News and updates on the work of Scottish actors around the world.
Dougray Scott is set to star in indie romantic fantasy The Veil of Maya, which will be directed by Dana Lustig. The film is set to start shooting in January in London. The Veil of Maya, "penned by Alex Kustanovich and Vadim Moldovan, is a Kafkaesque story of a woman who travels back in time to undo the love relationship and avoid its tragic finale." Thanks so much to trellski for asking for news on Dougray Scott. I might have missed it otherwise.Thugs, footmen, dignitaries, doctors, and ladies of the night are being sought for a new comedy feature film about Edinburgh's famous grave-robbers-turned-murderers Burke and Hare. Universal Extras are holding auditions for the parts at the Tolbooth in Stirling on Thursday 17th December from 9am to 5pm (people can turn up any time on the day according to the announcement).
SourceIt is an exciting project considering that the film is being made by John Landis, the director behind comedy classics such as the Blues Brothers, Trading Places, An American Werewolf in London, and Animal House.
Among the stars lined up are Simon Pegg as William Burke, Bill Nighy, Dan Aykroyd, Minnie Driver and John Cleese.
Set in 19th Century Edinburgh, the black comedy follows the two miscreants as they get into the grave-robbery business after discovering a body in their house and realising that fresh corpses can yield a pretty penny when delivered promptly to Edinburgh's pioneering medical school.
When the two start cutting corners, killing to order instead of digging up stiffs from the graveyard like other "resurrectionists", they soon attract the attentions of the authorities.
With the law closing in, Hare persuades Burke that they should raise a last bit of cash to go straight and open a funeral parlour.
The open call for extras on the Universal Extras bulletin board states:
"Parts available in this truly full of laughter feature film will include you playing role(s) such as; Thugs, Students, Pub goers, Footmen, Dignitaries, Doctors, Market sellers, Ladies of the Night and many more! Payment per filming day will be around £80. The role you are selected for will determine what you will be paid and the amount of days you will be required for over February and March 2010." [EdinburghGuide.com]
Short Doctor Who introduction to the CBBC children's show, Blue Peter, along with the Doctor Who segment where David Tennant receives a Blue Peter Gold Badge for exceptional achievement.
Included in the segment is a preview clip from David Tennant's upcoming movie St. Trininan's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Originally aired December 15, 2009. [Courtesy theproselytizer]
Gerard Butler was at the premiere of Avatar at the 6th Annual Dubai International Film Festival earlier today and he was also presented with his Variety International Star of the Year Award at a Variety 'In Conversation With' Presentation on the seventh day of the festival. Check out videos of Gerry at the film festival's press conference and photos of him on the red carpet:
Back Stage: You were speaking with Michael Hoffman about this film long ago. How did the role finally become yours?
James McAvoy: There was a point when I wasn't certain the job was being offered to me—probably because nobody knew who I was. But he knew who I was, enough that he liked my work, I think. But the job still wasn't an offer. Anyway, he couldn't get the film made, and then by the time that it came back around, he could offer me the job.
Back Stage: Do you know why he was interested in you in particular?
McAvoy: I think he thought I was a good person at playing the lead role in something in which the lead character wasn't the focal point, and that was the case with "The Last King of Scotland"—playing that guy who carries you through the film, even though he's not the sort of über-figure in that film.
Back Stage: And you have a purity onscreen.
McAvoy: It's just something I think I've been able to do, that people have picked up on. And when you do something once, people kind of go, "Well, that's what you can do." It's a nice quality to portray, and I like that. But I can't lie: There will be a part of me that goes, "Ya, I want to play a bad guy; I want to play nasty people." And actually I've played quite a few egotistical people as well, and that's something that I'm quite interested in. Ego is something that I think is quite a fun thing to play. [Backstage via James McAvoy Message Board]
Though it remains undetermined whether Roman Polanski will be coming to the United States, his latest film will be playing in this country. On Friday, Summit Entertainment, said it had acquired North American distribution rights for Mr. Polanski’s feature “The Ghost Writer.” The film, adapted from the Robert Harris novel “The Ghost,” tells the story of an author (played by Ewan McGregor) who agrees to help write the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) and finds himself drawn into political and sexual intrigues. The film is directed by Mr. Polanski, who also wrote the screenplay with Mr. Harris.
SourceIn a statement, Summit said it planned to release the film during the first half of next year. Mr. Polanski fled the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. [NYTimes]
