Jennifer Hudson, the American Idol alumni who won a best supporting actor Oscar for her part in Dreamgirls last year, has joined the cast of Sex and the City: the Movie. Hudson will portray the assistant to Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the film, which begins shooting next week in New York. All four lead actors in the series - Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Parker - will take part in the film, which is written and directed by the show's executive producer, Michael Patrick King. Hudson recently completed filming on a drama entitled Winged Creatures, about a group of people who survive a random shooting in Los Angeles.
Kate Bosworth is to star in the big screen adaptation of the Paolo Coelho bestseller Veronika Decides to Die. She will portray a woman who wakes up in a mental health institution after failing to commit suicide. After discovering she has a weak heart and that her days are numbered, she finds true love and a new passion for life. The film, which begins shooting this winter in New York, will be directed by Britain's Emily Young, who directed the 2004 drama Kiss of Life.
A thriller has won the top prize at the American film festival in Deauville, Normandy. The Dead Girl, directed by Karen Moncrieff, tells the story of how the death of a young woman influences the lives of seven unrelated people, who may have a connection to her mysterious murder. The Deauville film festival showcases US movies every year in the French beach resort.
