Showbiz Gossip

Feb 5 2003 By The Evening Chronicle

British actor Ben Kingsley is to star in the film version of the 1960s cult childrens television series Thunderbirds.

Kingsley will star as the Hood, the movie's evil international master criminal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie follows the exploits of the Tracy family and their top-secret International Rescue organisation. They travel around the world carrying out covert missions with the famous Thunderbirds - a set of five vehicles ranging from a rocket to a space station.

The film's plot will see Kingsley's character invade Tracy Island, the secret base and home of International Rescue and the Thunderbirds, in the hope of using them for his own evil needs.

Also starring in the film is BILL PAXTON who will play the head of the Tracy family Jeff Tracy.

Shooting for the new movie takes place in the Seychelles and the UK and starts in March.