Russell Brand is to star in a remake of the cult Rik Mayall comedy Drop Dead Fred. The original starred the object of many a man's affections, Phoebe Cates, as a woman who had an imaginary friend called Fred when she was younger. Fred was played by the hilariously, and inexplicably not huge, Mayall (Bottom is comedy gold). I haven't seen the film in years, but I always had a soft spot for it as a youngster - thus me not revisiting it in case it's crap. Brand is really taking Hollywood by storm now; with roles in this and Get Him To The Greek set to catapult him to the A-list. Not bad for a guy who is hated and loved in equal measure - he would actually be a good fit for the role in fairness. Still no word on casting for the Cates role.