MySpace launches virtual auditions for UGC movie

Actors will now audition for the film by uploading a video on the site, and can try out for one of eight parts, from the movie lead Richard to sci-fi nerd Daredevil.

A casting bus will also tour the UK giving people the chance to audition on board, using video cameras and laptops.

Gary Davy, the film's casting director, said: "MySpace has provided an entirely new method of casting that will give professional and amateur actors an unprecedented level of access to the industry".

Video auditions must be uploaded to the site by September 10, after which a shortlist will be drawn up for a face-to-face, in-person casting session. The chosen actors will go straight into filming, with the release scheduled for October 2008.

Film4 and Vertigo Films have also got behind the film, which is billed as a "hilarious romantic comedy, focusing on the lives of a group of people who re-enact Viking battles as a hobby".

MySpace is hoping to uncover new acting talent in the same way it has helped established new artists, such as Lily Allen, Sandi Thom and the Arctic Monkeys.

Peter Carlton, senior commissioning executive for Film4, said: "The [MySpace] community has already been integral in helping to find our director and Film4 believes that MySpace could definitely be a new professional resource for recruitment in film."