More trouble for the Queen

Acclaimed New Zealand director Vincent Ward has been dumped from the trouble-plagued film River Queen according to The NZ Herald. "Filming will continue with all the existing cast and crew remaining in place. A further announcement regarding the production arrangements will be made in due course," producers Don Reynolds and Chris Auty said in a statement.

Filming in the central North Island began again earlier this month after the shoot was put on hold at the end of July after lead actress Samantha Morton was hospitalised with influenza. Morton returned to work last month.

Producers said River Queen was now entering its seventh week of principal photography on location. The problems follow a cryptic newspaper notice by a Maori group in July that warned the cast and crew of impending disaster.

And abashed the devil stood, and he saw how awful goodness was.