Robert Carlyle: EIFF interview, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

• In Person: BAFTA Scotland Interview with Robert Carlyle

Hear from the instantly recognisable but always believable actor about a life in film, from Begbie to Renard and beyond. Part of Edinburgh International Film Festival.

EIFF in partnership with BAFTA Scotland presents a rare opportunity to hear EIFF patron Robert Carlyle in conversation. With a multitude of impressive roles, including his seminal performance as the hot-headed Begbie in Trainspotting, his award-winning turn as Gaz in The Full Monty, and his memorable portrait of Renard, the psychotic terrorist in The World Is Not Enough, Robert Carlyle has proved himself to be one of the most gifted actors of his generation. His seemingly endless range and his ability to literally inhabit his characters have enabled him to excel on our TV and cinema screens since the early 90s.

Event details -

Date: Sun 24 Jun 5pm–6:30pm      

Location: Filmhouse, Edinburgh           

Tickets: 0131 228 2688 £9 (£7.50) Buy tickets at www.edfilmfest.org.uk

Source: TheList 

• Robert Carlyle returns for Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2

It's been confirmed that Hollywood actor, Robert Carlyle, best known for roles in movies like The Full Monty, Formula 51 and 28 Weeks Later, will be returning to play the lead character of Gabriel Belmont in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

According to That Video Game Blog, the actor has been pegged to return as the titular character in the AAA title from Konami, and they received confirmation by reaching out to Dave Cox, the head of product planning at Konami as well as the producer on the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Cox responded to the query on twitter, simply stating that "Yep Bobby is back :)"

Fans of Carlyle were treated to an interesting performance in the original game, as he played the heart-broken and sullen warrior Garbiel Belmont, a Holy Knight from a special order, out to save his wife who is trapped in limbo, as forces of an unknown and dark nature vie to tip the balance in their favor. Lords of Shadow is a bit more complex than that and is similar to Dante's Inferno but a little less introspective.

The second game deals with the continued story of Belmont as he becomes the very thing he fought against in the first game, following the events of the DLC. Additional characters also hop into the fray but there hasn't been any word on how they play into the game's story. The new E3 trailer gives you a brief glimpse of what to expect from the game, which is set for release in 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Source: Cinema Blend

Brave: New trailer, and Video Game

New Brave trailer showcases Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly's roles

A new trailer for Disney-Pixar's Brave is available, revealing a little more of the Highland-set story line. In it, we see a lot more of the dynamic between impetuous heroine Merida (Kelly Macdonald), her indulgent father King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and more restrictive mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). There's also more light shed on the exact nature of Merida's rebellion - she's trying to avoid marrying one of the unappealing sons of Scottish noblemen - and the conflict at the heart of the film, which revolves around a hastily-made wish gone awry (don't they always?).

The film is set for release on Fri 22 Jun in the States; UK audiences will have to wait until Fri 17 Aug. However, Scottish cinema-goers will get a chance to catch the UK première of Brave when it closes the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Sun 1 Jul.

Source: The List

Also reported by Empire Online

Brave: The Video Game Announced

There's always a new family film for the summer holidays – and Disney and Pixar's Brave is this year's. It follows the story of a young, headstrong princess called Merida, who doesn't think she's really cut out for this whole royal life thing – what with her unruly hair, talent for archery and hatred for corsets. Desperate to live her own life rather than the one she was born into, she wishes things could be different, only to find that by doing so, she manages to release a "wee ancient curse" on the kingdom. In that true family film way, it's then up to Merida to put everything right again and undo the curse that has befallen the Scottish Highlands before it's too late. Be prepared for tons of red hair, tartan and Billy Connolly.

And not wanting to risk triggering an ancient curse on the world of games, Disney are sticking to the tried and tested tradition of releasing a game alongside the summer family blockbuster, in the form of Brave: The Video Game, which'll see you running, jumping and battling your way through rugged, "mythical" Scotland on a journey to lift the curse (someone really ought to tell them Scotland's a real place). Playing as the heroine Merida, amongst a few others, you'll be completing quests for people, solving puzzles and defeating ferocious enemies with your sword and bow – which, if you happen to own either the Xbox 360's Kinect Sensor or the Move motion controllers for the Playstation 3, you'll be able to use by waving your arms around, rather than pressing a few buttons.

The 'home' console versions also promise “co-op for family and friends and a special Bear mode”, which is good news for us, although we have a feeling the "co-op" mode will likely be a series of special missions that support a couple of players, rather than letting you play through the entire single-player story with a friend (as awesome as that may be). When it comes to the Bear mode, well, who knows - going by the name, that could involve anything, so long as it's relatively hairy.

And as usual with these sort of games, the DS version will be a bit different, having it's own set of missions and a myriad of characters to play as, although, sadly, at the time of writing, there was no sign of 3DS version. Brave: The Video Game releases on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and DS consoles, as well as a PC version, and we expect it to hit stores sometime this summer, around the time the film appears in cinemas.

Source: Everybody Plays

Hollywood stars Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox headline voice cast in EA’s 'Syndicate'

Electronic Arts Inc. and Starbreeze Studios (The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness) today announced that celebrated actors Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Men in Black II) and Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity) will headline the Hollywood cast of Syndicate™, a re-imagining of EA's cult classic from 1993.

The stars take on the role of cut-throat executives working for the biggest and most aggressive syndicate, EuroCorp, in a near-future world ruled by three mega-corporations. Syndicate is a unique and brutal sci-fi first person shooter experience that blends fast-paced action and futuristic settings with an innovative game-play mechanic where players hack into and violently extract the mind-controlling chips embedded in people's brains.

"Syndicate immerses players deep into a dystopian world of unscrupulous corporations and chip augmented enforcers," said Mikael Nermark, CEO of Starbreeze Studios. "These agents are the weapons of this war for market dominance and we needed strong talent to represent these intense characters. We are honored to have worked with the incredible Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Michael Wincott to make this world come alive."

Read more at Spong

Kevin McKidd cast in 'The Bear and the Bow'?

A recent interview (via Kevin McKidd Online) revealed that Kevin McKidd will be doing voice work for upcoming Pixar film The Bear and the Bow which also stars Scottish actor Billy Connolly as King Fergus. The film is set to be released in December of 2011. Here's a synopsis:

A rugged and mythic Scotland is the setting for Pixar's action-adventure The Bear and the Bow. The impetuous, tangle-haired Merida (Reese Witherspoon), though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer. A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father's kingdom and her mother's life. Merida struggles with the unpredictable forces of nature, magic and a dark ancient curse...Turning her into a Bear. [Wiki]

Kevin also discussed his work on Grey's Anatomy and video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He talked about getting letters from Afghan and Iraq war veterans because of his role on Grey's:

"...one of the best bits about it all is that we have had a lot of letters...from people who are very grateful that a show of this size and reach is dealing with a subject like this.

"What's going on over there is very controversial politically, but we've been trying to tell the human story out there.

"We're telling the story of these very brave men and women and what it is to come back, pick up your life and move forward with that experience of a war zone.

"So there's been a lot of positive feedback from veterans and people working in the support system, as well as parents, loved ones, wives and husbands of returning veterans. They are delighted we are casting light on a subject that not a lot of people are talking about.

"It makes me very proud and pleased - it's nice to know people are happy with it. It's great to know that people are not just watching, but taking something from it." [Daily Record via Kevin McKidd Online]

On Modern Warfare 2, which is now out on XBox 360 and Playstation 3:

He has provided the voice for super soldier Captain "Soap" Mactavish, the head of an anti-terrorist task force.

And the actor, who previously had a small voice role in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City seven years ago, said he loved the chance to just let loose and enjoy himself playing soldiers.

"It was tiring because I would spend the whole day screaming orders at the top of my voice and then to get my voice to the place it needed to be, I found I was throwing myself about the studio like I was jumping on a real motorbike or a Jeep at times.

"But it was great fun and was like all the acting you'd want to do when you were a boy.

"I also got to keep my accent which was refreshing as well, as I spend all my energy at the moment hiding my native voice."

He joked: "I think that's one of the reasons I got the part actually - they needed to record in LA, I've got a work permit there, I'm Scottish and Gerard Butler wasn't available."

Kevin McKidd at the launch of Modern Warfare 2

Kevin McKidd was at the London launch of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 video game earlier today. There are some photos of Kevin on the red carpet:






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Photo credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/WireImage

Grey's Anatomy character photos featuring Kevin McKidd

The season 6 promo photos were released online today. Below are the ones featuring Kevin. If you'd like to see all the character photos be sure to go here to have a look.





In addition to the photos, the publisher of Modern Warfare 2 released a new trailer today. Kevin McKidd had been cast as a voice actor for the game a few weeks ago and you can go here to find a multiplayer gameplay trailer. Modern Warfare 2 is set for release on November 10.

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Check out Robert Caryle in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Preview

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the latest installment in Konami's vampire hunting series Castlevania. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game includes voice over work from Robert Carlyle who is the voice of the lead character, Gabriel. There is no set release date as yet, but Lords of Shadow is expected to debut in 2010. You can watch the preview below:



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Kevin McKidd cast in Modern Warfare 2

Kevin McKidd has signed on for Infinity Ward's next Call of Duty game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is predicted to be the best-selling console game of all time. The news of Kevin McKidd's involvement with "final voice work" for the game was announced via Infinity Ward director of communications Robert Bowling's Twitter. McKidd was also the voice of Jezz Torrent in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Posted below is what I assume is footage of some Modern Warfare 2 gameplay (my video game knowledge is almost non-existent)



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