Well, cross your fingers, it looks like there might be a sequel to Trainspotting after all. Scotsman.com reported that Danny Boyle has confirmed that "all the actors" from the original cast (Well, not Tommy obviously, but I don't want to spoil it for the uninitiated) will be returning for a film version of Irvine Welsh's Porno (the follow-up to his 1993 novel Trainspotting). Rumblings of a sequel have been going on for years, but considering the relationship between Ewan McGregor and Boyle since their falling out over the casting for The Beach, it seemed that a sequel was not to be.

The mood changed from far-out idea to a real possibility when Boyle became more vocal about the likelihood of a sequel, albeit with a few conditions of his own. But it looked like we were back to square one when Chris had the news that McGregor had supposedly put the brakes on the whole idea. McGregor was attributed with the quote, "They can go ahead and do it if they want, but it will be without me on board." So far, McGregor has been unavailable for comment on Boyle's most recent claim, but if it all works out and McGregor does reprise his role, this could be the Martin and Lewis reunion for this generation -- not to mention we'll get to see a film we've been wanting for a very long time.

[via CHUD]

Depending on your point of view, if you were a fan of Tim Winton's novel Dirt Music, you were either crushed or relieved when casting fell apart for the big screen adaptation last November. The first casting change came when Nicole Kidman left the film and was replaced by Rachel Weisz. Then, Heath Ledger dropped out of the project to focus on his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. It would seem that everything is now back on track for the film, since Variety has reported that Colin Farrell has taken over from Ledger to co-star with Weisz in the Outback drama.

The novel centered on the relationship between a middle-aged alcoholic single mother and a local poacher, set against the backdrop of rural Australia. Philip Noyce, who also helmed To Catch A Fire and The Saint (although I'll try not to hold that against him) is directing and also co-producing the film. Shooting is set to begin this August in North Western Australia. You can't help but notice that there is a touch of a "Hollywood makeover" at work when the role of middle-aged alcoholic is transformed into Rachel Weisz and a grizzled bushman turns into Colin Farrell.

**Douglas Coupland was the poster boy for the slacker movement in the early 90's - his novel Shampoo Planet was the handbook for over-educated and under stimulated "Generation X'ers" (a term he popularized). For better or for worse, Coupland was forever tied into the iconography of the 90's -- flannel, Nirvana, and coffee houses. Coupland has become a bit of a Canadian Icon in the last few years through his Souvenir of Canada project -- a series of coffee table books that are his take on the Canadian identity.

Variety has reported that Shoreline Entertainment has picked up Douglas Coupland's Everything's Gone Green for distribution. This is Coupland's first attempt at a screenplay and the film was directed by Paul Fox and stars Paulo Costanzo (Road Trip). Constanzo plays the typical Coupland protagonist who stumbles into a money-laundering scheme only to find himself way out of his depth -- not to mention the usual moral struggles that come from any self respecting middle class criminal. The film has already premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was pretty well received. The soundtrack is also getting a big release with music by popular Canadian "indie bands".

Having never been a big fan of Coupland's novels, the thought of a Coupland screenplay doesn't seem that much of an improvement -- all that apathy kind of leaves me cold. On the plus side, the man has an encyclopedic knowledge of humorous pop culture, so he just might be able to pull it off.

**Editor's note: This post was edited by the author in response to a user comment correcting an error. Jessica noted the change in the comments, rather than indicating the change with an asterik and adding an editorial footnote, which is our editorial standard. She also, as Chris noted, removed what she felt were abusive comments directed at her by the reader who left them. While we do delete comments that are abusive, harassing, or overly obscene, it is not Cinematical's editorial policy to ever edit a reader's comments because they disagree with us, call us out for errors, etc.

Jessica is new to the team, she's learning, and she wasn't clear on our policy regarding editing and deletion of comments. She has since been informed of what our editorial standards are. As managing editor, it is my responsibility to ensure that our writers know our editorial policies, so clearly this was my fault. Thanks, Chris, for calling us out on it; it's absolutely not our policy to censor our readers because we disagree with what they say. Please accept my personal apologies for all the confusion. - Kim Voynar

Harry Potter may have made kids-lit respectable for grown-ups again, but many authors still enjoy using the old fashioned "nom de plume" to keep their work in two very separate camps. Author Daniel Handler, probably better known as Lemony Snicket from the series of children's books, began using that name in 1999 for the series Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The series followed a family of orphans with more than their fair share of bad luck. While he will probably be forever known for the Lemony Snicket series, Handler has also written a book or two for the over 18 crowd.

Handler's novel Adverbs has been picked up by GreeneStreet Films. The book is a collection of interconnected stories about love and relationships that are grouped under headings of different adverbs -- briefly, madly, deeply, etc. It isn't an easy read -- for one thing, there are a lot of characters and events to keep straight. Variety has announced that Handler will be adapting the script himself and while he will try to keep the original tone of the book, it might not be possible to keep all of the different storylines intact.

The production is still in the early stages, so no casting has been announced yet. I am curious to see if the studio tries to cash in on the Lemony Snicket connection or whether they want to avoid the "kiddie table" at all costs.