Alien sex fiend is new Modesty Blaise

The role of comic strip heroine Modesty Blaise, reportedly turned down by Uma Thurman because it involved nudity, has gone to the virtually unknown actress Natasha Henstridge (left). Ms Henstridge is best known for playing an alien sex fiend in the science fiction film Species.

Modesty Blaise, the sexy adventuress from the novels by Peter O'Donnell and the long-running syndicated comic strip that appears in the London Evening Standard, was brought to the screen in 1966 by Monica Vitti and co-starred Terence Stamp. The new version will be directed by Frenchman Luc Besson, responsible for this year's box office blockbuster The Fifth Element.