News: Adam Beech

The Native American star of this week’s Flags of Our Fathers has already seen a boost to his career following his portrayal of tragic iwo Jima hero Ira Hayes. There may, however, be just a touch of racial stereotyping in the casting: he’s landed a leading role as “Blue Duck” in the CBS TV Western miniseries Commanche Moon, out in the States next year, and will be appearing in another TV Western series in 2008, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Whether his one upcoming role in which the fact that he’s got “Red Indian” blood hasn’t played a factor in his casting will buck the trend, who can say? But as it’s a remake of the rather poor 1972 zombie horror/comedy Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, anything could happen – it could be another Shaun of the Dead, or merely another Snakes on a Plane. Let’s hope for the former, eh?