Dev Patel to star in Shyamalan's next

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Hollywood filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has cast "Slumdog Millionaire" star Dev Patel in his upcoming, live-action movie, "The Last Airbender," Variety.com said.

The film, which is based on an animated Nickelodeon television series, will co-star newcomer Noah Ringer, as well as Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone and Jessica Jade Andres.

Production is slated to begin in mid-March in Greenland, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.

The first picture in the planned three-movie "Airbender" series is expected to hit theaters July 2, 2010.

Shyamalan's films include "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," "Signs," "The Village," "Lady in the Water" and "The Happening."