Winona Ryder is to star alongside Sean Connery in Embers, an anguished love triangle drama scheduled to begin shooting in Prague on October 8. Based on the acclaimed 1940s novel by Hungarian author Sandor Marai, Embers charts the causes of a poisonous rift between two old men who were once best friends. Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer will play the male leads, while Ryder will star in the film's flashback scenes as the woman who came between them. The picture will be directed by Milos Forman, no stranger to a high drama literary adaptation, with Amadeus and Valmont under his belt. In the meantime, Ryder has also been booked to play the title role in The Widow Claire, the new film by Robert Altman. If anything, the evidence suggests that last year's shoplifting conviction has helped, not hindered her acting career.

Cast and crew on the action epic Troy are mourning the death of movie extra George Camilleri, who has died following an accident on the set. A former bodybuilding champion, Camilleri suffered a leg injury two weeks ago while leaping from a ship during one of the film's battle sequences. While recuperating from his injury, Camilleri apparently suffered a blood clot in the leg which induced a fatal heart attack. His widow, Josephine, is seeking compensation from the film's backers, Warner Bros.

Colin Farrell has been signed up as the official face of Ralph Lauren in a contract worth an estimated $3.2m. The Irish actor will model Lauren's clothes in magazine and TV adverts and may even take to the runway to parade new collections. Farrell was reported to have been approached in person by the well-scrubbed designer following the New York premiere of his film Phone Booth back in April.