CANNES FILM FESTIVAL - ST TRINIAN'S SET FOR SECOND CINEMA FIELD TRIP

The girls of St Trinian's will return to the screen in 2009, Ealing Studios has confirmed.

Unveiling its international roster at the Cannes film festival, the legendary British production house confirmed a follow-up to the 2007 box office hit will begin shooting in January 2009.

Russell Brand, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett starred in the revival of the classic comedy series while Gemma Arterton - who played the head girl of the unorthodox school - used the film as a launching pad to win a role in Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond movie.

The directing team of Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson will again helm the project with Thompson telling Variety he hopes the majority of the St Trinian's cast members will return for St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.

"It would be good with St Trinians to get the old gang back in," he added.

But for Dorian Gray, Parker's upcoming adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel, the pair are planning a "sexy, contemporary feel".

Other Ealing Studios films announced included Where Hands Touch, the second film from Bafta-winner Amma Asante.

The historical drama tells of a mixed-race German girl who falls in love with the son of a high-ranking SS officer.

Natalie Brenner, the studio's head of international sales, said Asante's script "blew us all away".

"She is interested in dealing with racial issues in a difference way," she added.

Gosford Park screenwriter Julian Fellowes also featured in the festival announcement, with his wartime drama From Time To Time set to begin shooting imminently.