This year marks 100 years since the first world war began. In commemoration, a film on the life of World War I nurse Vera Brittain is currently in production at the hands of director James Kent. "Testament of Youth," a take on Brittain’s storied life -- with similarities to that of Ernest Hemingway’s fictionalized heroine Catherine Barkley in "A Farewell to Arms" -- will be re-enacted by Alicia Vikander, with Game of Thrones’s Kit Harington playing her ill-fated fiancé. Filming begins soon, in places including London, Oxford, and Yorkshire. [via Digitalspy.com]

When Shane Bauer, Joshua Fattal, and Sarah Shourd chose the Iraqi tourist destination Sulaymaniyah for a summer hiking vacation near Shane and Sarah’s home in a Syrian suburb, they had little hint of the adventure they were signing up for. A Sliver of Light is the real-life story of the three’s imprisonment in a Tehran jail after they inadvertently -- and illegally -- crossed the border into Iran, and found themselves accused of spying for the U.S. government. Released more than two years later (Sarah was allowed home after 13 months), the three have crafted a tale rich with inside details on Iran’s prison system. [via The Guardian]

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards claims he owes much of his love of music to his beloved grandfather -- who gave him his first guitar. In tribute, Richards has now penned an autobiographical children’s book: Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar narrates the moment the self-described "shy, only child" first held the instrument that would make him a rock legend, with illustrations by his daughter Theodora Richards. [via The Washington Post]

"Get On Up," the James Brown biopic directed by Tate Taylor -- of the "The Help" fame -- is scheduled to hit theaters this summer. In the meantime, a dance- and drama-filled trailer worthy of both the man and the project has been freshly released, starring Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul and with appearances by the likes of Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd. Watch the trailer below, then look for the bigger-screen version on August 1. [via Billboard.com]