Not many people would sign up for a "psychological disaster movie". Especially one made by Lars von Trier. But John Hurt is up for it, jumping onto von Trier's cast list. Alongside him for the ride are fellow masochists Charlottes Gainsbourg and Rampling, Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, and Stellan and Alexander Skarsgard.

Of course, Hurt is used to von Trier's tricksy ways after Dogville, which had a similarly large cast of moderately big names. But he had it easy as a narrator - here he'll hopefully suffer the pain full-on in whatever nightmarish craziness von Trier has dreamt up in his clearly off-kilter mind. "A beautiful film about the end of the world" is how the producers are describing it. I'll believe that until I see the scissors start to come out. Shooting begins in Sweden this summer. The apocalypse will no doubt arrive soon after.