New movie Stardust in cinemas this week
Stardust, the new movie based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, premiers in some cinemas today and goes on general release tomorrow.
Although not strictly a comedy, it does feature a number of UK comedy stars; including Ricky Gervais (pictured), David Walliams, Sarah Alexander, Mark Heap, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adam Buxton and Mark Williams. (The screenplay was also co-written by Jane Goldman, aka Mrs. Jonathan Ross.)
The film publicity says it "takes audiences on an adventure that begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). However, Tristan is not the only one seeking the star. A king's (Peter O'Toole) four living sons – not to mention the ghosts of their three dead brothers – all need the star as they vie for the throne. Tristan must also overcome the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who needs the star to make her young again. As Tristan battles to survive these threats, encountering a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader named Ferdy the Fence (Ricky Gervais) along the way, his quest changes. He must now win the heart of the star for himself as he discovers the meaning of true love."
When asked what it was like having so many British comic actors on set, new actor Charlie Cox (who plays the lead role), said: "Very amusing, it was hard to focus! There's one scene with Ricky Gervais and Robert De Niro. In the background behind Robert De Niro are all his pirates, looking very menacing. But if you watch them very carefully there are times when they are smirking and they had to keep on retaking it because they were cracking up and couldn't stop laughing and had to look away from camera. It became very funny!".
The trailer can be viewed here: