Clooney in seventh heaven

Internet reports suggest that George Clooney is being lined up to star in the remake of the much-lauded Japanese classic The Seven Samurai.

The 1954 original, which inspired John Sturges' 1960 western The Magnificent Seven, was acclaimed as a masterpiece and set a new standard for Japanese film-making, becoming the country's highest grossing movie.

Akira Kurosawa's cult movie has defined genre characteristics for many critics, with some suggesting that the recruitment of the seven heroes is a device that has been mirrored in many subsequent films, appropriately enough also in Clooney's Ocean's Eleven franchise.

Speculation suggests that The Weinstein Company may be ready to inject $100 million into a remake with Donnie Yen (Hero, Blade II, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Empress, Rush Hour 2) alongside Clooney.

While the prospect of CG enhancements and an updated storyline are sure to tickle the fancy of many film-goers, an equal number of aficionados, as ever, are bound to lament a lack of reverence for another stalwart of the silver screen.

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