Just days after the release of Ben Afflecks latest venture, a movie he directed about a child who goes missing, was postponed because of similarities to the Madeleine McCann case, suddenly we have talk about who will be playing her parents in a movie.

Australian actors Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe have been tipped to star in a movie about missing English toddler Madeleine McCann.

At least two movie studios are believed to be planning dramatisations of the saga surrounding the four-year-old’s disappearance from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal in May.

The Daily Express said studio executives were “beginning to whisper” about possible A-list names to play Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, who have been named as suspects in the case by Portuguese police.

“Obviously, it’s not something that people are going to be making a lot of noise about yet as the investigation is still continuing - anyone who spoke publicly about such a project would come in for a great deal of criticism,” an unnamed movie insider told the newspaper.

Sydney Morning Herald

Interestingly, the two actors considered for the role are Australian, which is the country where the Lindy ‘a dingo ate my baby’ Chamberlain case was tried in the 1980’s. Lindy was found innocent of killing her daughter after six years in jail when it was found evidence in the car was false. There are articles circulating about the similarities between the two cases. There have been multiple movies made about Azaria Chamberlain, so I wonder if the rumour has come about because the cases are similar?

Apart from being considered for a movie or two, Russell Crowe has been a busy man this week – going and supporting an American football team with a pep talk.

He also made a big impression on the University of Michigan football players, who were treated to a pregame speech last Saturday by Crowe, a friend of coach Lloyd Carr.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Michigan tailback Mike Hart said. “He was a cool guy. He was funny. Those kinds of guys you think they’d be more uptight, more serious all the time. He was kind of laid back. He looked like he had a good time.”

Added linebacker Shawn Crable: “You see him in ‘Gladiator,’ then he comes in and he has this Australian accent. It’s like, where did that come from? It’s different, calling people blokes and stuff.”

Crable said that Crowe delivered a message - in the Australian accent, of course - about playing as one.

“His speech was nice,” Crable said. “It got us fired up.”

After watching Michigan’s 38-0 win over Notre Dame, Crowe participated in the postgame news conference, then went out to dinner that night with Carr, the coach said.

mlive.com

For those of you wanting to know why he’s there, it’s probably because he owns an Aussie rugby league team. They’re called the Rabbitohs, and I’m not entirely sure what role he plays as their owner, but I can tell you he’s trying to eliminate the gambling machines from the club bar and made it a more traditional bar with bands and beer. Maybe to improve the venue, maybe just to get a venue for his lame band to play in.