Madonna to star in hubby's movie

LONDON (AP) - Madonna will star in her husband Guy Ritchie's next film, a spokesman for the British director said Friday.
Ritchie will direct his wife of eight months in a remake of the 1975 Italian love story ``Swept Away'' in a marked departure from his last two films - "Snatch'', which came out this year, and 1998's "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels' both gritty, black comedies set in the criminal underworld.

Madonna and Ritchie, who married in December, already have worked together. He directed the violent video for her recent single "What It Feels Like For A Girl'', which was banned from MTV and VH1 after airing only once. She also appeared in an Internet film Ritchie created for luxury-car maker BMW. Both projects proved they worked well together, the spokesman said.

The pop star, who's on tour in the United States, is no stranger to the big screen, or to bad reviews. She won acclaim and a Golden Globe award for her performance in Alan Parker's 1996 version of "Evita", but was widely panned for other appearances - such as 1993's "Body Of Evidence" and "Shanghai Surprise", the 1986 film that co-starred her ex-husband, Sean Penn.

The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "Swept Away" tells the story of a spoiled rich woman who falls for a communist sailor while cruising in the Mediterranean.
No date has been set for starting production.