The same daredevil spirit that has informed many an apparently insane film or TV version over the past decade has seen adaptations of literary novels
When the Cannes film festival starts next week, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, adapted and directed by James Franco, will be in the lineup. The Spider-Man star is known for mixing bookish projects with acting in blockbusters, but has nevertheless raised eyebrows by selecting a novel with 15 narrators that tells the seemingly uncinegenic story of a southern matriarch's death and burial.
This month will also see Paul Thomas Anderson begin to shoot his version of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, the first of Pynchon's dauntingly complex works to be filmed; and Steven Soderbergh recently announced plans for a 12-hour TV dramatisation of John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor ("If it works, it'll be super-cool. And if it doesn't, you won't be able to...
When the Cannes film festival starts next week, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, adapted and directed by James Franco, will be in the lineup. The Spider-Man star is known for mixing bookish projects with acting in blockbusters, but has nevertheless raised eyebrows by selecting a novel with 15 narrators that tells the seemingly uncinegenic story of a southern matriarch's death and burial.
This month will also see Paul Thomas Anderson begin to shoot his version of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, the first of Pynchon's dauntingly complex works to be filmed; and Steven Soderbergh recently announced plans for a 12-hour TV dramatisation of John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor ("If it works, it'll be super-cool. And if it doesn't, you won't be able to...
- 5/11/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Tales of Manchester noir, Hackney gangs and Russian love should light up our screens in 2012
Tom Green
Tom Green is on a mission to change the face of British TV drama. If the claim seems inflated, just look what the 32-year-old from Cambridge pulled off on his first directorial assignment two years ago. Green was just six weeks out of film school when he was asked to launch a supernatural comedy-drama series for E4. He directed three episodes of Misfits in its first season and three more in its second, by which time the series had won a Bafta and was averaging nearly 1.5 million viewers per episode.
Now, Green is taking charge of a new BBC1 five-part drama called The Fuse, due to air in May. It stars Christopher Eccleston as a corrupt Manchester politician given a chance to right the wrongs in his past, even as he tries to evade a murder charge.
Tom Green
Tom Green is on a mission to change the face of British TV drama. If the claim seems inflated, just look what the 32-year-old from Cambridge pulled off on his first directorial assignment two years ago. Green was just six weeks out of film school when he was asked to launch a supernatural comedy-drama series for E4. He directed three episodes of Misfits in its first season and three more in its second, by which time the series had won a Bafta and was averaging nearly 1.5 million viewers per episode.
Now, Green is taking charge of a new BBC1 five-part drama called The Fuse, due to air in May. It stars Christopher Eccleston as a corrupt Manchester politician given a chance to right the wrongs in his past, even as he tries to evade a murder charge.
- 1/1/2012
- by Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy, Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
Ireland's answer to Gérard Depardieu on Hogwarts fame and working with Spielberg and the McDonagh brothers
You worked with Martin McDonagh on In Bruges, and now you're working with his brother John Michael, also a writer-director, on The Guard. Both films are violent, gleefully obscene and packed with movie references; both feature amoral Irishmen in the leads. What sets the brothers' work apart?
There is a similar palate in terms of humour, but their sensibilities are very different. You can't imagine one brother's character in the other's world. With Martin, you never hate anyone, even if his characters do the most appalling things, whereas John cares less whether you love his characters or not.
How would you describe The Guard?
It's a comedy, I think. People are calling it a "comedy-thriller" but I'm not sure about the thriller end of it. It's not a question of whether my character [Sergeant Gerry Boyle] will catch the baddie,...
You worked with Martin McDonagh on In Bruges, and now you're working with his brother John Michael, also a writer-director, on The Guard. Both films are violent, gleefully obscene and packed with movie references; both feature amoral Irishmen in the leads. What sets the brothers' work apart?
There is a similar palate in terms of humour, but their sensibilities are very different. You can't imagine one brother's character in the other's world. With Martin, you never hate anyone, even if his characters do the most appalling things, whereas John cares less whether you love his characters or not.
How would you describe The Guard?
It's a comedy, I think. People are calling it a "comedy-thriller" but I'm not sure about the thriller end of it. It's not a question of whether my character [Sergeant Gerry Boyle] will catch the baddie,...
- 8/13/2011
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Fassbender has joined At Swim-Two-Birds, the directorial debut of Brendan Gleeson, according to Screen Daily.
He joins Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Bryne, and Gleeson, as well as Gleeson's son in the adaptation of Irish author Flann O'Brien's coming-of-age novel.
The story follows a 19-year-old student who starts to see the fictional characters in the play he is writing become reality withthe people in his own life.
The film is set to start production in Spring 2012, which means it won't hit theaters for a while.
He joins Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Bryne, and Gleeson, as well as Gleeson's son in the adaptation of Irish author Flann O'Brien's coming-of-age novel.
The story follows a 19-year-old student who starts to see the fictional characters in the play he is writing become reality withthe people in his own life.
The film is set to start production in Spring 2012, which means it won't hit theaters for a while.
- 7/11/2011
- by alyssa@mediavine.com (Alyssa Caverley)
- Reel Movie News
[1] The ubiquitous Michael Fassbender will be joining fellow Irishmen Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy and Domhnall Gleeson in Brendan Gleeson's directorial debut, a big-screen adaptation of Flann O'Brien's classic novel At Swim-Two-Birds. The project has been a long time in the works -- Gleeson initially acquired the book rights seven years ago -- but it seems to finally be picking up steam thanks to some new financers. Shooting is scheduled to begin next spring. First published in 1939, At Swim-Two-Birds is considered one of the greatest examples of metafiction ever written. The plot revolves around a university student and writer whose characters rebel and eventually conspire to kill him. Although I've never read the novel, that all-star cast seems like reason enough to get excited for the film. [ThePlaylist [2]] After the jump, Isabelle Huppert joins a mystery project and Roswell FM gets two more stars. Isabelle Huppert has teamed...
- 7/11/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Screen Daily reports that Michael Fassbender ( X-Men: First Class ) has joined Brendan Gleeson's directorial debut, At Swim-Two-Birds . He's joining a cast that includes Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Byrne and Gleeson, as well as Gleeson's son, Domhnall. Filming is targeted for a spring 2012 start. The film is an adaptation of Irish author Flann O'Brien's seminal metaphysical novel, a coming-of-age tale about a 19-year-old student who sees the fictional characters in the play he's writing intertwining with the people in his life.
- 7/11/2011
- Comingsoon.net
In case you weren't aware, actor Brendon Gleeson of such films as In Bruges and Green Zone has been looking to make his directorial debut for quite some time now with an adaptation of Flann O'Brien's 1939 novel At Swim-Two-Birds. Now it sounds like the project may finally be coming together to shoot in spring 2012, and the cast just gained a fantastic talent. Screen Daily spoke recently with Gleeson who revealed that X-Men: First Class star Michael Fassbender would be starring in the film. That's a great name to add to a passion project for Gleeson that has been in the works for a little over seven years now. In addition, though we hadn't previously reported on the project, the cast also has In Bruges co-star Colin Farrell signed on along with Gabriel Byrne, Cillian Murphy and Domhnall Gleeson, the actor's son who is slowly becoming a rising star. For...
- 7/10/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Michael Fassbender has joined the cast of Brendan Gleeson's directorial debut, At Swim-Two-Birds. The movie looks set to be a celebration of all things Irish, with Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy already attached. Gleeson and his son Domhall are also set to star. Gleeson is adapting the movie from Flann O'Brien's 1939 novel. It doesn't look like the actor is going easy on himself for his first stab at writing and directing though, with the novel's complex meta-plot defying easy summarisation. It concerns a student who is...
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- 7/10/2011
- by Matt Maytum
- TotalFilm
Pic Finds Funding For Spring 2012 Shoot; Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy Still Attached After rumors swirled of his involvement in Brendan Gleeson's long-gestating adaptation of Flann O'Brien's classic 1939 Irish novel, "At Swim-Two-Birds" last year, man-of-the-moment Michael Fassbender is the latest addition to join the cast. The casting marks another chapter in the long road for Gleeson who acquired rights to the book seven years ago, and has spent four years adapting novel, with most of his all-Irish cast attached for over two years. The main hurdle to production so far? Financing, though Gleeson looks to have now…...
- 7/10/2011
- The Playlist
As Dustin will attest, after going on a Michael Fassbender Bender a few weeks ago, I started a list called "The Best Irish Films." Then I scrapped that list because I somehow felt obliged to watch all the Irish films before being qualified to talk about "The Best". But you can't watch all the Irish films, folks and when you try, as I did, you end up watching a lot of films on terrorism. And then everything gets a little bleak. And then you have to wash your soul in whiskey and start again. I didn't make it, friends. I didn't watch them all. So I'm renaming this list "My Favorite Irish Films" and, to add insult to injury, I'm going to use a fairly loose definition of "Irish" (Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Irishmen Abroad!)
Also, lucky for me, a lovely and comprehensive article about Irish biopics was already...
Also, lucky for me, a lovely and comprehensive article about Irish biopics was already...
- 3/17/2011
- by Joanna Robinson
With half-a-dozen films in the pipeline, it's just a shame this actor didn't make it onto the Guardian's top 10 of new British talent
Who is he?
A 27-year-old Irish actor with half-a-dozen potentially starmaking films in the pipeline. First up is the new Harry Potter, in which he plays a Weasley. Then Never Let Me Go, with Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan and others on the Guardian's recent top 10 of hot British film talent.
Why wasn't Gleeson on the list?
There is a clue in "27-year-old Irish actor". He is also in the Coen brothers' tasty-looking western remake True Grit.
What has he done before?
Theatre, some Irish TV and a few film roles. He was in the Broadway run of Martin McDonagh's play Lieutenant of Inishmore and his first film was McDonagh's short Six Shooter.
He shares a surname with a notable Irish actor. Coincidence?
Nope.
Who is he?
A 27-year-old Irish actor with half-a-dozen potentially starmaking films in the pipeline. First up is the new Harry Potter, in which he plays a Weasley. Then Never Let Me Go, with Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan and others on the Guardian's recent top 10 of hot British film talent.
Why wasn't Gleeson on the list?
There is a clue in "27-year-old Irish actor". He is also in the Coen brothers' tasty-looking western remake True Grit.
What has he done before?
Theatre, some Irish TV and a few film roles. He was in the Broadway run of Martin McDonagh's play Lieutenant of Inishmore and his first film was McDonagh's short Six Shooter.
He shares a surname with a notable Irish actor. Coincidence?
Nope.
- 10/21/2010
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Fans of the "Harry Potter" films will know him as one of the Weasley clan, but Brendan Gleeson's eldest son Domhnall, 27, prefers much more arty fare. This week he told the press that working with the Coen brothers (who have given the world crossover hits like "Blood Simple" and "Fargo") was a "dream come true." Despite his enthusiasm for their work Gleeson still insists he has no plans to move to Hollywood, though. The young Irish actor spent the summer with directors Ethan and Joel Coen along with veteran Coen favorite Jeff Bridges on a remake of the classic Western, "True Grit". "Working with the Coen brothers was a dream come true," Gleeson said. "Basically I was working with people who are at the top of their game and that haven't put a foot wrong. I've watched all of their work, and seeing them on set and seeing them doing their thing is incredible.
- 10/19/2010
- IrishCentral
This month Irish actor Brendan Gleeson is bringing Ireland’s leading men together to make the film version of Flann O'Brien’s masterpiece At Swim-Two-Birds. The dream cast will include Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Cillian Murphy and Colin Farrell. All four have worked with Gleeson before but have never appeared in a film together. Gleeson himself will make his directorial debut with the film, a coming-of-age tale about a lazy, frequently drunk 19-year-old Irish college student who lives with his killjoy uncle in Dublin. The young man’s writing a second rate novel he’s too lazy to finish and things get sticky when the characters he’s created come to life and start to rebel against him. Gleeson knows that each of these world famous Irish actors have genuine comic gifts (and Gleeson’s no shrinking violet himself) so expect something completely out of the ordinary. The film...
- 2/5/2010
- IrishCentral
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