Some might question whether Brideshead Revisited, the classic novel by Evelyn Waugh, needed to be revisited in a film adaptation; the novel, after all, has been adapted once before in a lengthy and well-beloved British television serial. Fortunately for fans of Waugh's work, this film version of Brideshead, directed by Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane) off a screenplay written by Jeremy Brock and Andrew Davies, is beautifully shot, painstakingly directed, and well worth watching. For the most part, the filmmakers avoid mutilating Waugh's work, although the end result does place a greater emphasis on certain aspects (romance) and limit or eliminate others altogether (the brilliantly written discourses on religion and love that permeate the book).

The film is shot in Castle Howard, also the setting for the miniseries version, and Brideshead itself is a majestic, imposing character that looms over all who encounter it. The screenplay is rather a masterful adaptation; the film handles the compression of years through the storyline with a bit of book-ended time-jumping to both introduce us to the lead characters and close out the story, and Brock and Davies do an able job of whittling the story down to meet the needs of a cinematic experience without losing the feel of Waugh's novel in the process.

One of my favorite classic novels, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, is coming your way in a new adaptation starring what looks to be a perfectly suited cast. Matthew Goode, (Match Point, The Lookout) stars as Charles Ryder, the tale's protagonist and narrator, who befriends the wealthy Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw). When Sebastian brings Charles for a visit to his family's estate, Brideshead Castle, Charles meets Sebastian's sister, Lady Julia Flyte (Hayley Atwell, Cassandra's Dream).

Emma Thompson plays Lady Marchmain, Sebastian and Julia's aristocratic mother, a Roman Catholic for whom her husband, Lord Marchmain, converted his faith from Anglican; in the book, at least, Catholicism is an influence on both the lives and conversations of the characters, especially Lady Marchmain, who uses the duel thumbscrews of guilt and manipulation to control others ... this is a character Thompson can really sink her teeth into, and I look forward to seeing her take on the role.

• Earlier this month, Erik brought news of Lindsay Lohan backing out of her role in the upcoming Oscar Wilde adaptation, A Woman of No Importance. Now, according to a slew of sources, Lohan has been replaced with none other than Jessica Biel. A few years ago this might have seen like a strange replacement, when La Lindsay wasn't boozing it up, and Biel was more known for screams and underwear dancing. However, after a surprising stint in The Illusionist, this could very well be a blessing for Importance. At the very least, it should have much less production drama and gossip.
• I'm sorry fans of the original miniseries, but Brideshead Revisited is getting definitely getting made, and the film has found its leading men. As I previously reported, Julian Jarrold was looking to bring the Evelyn Waugh novel to the big screen. Now The Hollywood Reporter has shared the stars of the film -- Matthew Goode (Heck from Imagine Me & You) and Ben Whishaw (Stoned, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer). Goode will be Charles Ryder (previously played by Jeremy Irons), and Whishaw will be Sebastian Flyte (previously played by Anthony Andrews).
• A whole slew of names and roles have been added to the international film, Adam Resurrected. In December, we brought you news of the upcoming film, which had already signed Jeff Goldblum in the lead, and Willem Dafoe as a co-star (his role has since been released -- that of a concentration camp commandant). German actress Veronica Ferres, who has been added to the cast, says of the film: "There have been many movies about the Holocaust, but this is the first one where Americans, Israelis and Germans have worked together." And she's right -- the rest of the international cast include: Hana Laszlo, Evgenia Dudina, Joachim Król, Juliane Köhler, Ayelet Zurer and Moritz Bliebtreu from Run Lola Run.