Anna Friel joins Will Ferrell

Anna Friel has landed the female lead in Universal's big screen version of the 1970s TV favorite "Land of the Lost."

Brad Silberling will begin directing Will Ferrell in the film starting next month from a script by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas.

In the new version, Ferrell plays a disgraced paleontologist who somehow ends up in a prehistoric world. The Hollywood Reporter has little info on the specifics of Friel's role, though early reports on the new script said that other major roles included the paleontologist's trusty assistant and a macho tour guide. We somehow doubt Friel will be playing the macho tour guide.

"Land of the Lost" is, of course, based on the 1974-1978 series from Sid and Marty Krofft. The original plot revolved around Rick, a park ranger, and his children, Will and Holly, who were on a rafting trip when they slipped into a time vortex and ended up back in the time of dinosaurs or in an alternate universe of dinosaurs. There, they encountered the evil Sleestaks and other time-bending hilarity. The Sleestaks will apparently stick around in the new incarnation. Thank heavens.

Friel earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work as Chuck on ABC's whimsical freshman dramedy "Pushing Daisies." Her feature credits include the three films in the "Goal!" franchise, plus "Timeline."