In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d highlight an upcoming Irish film starring actors and this one has been on my radar for some time, thanks to my Cillimaniac friend Novia 🙂
This project is actor Brendan Gleeson’s passion project he’s been working for quite a long time. And according to my friend Stella’s @ Byrneholics, Ireland’s Cultural Ambassador Gabriel Byrne announced that Gleeson has secured funding for the movie, yay!
Mr. Byrne himself is to be a part of the most awesome Irish ensemble cast ever! I mean we’re talking the who’s who of Irish cinema (most of whom are in my Top 10 Irish Actors list :D):
From top left: Byrne, Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, Michael Fassbender, Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Most of those actors have worked with Gleeson in various films. Gleeson’s son Domhnall (Bill Weasley in Harry Potter Part 7) has also been cast.
Whew! This is one of those movies that I’d run to the theater just for the cast and of course the Irish scenery as it’s likely to be filmed there.
The premise itself sounds intriguing. Here’s the book description from Amazon:
A wildly comic send-up of Irish literature and culture, At Swim-Two-Birds is the story of a young, lazy, and frequently drunk Irish college student who lives with his curmudgeonly uncle in Dublin. When not in bed (where he seems to spend most of his time) or reading he is composing a mischief-filled novel about Dermot Trellis, a second-rate author whose characters ultimately rebel against him and seek vengeance. From drugging him as he sleeps to dropping the ceiling on his head, these figures of Irish myth make Trellis pay dearly for his bad writing. Hilariously funny and inventive, At Swim-Two-Birds has influenced generations of writers, opening up new possibilities for what can be done in fiction. It is a true masterpiece of Irish literature.
Gleeson told Collider whilst promoting The Guard last August that “It’s one of the funniest and most anarchic novels I’ve ever read… It’s a great book but it’s kind of unfilmable in the way that the book was unwriteable.” But he confirmed that he’s got the script and so it’s just a matter of time for this project to be underway.
So how close to filming is this project?
“Well, fingers crossed, we’re trying to stitch it in this year. All things are going well but we’re not quite there yet. We’re hoping to be there in the next month or two to where we put a start date on it,” Gleeson said (via Irish Central). According to BBC UK back in Summer 2011, they’ve secured the funds for the project, but there hasn’t been any news since 😦
Mr Gleeson himself has been quite prolific lately, starring in three films in 2011: The Guard, Albert Nobbs, and The Cup, Safe House & The Raven in 2012 and The Calvary in 2014.
Oh man, I sure hope this film gets off the ground soon! I absolutely can’t wait to hear more about this one and hopefully filming happens soon and all the cast above will be involved!
What do you think folks? Interested in this one?
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Not sure i understand the plot…although perhaps that is why it seemed unfilmable.
It’s kind of a fantasy comedy where the author’s characters somehow rebel against him and seek vengeance. I’ve heard reviews saying it’s baffling but delightfully original. I can see this being a very interesting & quirky film if Gleeson knows how to handle it.
With that cast, heck YES I’m interested!
I know! I do hope this will happen soon!
Can’t say that I’m interested in the movie version or the book for that matter. But the cast is top notch though, I’ll have to wait and see the trailer before I decide if it’s something I’ll watch.
I didn’t think this is your kind of movie Ted but I think it would be worth a watch for the cast.
Yaiii…finally!! a bit of green light there.I have been waiting for it for ages. I sure hope it will start soon.When they start shooting,I will make sure I find the book and read it before the movie is released.
I can’t believe you find this news before me, Ruth 😉
Thanks to Stella reporting about it on her Gabriel Byrne’s blog! I’m super excited about this Nov, and I definitely thought of you as I’m writing it. There are so many gorgeous Irish actors aren’t there? And they’re all in this movie 😀
Have Fassbender, will watch!
Seriously though, Gleeson is a personal favorite of mine and this looks like it could be a really fun watch 🙂 Thanks for reporting about it Ruth!
Ahah, is that your live motto Iba? 🙂 Glad you’re as enthusiastic as I am, and yeah, I’m optimistic about Gleeson’s directing debut!
Brendan Gleeson is great. I loved him recently in The Guard and of course In Bruges.
I still have to see those two but have heard great things about ’em. Gleeson seems to have great rapport w/ people he worked with, hence most of the cast here are his former co-stars.
The title didn’t grab me but that cast is outstanding. And if Gleeson, loves it… well he seems to have good taste! Should be cool hopefully!
Don’t judge a movie by its title 🙂 I think the cast is a MAJOR plus but I’m really curious how this story translates to the big screen as well.
I’m really hopeful about this one. The only trouble is that I keep adding it to my predictions lists, and then every time I do IMDB changes the release date again. Several members of the cast do seem to be having an upswing in popularity (especially Fassbender), so I’m hopeful this one will come to us soon.
I hadn’t even heard of this Ruth. Great highlight and what a cast!!! This sounds very exciting indeed. 🙂