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BBC Films have announced plans for a sequel to 1999 box office and critical hit East Is East, which vividly charted the internal conflicts of a mixed-race Pakistani-English family living in Salford, north west England.

West Is West revists the family, following the attempts of family patriarch George Khan, played by Om Puri, to relocate his family back to his native Pakistan.

Much of the original film's cast return, including actor Jimi Mistry who played Khan's son Tariq.

Produced by Film 4, East Is East made over £10m in the UK off a £1.9m budget.

Also in development is the directorial debut from Oscar-nominated Frost/Nixon and The Queen screenwriter Peter Morgan.

The Special Relationship is the third film in Morgan's Tony Blair trilogy after The Deal and The Queen. The picture explores the then Prime Minister's relationship with Bill Clinton.

Dennis Quaid will play the former US president, with Julianne Moore playing Hillary. Long-time Morgan collaborator will reprise his role as Blair.

Tilda Swinton will take the lead role in director Lynne Ramsay's We Need To Talk About Kevin, an adaptation of Lionel Shriver's Orange Prize-winning novel set in the aftermath of a high school massacre.

Swinton will play a well educated New York mother who does her best to raise the son she never wanted. The film is being produced by Jennifer Fox, who produced Michael Clayton, the movie for which Swinton won a supporting actor Oscar.

The BBC's filmmaking unit also have a musical based on the works of composer Burt Bacharach, and ideas from choreographer Matthew Bourne in the development pipeline. Bourne's Edward Scissorhands stage musical was a huge West End and Broadway hit.

BBC Films had a management shake-up last month, with Christine Langan promoted to creative director and Jane Wright becoming managing director.

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