ReDeparted, and it feels so good.

As Variety reported on Tuesday, William Monahan, the screenwriter behind "The Departed," has...thought about writing a sequel. He might even be working on one. As it's rather quiet out, this tentative news has set the world abuzz about how one would put together a sequel to a film that (spoilers!) killed off its main characters. "Infernal Affairs," the Hong Kong film from which "The Departed" was adapted, did stretch on to parts 2 and 3 (to diminishing returns) by taking first the prequel route and then revisiting the events of the first installment. In the LA Times' Scriptland column, Jay A. Fernandez does some digging:

According to the sources, Monahan is not taking the prequel route and is instead developing a wholly original continuation of the story. Best supporting actor nominee Mark Wahlberg recently told MTV that the filmmakers have discussed bringing in Scorsese's classic gangster muse Robert De Niro to play a role. That said, it's unclear how involved Scorsese is at this point, or whether he would take part in any sequel.

Really, we don't see how the sequel couldn't follow the Vera Farmiga character's unborn child, now an adult in near-future Boston battling crime on a flying skateboard and angsting over whether his father was a cop pretending to be a gangster or a gangster pretending to be a cop — see that? Duality. Call us, Marty!

In other biz news, Dan Bell at the Guardian writes that DreamWorks is ending its partnership with Aardman Animation after heavy losses from their latest film, "Flushed Away," and earlier losses on the Oscar-winning "Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit." Aardman's spokesman has essentially said they're at peace with being too British for the international market; Dreamworks will, we presume, go on churning out cheap CG films featuring talking animals singing the songs of The Monkees.

In the works:

Julian Jarrold (late of "Kinky Boots") will begin shooting a movie version of "Brideshead Revisited" this spring. Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly were originally set to star, but are no longer attached to the project — new casting has yet to be confirmed. Jeremy Irons and Diana Quick starred in the supremely classy and definitive 1981 miniseries adaptation. (Via Adam Dawtrey at Variety.)

Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley, the directors of the doc "Wordplay," will next work on a doc about the U.S. federal debt:

"America's federal debt is $8.6 trillion and growing at a frightening pace," Creadon said. "In addition, our major entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) are dangerously unfunded. As a country, we are slowly spending ourselves to death."

(Via Nicole Sperling at the Hollywood Reporter.)

Russell Crowe will play the Sheriff of Nottingham in a "revisionist take" on the story of Robin Hood. King illegal forest to pig wild kill in it a is! (Via Borys Kit at the Hollywood Reporter.)

And they're remaking "Christmas in Connecticut" (again). This version with star Jennifer Garner in the Barbara Stanwyck role. (Via Pamela McClintock at Variety.)

+ Inside Move: 'Departed' to arise? (Variety)
+ Who's left alive for the sequel? (LA Times)
+ Gromit, help! Claymation heroes dumped (Guardian)
+ Hanway revisits 'Brideshead' (Variety)
+ "Wordplay" team documents debt (Hollywood Reporter)
+ New sheriff in Nottingham town: Crowe (Hollywood Reporter)
+ Garner to topline 'Christmas' remake (Variety)