William Shakespeare is coming to Lana'i and the Big Island. Not the Bard himself, but a movie version of his play "The Tempest."

Filming begins next month with a cast that includes Academy Award winners Helen Mirren, who plays a female version of Prospero named Prospera, and Jeremy Irons. Geoffrey Rush, who remains in negotiations, also may join the production.

Directing will be Julie Taymor, who came up with the idea of filming Shakespeare's tale during a vacation to Lana'i several years ago.

The comedy revolves around the aftermath of a shipwreck. Taymor intends to use the lava and stark landscapes of the Big Island in the movie.

HUNG JURY ENDS SPEARS TRIAL

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears has a license to go free.

Jurors yesterday remained deadlocked 10-2 on whether she was guilty of driving without a valid California license. A mistrial was declared, prosecutors said they won't pursue the matter further, and Spears was spared a criminal record when the judge then dismissed the case.

Ten of the 12 jurors favored outright acquittal for Spears, who never appeared in court.

The jury had struggled with the case, telling Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Steele after resuming deliberations Monday that they couldn't reach a unanimous decision after five votes going back to Friday.

The defense had argued that Spears didn't meet the state's residency requirements, and that her Louisiana license was all she needed to drive legally.

Attorneys on both sides agreed that Spears was behind the wheel in August 2007 when she hit a parked car. The agreement on that fact kept jurors from hearing any mention of the hit-and-run — or any narrative elements to explain why she faced a criminal charge. In fact, there was no traffic stop that precipitated the case — she was cited later, after video of the accident surfaced.

LOHAN BEING SUED OVER SUV GRAB

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A wild ride that led to Lindsay Lohan's arrest has sparked another lawsuit.

Three men who say they were in a sport utility vehicle that Lohan commandeered in July 2007 filed suit against the "Mean Girls" star last week, court records show. Their allegations include battery, false imprisonment and that the actress was negligent when she allegedly took over one of the men's SUV to chase her recently fired assistant.

That chase ended when the assistant's mother called police because she was being followed and led the pursuing Lohan toward a police station. Officers suspected Lohan was drunk and arrested her.

Lohan's attorney calls the lawsuit, first reported by TMZ, "absurd."

The men are seeking more than $25,000.

'X-FILES' STAR HAS BABY BOY

NEW YORK — Gillian Anderson, star of "The X-Files" TV series and movies, and boyfriend Mark Griffiths are the parents of new baby Felix.

Anderson's manager, Connie Freiberg, said the baby was born Oct. 15 in London. Felix is the second child for Anderson, 40, and Griffiths, a British businessman. Their son Oscar will be 2 years old next month.

Freiberg said Anderson didn't name the boys after characters from the classic comedy "The Odd Couple."

"She's never even seen the show. She had no idea," Freiberg said yesterday. "... I brought it up to her, and it really doesn't sink in."

Freiberg said Anderson, who has a 14-year-old daughter, Piper, from her marriage to production designer Clyde Klotz, is "happy as you can be."