Mr Benn Links WEBSITES: Official site (original cartoon) PRE-RELEASE INFO: Coming Attractions It could be 'As if by magic' Mr Benn the film star Benn there, done that Mr Benn makes it big Mr Benn dresses for his biggest adventure John Hannah's Mr Benn Hannah Slams Brit Film Industry Mr Benn movie needs more than magic

John Hannah plays:  Mr Benn, title character of a popular British children's show (not to be confused with Mr Bean!)   Summary:    The movie has a budget of around £5million and begins shooting in the new year. It is based entirely on a children's 'semi-animated' BBC cartoon which was popular in the UK during the 70's. The original cartoon was basically a set of drawings about a little man in a bowler hat and suit who regularly visited a local clothes shop and tried on various costumes. Each week he would try on somthing different and find himself in the period of the costume he was wearing.  If he tried on a caveman outfit, he would end up in prehistoric times. If he tried on a spacesuit, he would end up in space, and so on...      The movie will centre around Mr Benn's adventures and will probably have a time-travelling theme, given the fact that when he tries a costume on, he ends up having an adventure in the past or future. The producers are also on the lookout for a female actress to play a romantic interest for the character (Mr Benn was evidently unmarried and unattached in the cartoon). Imagine a sort of time-travelling Steed and you're getting there.  - Coming Attractions My thoughts:  This is supposed to be a live-action version of the "semi-animated" cartoon.  It will be great to see JH doing a children's movie, and the dress-up aspect will provide a lot of different "roles" within one movie.  John Hannah sounds quite positive about the film! Mr Benn News:  Ben Kingsley will be playing The Shopkeeper and Jane Horrocks will be Mr Benn's love interest, Monica McBride. According to Dark Horizons, MR BENN has been canned.  But I'll leave the page up in the hope that someday it'll eventually happen.  Don't give up, Erin Films - it sounds fantastic!