The UK's J&M Entertainment has boarded four titles including Cloudstreet, an adaptation of the Australian best-seller for which Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Anna Paquin and Heath Ledger are in talks to star.

Peter Duncan (Children Of The Revolution) is to direct the picture from an Ellen Erwin adaptation of Tim Winton's novel. Budgeted at just under $12m, the film tells the story of two families inadvertently thrown together. Shooting is scheduled for the autumn in Perth.

J&M is also handling $8m UK comedy Guns, Money & Homecooking. Joan Plowright is starring in the Ealing comedy-esque picture, which is to shoot this summer.

Other recent additions to J&M's slate include Wild Horses, which Marc and Peter Samuelson will produce and Mark Rydell direct from a script by Karen O'Toole, and low-budget UK drama Small Time Obsession.