”

Fassbender on who is ultimately right in the duelling ideologies between Charles and Erik:

“It’s up to the audience to decide. That’s what interests me as an actor and also as an audience member when I go to the cinema. Particularly with big commercial film, the audience can be spoon-fed through the entire experience. I believe that you should have to invest something of yourself into films and do a little work, so when you leave the cinema or theatre you should be having those conversations with friends afterwards. There should be an ambiguity and there should be grey areas.”

On using his hands to help convey Magneto’s powers:

“There was an element of me which felt like a bit of an idiot – a grown man trying to bend things, and I wasn’t sure if I should have used my hands at first. The safety net was that the fact that Erik at this point in his life is not really sure how to harness his powers, so it is a little haphazard and random, and it’s only through meeting Charles that he really unleashes his full potential. I was really happy when I watched the film with what Bill [Miner] had done with the young Erik, which was amazing. I was really happy to see in the film I was echoing what he had started off.”

Kevin Bacon is at his most suave and menacing in the role of lead villain Sebastian Shaw, but his knowledge of the X-Men world didn’t stem from childhood:

“I wasn’t a huge comic book fan as a kid, but the great thing was the day I arrived at Pinewood, the guys from Marvel came out with this gigantic bible of everything that had been written about and every sketch of Sebastian Shaw, and that was probably around 75% of my research.”

On playing his character and how to bring a reality to proceedings:

“It was great to be a mutant! When you look at this movie, aside from the powers and mutations all the characters have, compared to many other comic book movies they are extremely human in the way that they feel things. They experience jealousy, hate, and fear. They get drunk together. I think that was the challenge from an acting standpoint – forget about your powers and to constantly bring it back to who am I on the human side.

The chance to get to work with some of the finest, young actors of today who are constantly blowing up or are about to blow up, was also a thrill. It’s just a kickass cast.”

Jason Flemying (who plays the demonic Azazel) is a veteran of director Matthew Vaughan’s film work, in both a directing and producing capacity. He was asked if Vaughan’s working methods had changed at all on a huge production like this:

“I don’t think his methods have changed. He has a team of people who fluctuate between his movies. Unfortunately, I’ve done more because I’m always available (laughs). His working methods stay the same and it’s amazing to be on a movie this big and look out to the stage and see the sound boys and some of the costume people from ‘Lock, Stock’. He likes to work in shorthand. He’s managed to change genres and still nails it each time.”

Co-screenwriter Jane Goldsmith was asked how close the film fits within the X-Men universe:

“I think it would be impossible to write something that completely fitted into the X-Men universe because even the comics don’t have it totally accurate, when different artists and writers have come along and don their own take.

I think the most important thing is to tell a good story but be respectful of the source material and be true to the spirit of it.”

She talked about how much of an input she had into casting:

“I certainly had conversations about it. Of course, ultimately, it’s the director’s final choice, but I like to stick my oar in whenever I can.”

And the film’s period setting:

“I don’t think it was a gimmick at all. I thought it was a terrific ideal of Bryan Singer to come up with a story against that political backdrop.”

Spanish actor Alex Gonzalez’s approach to playing mutant and Shaw henchman Riptide, who can control and manipulate tornados:

“Riptide can control the wind and it was very helpful for me to work with how a tornado functions. When you look at a tornado from afar, it goes very slowly, but inside of it, it’s going really fast. Riptide is the same thing. He’s very elegant and calm but inside of him everything is going really fast. And yes, I was about to throw up several times.”

X-Men: First Class is released nationwide today.

And so it continues… Living up to the promise at the foot of yesterday’s ‘Oliver Platt in X-Men: First Class‘ post, it seems we’re in for a ton of casting announcements regarding Matthew Vaughn’s film.

Today, via XmenFilms.net we’ve learned that Morgan Lily, who was last seen in Roland Emmerich’s CG apocalypse-a-thon 2012, is confirmed as the young Mystique.

The older incarnation will be played by Winter’s Bone star Jennifer Lawrence, so there’s a chance we’ll be seeing a flashback or two for each of the characters in the film.

Lily also has a role in Rob Reiner’s coming of age movie Flipped as the younger version of Juli, played by Madeline Carroll.

It’s getting hard to keep up with the cast so far, but suffice to say that everything you need to know is contained here. Still no Cyclops or Jean Grey announced yet…

Thanks to HeyUGuys reader Anthony for the heads up.

The cast list for X-Men: First Class keeps on growing, we’ve had Jason Flemyng and Rose Byrne jump on board in the last 36 hours and now the name of Oliver Platt has been added to Matthew Vaughn’s film.

Deadline named Platt and offered up The Man in Black as his character, stating only that he’s not a mutant, and not a lot else. There’s no obvious comic book equivalent so speculation is rife about what role Platt will be taking in the story – will he line up alongside Kevin Bacon’s villain?

Platt is always interesting whatever he’s in, and I can’t wait for the finalised cast to line up in front of the press as it’ll be a strange and eclectic mix.

Here’s the entire casting saga so far, three weeks until shooting begins which means there could be another twenty or so names announced before then.

Hot on the heels of Jason Flemyng’s announcement at Empire’s Movie-Con that he will be appearing in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class as Azazel, the father of Nightcrawler, THR are penciling in another name on the class register.

Rose Byrne, recently seen in Get Him to the Greek and soon to be appearing in the Kristen Wiig comedy Bridesmaids, would play Moira MacTaggert,

a scientist and an authority on genetic mutation. She’ll be the love interest of James McAvoy, who plays mutant telepath Charles Xavier

You may recall that Rosamund Pike was rumoured to be lining up for this role, but if the dotted line is signed then Byrne would be joining a stellar cast for Vaughn’s entry into the superhero saga, dealing with the early years of the X-Men. Filming is scheduled to start in the next month over at Pinewood.

Jennifer Lawrence is the latest star to officially sign on to star in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class. Lawrence will play the character of Mystique in the prequel according to the report to THR.

Lawrence joins James McAvoy, Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Fassbender, Alice Eve, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till and Kevin Bacon in Vaughn’s follow-up to the hugely successful Kick-Ass.

The buzz surrounding Lawrence’s role in Winter’s Bone has been non-stop since it won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January, so I’m sure she will bring her own level of acting supremacy to the role.

X-Men: First Class will see Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr before they were crowned as Professor X and Magneto, respectively. It will track their friendship, allies with other mutants as they work together to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. During the process, a rift will come between Professor X and Magneto, the start of the eternal war.

X-Men: First Class is set to be released in 2011, and you can check our coverage here.

Reported by Jamie Neish

Tonight’s X-Men: First Class rumour comes courtesy of Deadline, whose scant news is that Kevin Bacon is talking to all the right people about playing the villain of Matthew Vaughn’s film.

There were three posts devoted to the casting of this film yesterday, all X-Men in the making, so the villain angle this news pertains to is nicely timed to add a little variety.

Certainly, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender teaming up against Mr. Bacon would be something to see, and since we don’t know yet if Bacon is taking on the role of Mr. Sinister or the Hellfire Club’s Sebastian Shaw or a new villain altogether there’s still plenty of posts to be had as more rumours flutter around the huge blue Internet sky.

So we have three X-Men: First Classmates signed up in one day – Aaron Johnson as Cyclops, Nicholas Hoult as Beast and now there’s confirmation of a Latino Review  rumour that was going around concerning the character of Banshee.

Variety have the confirmation that Caleb Landry Jones will play the character of Sean Cassidy and his Sonic Scream equipped alter ego Banshee in the Matthew Vaughn movie, now in production in the UK. Future gigs for this actor include a role in the Fincher/Sorkin Facebook saga The Social Network as well as appearing in The Last Exorcism, so depending on the size of the role in X-Men: First Class this may be his biggest role to date.

Ok, so that surely must complete the X-Men: First Class casting right? For tonight at least…

Very interesting news breaking right now regarding Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class and, yes, it’s another casting decision.

There have been a ton of names orbiting this project ever since James McAvoy was signed up to play the youthful Charles Xavier. He has been followed by Aaron Johnson, Alice Eve, the always wonderful Michael Fassbender among others and now this new name is thrown into the ring.

Nicholas Hoult is reportedly signed up to play the character of Hank McCoy, better known as Beast.

We had heard that Benjamin Walker was tipped to play the part, but Deadline are now reporting that Nicholas Hoult is lining up for the part. Hoult made a great impression in Tom Ford’s A Single Man, was lost in the mess of Clash of the Titans and will soon be shooting George Miller’s Mad Max movies.

The list of incoming mutant set to attend X-Men: First Class seemingly grows every day.

Not twelve hours ago news was posted that Alice Eve was the latest recruit to Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men film, she’ll be stepping into the role of Emma Frost, and now there’s another name rumoured to be involved.

The character of Banshee, who goes by the name of Sean Cassidy when he has his civilian trousers on, is said (by Latino Review, whose rumour wildfire we are currently fanning) to be going to Caleb Landry Jones.

I know!

The only connection I can find is a role on a US TV show called Friday Night Lights and an appearance in the forthcoming horror The Last Exorcism to his name, but not knowing how big a role Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn will ascribe to Banshee there’s really nothing more here than another name to the list.

His special power is a Sonic Scream appropriately and there’s a whole host of info on the character here, if you’re so inclined to delve.

What I do like is the variety and quality of actors confirmed so far (click here for a list) – coming off Kick-Ass and Stardust I can imagine there’s plenty of actors lining up to join Vaughn and Goldman on their next adventure.

To begin at the beginning then.

Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, who previously impressed with Stardust and Kick-Ass, took over as Headmaster and Headmistress of Marvel’s next step into the mutantverse as director and writer of X-Men: First Class.

They cast James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier. This was a good move, and the internet smelled blood in the pool – knowing the list of characters likely to show up in the film the rumour mill went into a tailspin.

Names such as Michael Fassbender, Aaron Johnson, and Andrew Garfield flew around the ether and while we know that Fassbender has decided to sign on the dotted line to play Magneto there appears to be nothing more on the involvement of the other two, who may or may not have ever been approached or involved.

Then Rosamund Pike and Amber Heard jumped on the rumour train and at the next stop Benjamin Walker was supposed to have signed on to play the young Beast.

And guess what? There’s a new name in the mix tonight with Alice Eve, who was once rumoured to be involved with Captain America as a potential Peggy Carter, now signed up to play Emma Frost, the role Rosamund Pike was supposedly attached to, although we know that Pike is still involved in the production.

So, that’s just a recap of the names so far, expect more soon.

Previously discussed was the tug-of-war between Sony and Fox for the services of one of our favourite actors, Michael Fassbender, for their Spider-Man and X-Men: First Class films respectively.

Anyone who has watched Fassbender in his British films such as Fish Tank  and the outstanding Hunger will know exactly why he is being courted and his standout turn in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds will have opened Hollywood’s eyes to his talent

HeatVision are saying that Fassbender is now in early negotiations to play Erik Lensherr (Magneto) in the latest X-Men film, here’s their exact words,

The studio has been testing and reading actors such as Aaron Johnson and Andrew Garfield to join James McAvoy, who is playing Professor Xavier in the movie, which focuses on the superpowered team X-Men in a younger incarnation than the previous trilogy.

So, while this is no confirmation it could show which way the wind is blowing in Fassbender’s mind, and I’d rather see him here, facing up to James McAvoy, but along with the recent reports on Rosamund Pike and Amber Heard signing up for Mutants 101 there’s another name thrown into the ring – the man who would be Beast…

Showbiz 411 appear to be confirming a NYT article about the casting of one Benjamin Walker as the young Hank McCoy. Not familiar with his work on screen a quick search find his defining role to date appears to be in New York theatreland hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which which is still running across the pond.

Interesting times for X-Men, personally I can’t wait until we’ve got a full line up, I am wondering which role, if any, X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn has lined up for Mark Strong…

It’s worth mentioning in the first instance that only James McAvoy has been confirmed as appearing in Matthew Vaughn’s  X-Men: First Class, and the resultant slew of rumours are just that, and unnamed sources will be cited until official word comes from Vaughn and Fox as to the full line up of Mutant High.

So, last week saw the (admittedly pretty cool) rumour that Michael Fassbender was being sought to play Erik Lensherr (or Magneto to his enemies)  in Vaughn’s film, and Aaron Johnson also orbiting the production as a potential Cyclops after this photo made its way online…

What I want to know is - who is that guy in the bottom right? Is that Wolverine's Dad? Magneto's cousin? And 'Villandry'? Is that some deliberate codified nod to the X-Men faithful? No. Probably not.

Then An Educated girl Rosamund Pike was tipped to play Emma Frost – but hold! There are more rumours and counter-rumours to this one.

The Playlist have a good take on this, and bring updated rumours of Pike’s involvement – that she is not in line, as expected, for Emma Frost but as Professor X’s personal assistant Moira MacTaggert.

Leaping aboard the rumour train too is Amber Heard, she of the Pineapple Express and Mandy Lane (whom all the boys loved) fame. Heard is rumoured to be a shoo-in or a young Mystique.

Make of these what you will. I’m hoping for some official confirmation, as while Fantasy X-Men is all well and good it would be nice to have a real cast list to play with.

Following the Michael Fassbender/Magneto rumour which has been going around there’s another name emerging from the internet ether regarding Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class – that of British actress Rosamund Pike.

Fans of the comic book series will know instinctively which part Pike would be perfect for – and according to Forces of Geek, Pike was seen leaving the offices of Matthew Vaughn’s casting director Lucinda Syson with a copy of the X-Men: Origins -Emma Frost comic book.

Pike is soon to be seen in Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham (the first images of which were posted recently) and she was fantastic in An Education alongside Carey Mulligan, so her star is in the ascendant.

Now, of course this could be a case of Another day, Another speculative comic-book casting post, and no doubt they will be confirmation sooner or later, but for now the Fantasy Cast of Fassbender and Pike (with maybe Aaron Johnson in there too) looks pretty good.

Jonathan Ross pretty much confirmed on his radio show yesterday that X Men: First Class will be shooting at Pinewood this summer. Now there is a small chance he might have been talking about another project but all the signs point to the new X Men film shooting at Pinewood this summer.

The film is set to be directed by Matthew Vaughn and is being written by Ross’ wife Jane Goldman (pictured left). The pair previously worked together on Stardust and Kick-Ass (both filmed at Pinewood) and they will hopefully have some success in re-igniting the X Men franchise following the mess that was X Men: The Last Stand and the somewhat weak X Men Origins: Wolverine.

Things appear to be moving very quickly on this project with the news that James McAvoy is playing Professor X and the recent casting rumours surrounding Aaron Johnson. The film is set to be released on the 3rd of June 2011 and be sure to check back here as we will have all the latest news on the film between now and then.You can read the press release on the film below in case you need a reminder on the set up.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, following the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known.

Thanks to Bleeding Cool for the heads up Ross’ comments.

The drive-in movie is an American institution, but it’s never really caught on in the UK. Consequently generations of Britons have been taunted by images of our American cousins enjoying films from the comfort of their own cars, while the closest we’ve been able to come to an approximation of the experience involves ram-raiding the local Odeon.

Fortunately for those of us in the UK who aren’t willing to go to such drastic lengths, Pinewood Studios have come to our rescue. Between now and the end of the year the renowned film studio has set aside an area of their lot to screen a series of drive-in movies. HeyUGuys were fortunate enough to be invited along to their screening of The Shining, and we’re pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint.

As we arrived at the studio we joined a queue of traffic backed up along a country lane in Buckinghamshire. As we edged closer to our destination we rounded a corner, and were confronted by the entrance to the studio: a large, sweeping canopy, with a multi-coloured light show illuminating the words “˜Pinewood Studio’.

After we were let in, we re-joined the queue of traffic, heading towards the Paddock Lot, where we would be watching the film. As we drove through the studio we passed monumentally large stages, and old buildings festooned with plaques commemorating filmmakers who have worked at the studio.

Eventually we pulled into the area in which the film would be shown. On our left was Pinewood’s Underwater Stage, on our right, a vast screen, just behind which was the (currently empty) exterior water tank. Driving past the tank we got a clear view of the screen, and realised just how monumental it was. At 240ft wide, and 60ft high this dwarfs the IMAX at Waterloo.

We eventually parked the car about 100 feet from the screen, ordered some snacks, re-tuned the radio and waited.

And waited.

During this wait, we were treated to disco classics on the radio, and had enough time to realise that the car in front was slightly blocking the bottom of the screen. This wasn’t a problem for long, however, as we simply moved our car a couple of feet backwards, and the screen was in perfect view.

As the film began to roll we made ourselves comfortable and began to get into the film. Unfortunately there was a repeated rhythmic hissing sound on the radio; music broadcast on another frequency was interfering with the film’s soundtrack. This was solved easily enough though, by simply re-tuning the radio. A similar quick fix, involving a bag and the car’s parcel shelf was used to block out a light shining through the rear window. These little annoyances out of the way, we finally gave the film our full attention.

It would be entirely fair to say that The Shining loses something when shown as a drive-in movie. Any sense of suspense is shattered by the sound of engines being turned on periodically to clear windscreens and recharge batteries, as well as the sight of people wandering around the car park, trying to find the toilet.

The soundtrack also fails to stand up when played through the tinny little speakers of the Fiat 500 we were in, but these niggles are minor compared to everything we got from the experience.

The privacy of the car made the experience a lot less formal than being in the cinema, and consequently allowed us to literally put our feet up and relax. At the same time, the fact that we weren’t watching a perfect presentation of the film gave us license to discuss the film as we watched, all without fear of disturbing anyone around us.

There was also something much less tangible added to the film by the novelty of where we were. Unlike American studios, with their backlot tours, Pinewood rarely opens it’d gates to the public, so watching a film that was shot there in such an unusual fashion really was a rare and incredible experience.

The studio is running screenings until Saturday 6th December. A full list of films showing is available at the Pinewood Studios website.