Last October, Scott told you how Will Ferrell was heading to the big-screen Land of the Lost for Universal. However, instead of a family of three -- dad, son, and daughter -- this Hollywoodized version is getting a "disgraced paleontologist, his assistant, and a macho tour guide." I guess a feature comedy without the chance for romance made the original set-up less than desirable. Well, romance could still be had, but certainly not in a PC, or universally acceptable way.

So, the kids are out, and now the assistant has been found. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Will's paleontologist is lucky enough to get stuck in this lost land with Anna Friel, who will play his love interest (and, I assume, his assistant). You might remember the British actress from her shrill Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, her troubled, love-seeking Marina in Me Without You, or maybe her role as Chuck in Pushing Daisies. I have to say -- Will Ferrell is one lucky geek of a man.

Now we just need an un-Savage macho man to round out the team -- perhaps one that tempts Anna with more manly endeavors? I guess the only thing that would suck more than being lost in a strange world is getting stuck, having a cute girlfriend, and then having the only human woman stolen away from you by some macho dude. Production is still slated to begin next month, so we should hear the final bit of casting soon.

When Jessica Barnes first blogged about Julie Delpy's Elizabeth Bathory picture called The Countess, she also mentioned another one in the works -- Bathory, coming from Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko. Now Variety is giving out a little more information about the dueling, bloody biopics. First, Delpy's Countess. The actress/director has been keeping tight-lipped about her production, but it's gearing up for a modest $6.6 million, shooting in parts of Hungary and Slovakia where Bathory ruled. Delpy wrote the script, and is starring with Ethan Hawke and Vincent Gallo. How's that for a trio?

Now, Jakubisko's project has been described as a "feminist" adaptation -- a description which sounds a little silly considering that Delpy is the head of the other one, and he's a man, so it might not be the best distinction. Nevertheless, this project is said to have "a more epic setting," delving into her life from age 10 to age 45, when she died in imprisonment. He has "put his distinctive stamp on the battle sequences and constantly moves the action from manor houses to more than 20 different castles and chateaus, with 120 speaking characters and thousands of extras." If it sounds too epic to be pulled off -- the filming is already complete. While all sounds well and good, I'm not so sure his star can live up to Delpy. Jakubisko's feature stars Anna Friel. I've enjoyed some of her roles, especially her troubled Marina in Me Without You, but I can't help but fear that she'll be a whiney princess, and who wants wailing royalty?