THE SUN
By Hannah Shaw
7th March 2017, 10:57 am Updated: 7th March 2017, 11:31 am
The contest to play James Bond is still anyone’s game with a number of suave men in the running.
While Aidan Turner has been the bookies favourite for quite some time, he is currently being pipped to the post by Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender.
Sun Bets are currently taking bets on over 50 male actors to take on the role of James Bond as Daniel Craig’s replacement.
The favourite is currently split between Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender, who both have odds of 11/4.
Trailing behind are War & Peace’s James Norton, Poldark’s Aidan Turner and Luther’s Idris Elba, but what are their chances?
Who’s in the running for the next Bond?
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy has fuelled the rumour mill by staying quiet when questioned on the role
Age: 39
Sun Bets odds: 11/4
Where do we know him from? Actor Tom Hardy is no stranger to the big screen having appeared recently in Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant and Legend.
The British actor has recently appeared in the BBC series Taboo and has fuelled Bond rumours after refusing to comment on whether he would like to take over from Daniel Craig, for fear of jinxing his chance.
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender made his Alien debut in the 2012 prequel, Prometheus
Age: 39
Sun Bets odds: 11/4
Where do we know him from? Fans may recognise Fassbender from 2012 film Prometheus, and the star has hit the big screen again with his role in Assassin’s Creed.
Sun Bets place the actor’s odds at 20/1, however in an interview with GQ Fassbender said: “As an acting role, I think Daniel has done such a cracking job in this age group.
“I think the franchise needs something new.”
James Norton
James Norton made an impression on viewers during his stint on BBCs Happy Valley
Age: 31
Sun Bets odds: 7/2
Where do we know him from? Norton has an impressive accolade of TV credits behind him.
Viewers may recognise James from BBC’s Happy Valley, where he played the role of Tommy Lee Royce.
James has also starred in Granchester, Black Mirror and War & Peace.
Aidan Turner
Aidan has become a sex symbol thanks to his topless action in Poldark
Age: 33
Sun Bets odds: 4/1
Where do we know him from? Most viewers will recognise Aidan as heartthrob Ross Poldark.
Aidan started his career on stage but soon found fame on the big screen after appearing in The Hobbit trilogy.
The 33 year old took the lead in Bond odds back in August, however refused to comment on the rumours at MCM Expo.
DAILY RECORD
By Garry McConnachie
September 23, 2013
ADAPTING an Irvine Welsh novel for the big screen can be fraught with danger. Especially following the outstanding Trainspotting.
Some have tried - and failed - to make the transition work. Most recently Rob Heydon's Ecstasy was met with critical and public derision.
However, Scots director Jon S Baird could be set to step out from the shadow of Danny Boyle's 1996 effort with Filth - one of the most ballsy and in-your-face black comedies to hit the big screen in quite a while.
Those who have read the book will know all about the debauched exploits of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy). For those who haven't, he's an Edinburgh police officer. To say he's an extreme character would be doing him a disservice. Happy to snort coke on the job, sleep with a colleague's wife and manipulate anyone who gets in his way, Bruce doesn't seem to have any boundaries.
With a detective inspector promotion in the offing, Bruce is tasked with leading a case involving the murder of a Japanese student in the capital. However, his extra-curricular activities begin to get in the way. Add to this is his attempts to be reconciled with his wife and daughter and this is no teddy bears' picnic.
It's worth starting with the obvious. Filth is explicit, OTT and, quite often, surreal. This isn't a film for the easily offended or the weak of heart. Much of what happens on screen is jaw-dropping in its absurdity. But all of it works a treat down to a bizarre cameo that's worth admission money on its own. Bruce is such a big character that everything he does is amplified. Dishevelled and constantly drunk, he's not the shy retiring type.
James McAvoy sometimes finds himself in roles where he ''doesn't know what the f**k'' he's going to do.
The actor admits he can't always envision a part just by reading the script, but he gets a great feeling when one immediately leaps out at him, such as his current film, 'Filth'.
He said: ''Sometimes when you read a script you don't start getting ideas and that can be slightly worrying. I have done jobs where I think, 'I don't know what the f**k I'm going to do,' and you just get there on the day and make it work. But with 'Filth' every single scene just presented so many ideas and I was inspired immediately.''
SCREEN DAILY
17 September, 2013 | By Wendy Mitchell
Filth certainly shows James McAvoy like we’ve never seen him before: smoking, drinking, snorting, shagging, cursing, punching, and any other form of misbehaviour you can imagine.
In the adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s book, McAvoy plays Scottish policeman Bruce Robertson, investigating a murder, missing his wife, seeking a promotion and generally behaving badly.
The underlying mental troubles that lead to the bad behaviour were what drew in McAvoy. “It was a portrayal of someone with severe mental health issues that’s not just sad and depressing,” McAvoy said after a London screening last night. “It was about finding the thing that makes him not just a surreal caricature which is his fear.”
Ultimately, despite the despicable behaviour, the filmmakers want the audience to care for Bruce. “We’re trying to make you feel for him, that should be the shocking thing.”
Director Jon S Baird said he relished the challenge of “making this despicable character, if not likable, followable.”
(Reuters) - American actress Evan Rachel Wood and British actor Jamie Bell welcomed their first child, a boy, Wood's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Wood, 25, best known for her role in 2008's "The Wrestler" and the 2003 coming-of-age drama "Thirteen," announced in January that she was expecting a child with Bell, who she married last October.
"Evan you are my warrior!" Bell wrote on Twitter on Monday. "You never cease to amaze. Thank you for birthing our son so naturally & peacefully. You did it!"
In the international trailer for Filth, based on the novel by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, the usually adorable Scottish actor is a not-that-hot mess as Bruce Robertson, a detective who's more punk than peace officer.
For the course of two minutes and 20 seconds, McAvoy smokes, drinks, does and deals drugs, throws up, gets slapped, masturbates, makes a photocopy of his junk, has rough sex with multiple people, unzips his fly in front of a very young woman, and otherwise offers up his best Bad Lieutenant impression.
We won't be seeing James McAvoy on the big screen in 2012, but by this time next year, he'll have been the centerpiece of quite a few promising films. His slate includes: the thriller "Welcome To The Punch"; the duo of films "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His" and "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers" alongside Jessica Chastain; and Danny Boyle's art world tale "Trance." And if that's not enough, he'll be getting dirty with "Filth." And we now have our first peek at that movie.
James McAvoy is "absolutely amazing" in Filth, author Irvine Welsh has revealed.
The Scottish star plays drug-addicted and misogynistic detective sergeant Bruce Robertson in Jon S Baird's big-screen adaptation of Irvine's best-seller, alongside Jamie Bell, Alan Cumming and Imogen Poots.
"He is absolutely amazing. It's just one of the greatest acting performances I have ever seen," Irvine said.
"I think he's better than Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver. He is absolutely electric and is right into the character. It's a fantastic emotional performance."
Irvine - who is promoting the release of Ecstasy on DVD and Blu-ray on August 20 - said film fans will be surprised by James' transformation.
"This is a totally different thing from anything he has ever done before. I've never seen him in that kind of role.
When you meet him in real-life, he's such a nice guy but he plays this monster, which he humanises too," the writer explained.
James McAvoy has called his time on new movie Filth as an 'amazing experience'.
Filth is the latest novel of Irvine Welsh to be adapted for the big screen and with see the actor take on the role of a drug addicted policeman.
And while it may be a very dark role for McAvoy he admits that he has had a great time working on the movie, which is directed by Jon S. Baird.
Speaking to The Press Association the actor said: "It's dark as all hell and funny as all hell and fingers crossed it should be good.
"It was an amazing experience making the film and one that I'll cherish for the rest of my career really.
"You can never tell if it's going to be good, but if it's as good as it felt, at the end of the day we should have a good movie on our hands."
Filth sees McAvoy team up with Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots, Jim Broadbent and Eddie Marson.
2012 is a big year for Britain, what with the Olympics looming large and failure at Euro 2012 almost a dead cert. It is also a big year for British cinema, and in particular their actors. With Daniel Radcliffe running around a house for an hour and a half in The Woman In Black, Jamie Bell putting in a decent effort in Man On A Ledge, and Ray Winstone’s stellar performances in the Bet 365 adverts, Britain is calling out for a new, brilliant actor.
And that’s where Tom Hardy comes in.
Granted, he’s been knocking around for a while now, but 2012 is a big year for him too. It wasn’t until 2008 when he really became noted in the mainstream for his acting thanks to his haunting, frightening and downright scary portrayal infamous prisoner of Charles Bronson in Bronson, but there were signs of his talent right from the outset.
Even his bit-part appearances were memorable and noteworthy, such as Band Of Brothers, Black Hawk Down and his impressive villainous role Star Trek: Nemesis where he went toe-to-toe with Jean-Luc Picard and didn’t blink.
For avid film watchers, the brooding, handsome Hardy was popping up all over the place without ever really stealing the show; until Bronson came along.
Life imitated art when Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) was at a fashion show, but Michelle Dockery — who’ll star in Focus Features’ “Anna Karenina” opposite Keira Knightley and Jude Law — seemed to draw more attention.
Meantime, talent agency UTA is betting big on “Downton.” The shop signed Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora) last month, and also reps show creator Julian Fellowes.
But most of the series’ stars are currently working on British projects: Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley) is filming Edwardian period piece “Summer in February.”
Joanne Froggatt (Anna) is shooting the Irvine Welsh adaptation “Filth” with James McAvoy and Jamie Bell.
Jessica Brown-Findlay (Lady Sybil) is starring in the movie “Shoplifters of the World,” set in 1987, with a plot revolving around the band the Smiths.
And Dame Maggie Smith (the Dowager Countess) has wrapped Dustin Hoffman’s feature directorial debut “Quartet” for BBC Films.
Meanwhile, Hollywood’s already come to “Downton” — Shirley MacLaine’s in England filming for 2 1/2 weeks this month as the show’s newest character.
MEGAN Finn is the envy of all her friends after landing a starring role in a movie.
But the seven-year-old’s breakthrough is all the more remarkable as she has battled to beat cancer for the last five years.
Megan has now been given the all-clear and stars alongside James McAvoy and Jamie Bell in a major film adaption of Irvine Welsh’s novel Filth, expected to hit cinemas later this year.
It’s all a huge relief for her parents, Lesley and Martin, who remember the operations and gruelling chemotherapy the brave youngster endured.
At one point, she lost her hair and insisted on wearing a pink wig like her favourite TV character, Stephanie from LazyTown.
Lesley, 36 – also mum to Alex, nine, and five-year-old Jessica – said: “Megan loves to dance and perform in front of an audience. She has so much energy for life, it’s wonderful to see.”
Steel Mill Pictures and Logie Pictures are delighted to announce principal photography on feature film Filth, written and directed by Jon S. Baird.
Shooting in Scotland, primarily Glasgow, as well as on location in Sweden, Belgium and Hamburg. Filth is based on the best-selling novel by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting).
The movie brings together a high quality cast as James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent and Eddie Marsan are all set to star.
Scheming Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), a bigoted and corrupt policeman, is in line for a promotion and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Enlisted to solve a brutal murder and threatened by the aspirations of his colleagues, including Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell), Bruce sets about ensuring their ruin, right under the nose of unwitting Chief Inspector Toal.
As he turns his colleagues against one another by stealing their wives and exposing their secrets, Bruce starts to lose himself in a web of deceit that he can no longer control.
His past is slowly catching up with him, and a missing wife, a crippling drug habit and suspicious colleagues start to take their toll on his sanity. The question is: can he keep his grip on reality long enough to disentangle himself from the filth?
Writer/Director Jon S. Baird commented, "Filth is filled with irreverent comedy and some extremely surreal moments, but ends with a sharp twist of poignancy.
The character of Bruce Robertson has to show such a wide range that it could only take an actor as talented as James McAvoy to pull it off with the necessary charm and humanity."
Financing and production plans for Steel Mill Pictures' comedic thriller "Filth" have firmed up, with principal photography set to start next week.
Cast includes James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt and Imogen Poots. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh ("Trainspotting"), "Filth" is written and directed by Jon S. Baird ("Cass"), who's also producing through Logie Pictures.
Story is centered on an Edinburgh police detective who manipulates everyone in his path to secure a promotion and win back his wife and daughter.
Shooting is set for Scotland, primarily Glasgow, as well as locations in Sweden, Belgium and Hamburg.
James McAvoy has confessed that he worries about how his career will fare after starring in Filth.
The X-Men: First Class actor plays the role of depraved Edinburgh police officer Bruce Robertson in the big-screen adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel. Robertson is a bigot and racist who partakes in bestiality and cross-dressing.
McAvoy told The Daily Record: "I'm taking probably the biggest risk of my career in playing the part in Filth.
"It's an incredible role for me, unlike anything I've ever done and a massive challenge. One I hope I don't dash myself on."
However, McAvoy insisted that he understands the importance of taking on more challenging parts, not only as an actor, but as a lover of film.
"If you stop taking risks, then you get bored, or you just keep playing the same part, over and over again. Eventually audiences get bored of that as well," he explained.
"It is difficult because everyone is watching now. You can't fail in secret, or quietly. It's a public failure and people notice. It's not that I'm saying people rejoice in tearing you down. Not at all. But, people notice. They go, 'What a disappointment', and that's the worst thing, to disappoint people. So, it makes taking risks riskier."
This week we’re doing a Christmas round-up of films, so you know what will be on in theatres up until New Years Day. There’s three new releases to be looking forward to – The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and The Iron Lady – and there’s also a few of last week’s films still doing well, with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows placing itself at the top of the box office.
Out in cinemas today is The Adventures of Tintin, the first instalment in a planned trilogy of computer-animated motion-capture adaptations of George Remi’s series of comic strips. The film follows British actor Jamie Bell in the motion captured role of Tintin, as he discovers directions to a sunken ship and sets off on his first adventure, a treasure hunt. Directed by Stephen Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson, the actors in this movie hold many more big British names too, including the talents of Daniel Craig (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Simon Pegg (Paul), Nick Frost (Attack The Block), and Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor). Tintin has been going great guns in international markets and it will be interesting to see if an American audience warms to this famous European comic book character. The Adventures of Tintin opens nationwide and you can watch the trailer below:
Steven Spielberg’s second film this holiday season is set for a Christmas Day release. War Horse follows the story of a young boy, Albert, played by Jeremy Irvine (TV’s Life Bites), and his horse, Joey. Despite being too young to enlist in to the cavalry, Albert heads to France when his horse is sold and sent into the trenches of War. Alongside Jeremy Irvine are fellow Brits Tom Hiddleston (Thor) as Captain Nichols, Benedict Cumberbatch (The Hobbit) as Major Stewart, with David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Emily Watson (Oranges & Sunshine), Johnny Harris (London to Brighton) and Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur). You can get a good look at the movie, that is bound to be around come awards season, by taking a look at the trailer below, or you can watch 8 clips from the film in a previous post here.
The Iron Lady sneaks in to this year with a limited release from 30th December in Los Angeles and New York City, which will be just in time for the film to qualify as an Academy Award contender.
The film looks at the life of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (played by Meryl Streep), and the price that is paid for power, as the Prime Minister in London in the 1980′s. It shows how she came from nowhere, smashing through the barriers of gender and class to make her voice heard in a male dominated world. The film stars British actors Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, Richard E. Grant, and Olivia Colman, and will be released to a wider number of theaters officially on 13th January, 2012.
Also out today is the fourth instalment to the popular action franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. We did mention this film, which stars British actor Simon Pegg in one of the main roles, in last week’s post as it had a limited release from 15th December. The film made $13.4M in 425 theatres, but with a full release today you will have a better chance of getting to see it. The film follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) who is carrying out an operation in Moscow when a terrorist bombing destroys the Kremlin, leading the US government to initiate a black operation known as “ghost protocol”, disavowing the entire Impossible Mission Force. Hunt must now go undercover with his new rogue team to clear their organization’s name. You can watch a new featurette spotlighting Pegg’s “ultimate IT guy” Benji and take a look at Pegg’s character in action in the clip below:
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was released yesterday too, starring British actor Daniel Craig in an English adaptation of Stieg Larsson‘s Swedish Millennium trilogy. Craig plays investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who is asked to help uncover the truth about a woman who has been missing for forty years. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own dysfunctional family. This is where Blomkvist meets Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young female hacker, as we start to discover the disturbing truth about her past as well. The first Swedish adaptations of the novels, directed by Niels Arden Oplev, were a brilliant set of films, but it will be nice to see Fincher’s take on the trilogy, and also not to have to read any subtitles. This big budget production, which has had some amazing promotion over the last few months will of course open nationwide and you can get a good idea what the film is all about with the 8 minute trailer below:
Then there are the holdovers from the last few weeks. First up still in cinemas is Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows which is currently at the top of the box office after making nearly $40M in its first week. The film follows Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and his side kick, Dr Watson (Jude Law) who reunite and team up with mysterious gypsy Sim, played by Noomi Rapace (The Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) to bring down the evil Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris (Mad Men). After a strong box office performance in its first week, this will be showing nationwide and as well as the trailer below you can see our full coverage of clips and featurettes here.
Finally Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is still going strong and is expanding into more and more theaters. In its second week of release it grossed half a million dollars in just 16 theaters across the country – an average of $28.5K per theater. Based on the novel of the same name written by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor is set in London in the 1970s when secret agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is brought out of retirement to help identify a mole who has infiltrated the Secret Intelligence Service headquarters. With its Brit packed cast of Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt, this espionage thriller will continue to expand over the coming weeks and well into awards season, you can see if it is coming to a theater near you here.
Jamie Bell has said he can't wait to start work on Filth.
The Tintin star is set to play Ray Lennox alongside James McAvoy as lead character Bruce Robertson and Alan Cumming as his boss Toal in Jon S Baird's big-screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh's controversial novel.
"That's going to be great. James McAvoy is playing a great character in that. Hopefully we will be starting that at the beginning of next year," he said.
Jamie is a huge fan of Irvine, who will be producing Filth: "I read it and love the book. I love all of Irvine's work. I consider him such an interesting character and he always puts so much substance into all of his books."
It's an edgy change of direction for the 25-year-old Scottish actor, who recently appeared in period piece Jane Eyre, action epic The Eagle and sci-fi adventure Jumper.
"I don't like to be pigeon-holed, I don't want to categorise myself as one particular actor," he continued.
"It's always great for an actor to show range. You always want to do something different and I'm very lucky that I have had those kinds of opportunities to do that kind of stuff. It's really exciting."
Jamie added: "The choices I make are always driven by the filmmaker, who has the beginning and final say on what the movie is going to be. They are the visionary in front."
