Tom Hardy joins the cast of hit period crime drama Peaky Blinders

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By JASON CHESTER
February 14, 2014



Tom Hardy will make a return to TV later this year after joining the cast of period drama Peaky Blinders.

The British movie star will appear in the second series of the hit BBC Two gangster drama, joining his The Dark Knight Rises co-star Cillian Murphy.

The official Twitter account for Peaky Blinders'announced the news on Friday, writing: 'FAN EXCLUSIVE: TOM HARDY WILL JOIN THE CAST OF #PEAKYBLINDERS! As a thanks for your support, YOU are the 1st to know (sic)'

Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby crime family - led by the cunning and masterful Tommy (Cillian) - and is set in Birmingham just after World War I.

The drama also stars top acting talent such as Helen McCrory and Sam Neill as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a detective who arrives in Birmingham from Belfast to rid the city of corruption and gangs


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2559591/Tom-Hardy-joins-cast-BBC-Peaky-Blinders.html#ixzz2tQLwcYnT 
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Matthew Macfadyen: Glad to be back in hat (BELFAST TELEGRAPH)

Matthew Macfadyen has said he could't wait to get back into his bowler hat for the new series of Ripper Street.

Filming has begun on the second series of the BBC One drama, and Matthew is looking forward to being reunited with his distinctive costume.

He said: "It's fantastic to begin shooting in Dublin again for the second series of Ripper Street - and to be reunited with much of the wonderful cast and crew from last year. Also to be reunited with my bowler hat - I'd missed it.

"The show's creator Richard Warlow has given us two wonderful, strange and unsettling opening episodes, teeming with the fierce and fragile life of Victorian Whitechapel."

Matthew will be joined again by co-stars Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg to play the Victorian crime fighting team.

READ MORE: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/macfadyen-glad-to-be-back-in-hat-29294843.html

Pierce Brosnan - Pierce Brosnan's Son To Play Him As A Young Man In New Thriller 25 April 2013 (CONTACT MUSIC)

Pierce Brosnan's son Sean is to play the former Bond star as a young man in a new movie about a former Irish Republican Army hitman trying to make good after serving 20 years in the notorious Long Kesh prison.

The Brosnans are planning to shoot actionthriller Last Man Out, based on a script by comedian-turned-U.S. chat show host Craig Ferguson, in Belfast, Northern Ireland later this year (13).

Pierce explains, "It's about the last man out of Long Kesh and the ghosts that he lives with and flashbacks to his younger life and me as a young man, so I was like, 'Sean, why not?'

"I'd known Craig, did his show and we live in the same neighbourhood and he came to me with this and I said, 'Yeah, let's have a crack at it.' Terry Loane is a Belfast director who I've wanted to work with. It's a little film."


READ MOREhttp://www.contactmusic.com/news/pierce-brosnan-s-son-to-play-him-as-a-young-man-in-new-thriller_3627993

Jack O’Connell & Rupert Friend Begin Shooting ‘Starred Up’ In Belfast 12 Feb 2013 : By Eva Hall (IFTN)

'Skins’ actor Jack O’Connell and ‘Homeland’ actor Rupert Friend have begun shooting ‘Starred Up’ in Northern Ireland.

The feature film, which began principal photography in Belfast yesterday, sees O’Connell, best known for his role as James in Channel 4 series ‘Skins’, play troubled teenager Eric, who is transferred to an adult prison.

When a gang member he meets in prison turns out to be his father, Eric’s violent ways look set to continue, until the prison psychologist takes an interest in him and he slowly begins a transformation.

Friend is expected to be playing the father, while ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ actor Ben Mendelsohn is thought to play the role of the psychologist.

Shooting is currently taking place in Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast.

READ MORE: http://www.iftn.ie/actors/actorsnews/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4285778&tpl=archnews&force=1

BRENDAN COYLE: Origin Theatre Patron will be appearing during upcoming New York Festival dedicated to Irish Playwrightsm, September 3 to October 1

It's time to give Origin Theatre its due, because its fifth annual New York festival dedicated to Irish playwrights (the only one in the world, as it happens) is running from September 3 to October 1 in New York.


For Origin it’s been a catalogue of successes because the company is celebrating its 10th anniversary season, and this year the month-long festival features Irish plays and musicals from 11 contemporary Irish playwrights (plus Eugene O’Neill) in productions from Belfast, Dublin, Boston and New York.


“It’s year five so now we’re getting a huge amount of applications for the festival from Irish companies, so this year we have a broader scope. It’s not just theater -- it’s musicals and other aspects of theater. This year we’ll stage panel discussions and related events too.”

Right on cue to offer his services and his star power is Origin’s newest honorary patron, the Irish and British actor Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey). Coyle joined the company in May and will appear during the festival to announce an upcoming 1st Irish project in New York.

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/story/artsandstyle/tipsheet/origin-theatre-to-wow-at-1st-irish-festival-for-the-fifth-time-in-new-york-169022886.html

Clive Owen - Clive Owen's Childhood Fears Over Terrorist Attacks 18 August 2012 14:02 (contact music)

British actor Clive Owen grew up fearing he'd fall victim to a terrorist attack after seeing horrific news reports of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The Sin City star, who grew up in Coventry, England, became terrified he would be embroiled in an attack by the Irish Republican Army (Ira).

Owen, whose new espionage thriller Shadow Dancer is set in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles, once lived in the city when he was starring in a local play.

He tells Britain's Independent newspaper, "I grew up with it being part of our lives and every night hearing some report on the news about the Troubles. (It was) rough... It was a war zone.

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/clive-owens-childhood-fears-over-terrorist-attacks_1395019

GAME OF THRONES SEASON THREE CASTS CIARÁN HINDS AS MANCE RAYDER (THE DAILY BLAM) BY PIETRO FILIPPONI PUBLISHED: AUGUST 17, 2012 - 7:33AM in TV Television News Game of Thrones Game of Thrones HBO Fantasy Mature

Ciarán Hinds (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, HBO's Rome) has joined the cast of Game of Thrones in one of the most important roles for the upcoming season. According to Entertainment Weekly, Hinds will play the often referenced but yet to be seen Wildling leader Mance Rayder, who has united the disparate clans of the Far North behind a single mission: To attack The Wall. Another Rome alum, Tobias Menzies (Brutus) was also recently cast for the show's new season for the part of Edmure Tully.

The third season of Game of Thrones is currently filming in Belfast, Croatia, Iceland and Morocco in preparation for it's return on March 31st, 2013.

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, this hit Emmy®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom. Among the returning members of the ensemble cast are Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emmy® winner Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey and Kit Harington. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss executive produce. New cast additions for season two include Stephen Dillane (John Adams, King Arthur) as Stannis Baratheon and Carice van Houten (Repo Men) as Melisandre. More additions include Liam Cunningham (Camelot) as the onion knight Davos, Natalie Dormer (The Tudors) as Margaery Tyrell, Gwendoline Christie as the knight Brienne, Nonso Anozie as a merchant prince, Tom Wlaschiha as the assassin Jaqen H'gar, Andy Beckwith as Rorge, Roy Dotrice as a pyromancer, Michael McElhatton as Roose, Robert Pugh as Craster, Hannah Murray as Gilly, Oona Chaplin as Jeyne, Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy, Ian Hanmore as a Warlock, Daniel Portman as a squire and Gemma Whelan as the axe wielding Yara Greyjoy.

READ MORE:http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2012/08/17/game-of-thrones-season-three-casts-ciar%C3%A1n-hinds-as-mance-rayder

Bruce Springsteen mocks London 'sound police' and shows who's boss at RDS (BELFAST TELEGRAPH)

Bruce Springsteen has opened his Dublin gig by mocking authorities in London who brought the curtain down early during his Hyde Park concert.

Coming on stage at 7.25pm, he stood with guitarist Steve Van Zandt in front of a huge power switch and told the crowd of 35,000 in the RDS: "Before we were so rudely interrupted . . ."

It was fitting that his opening tune was 'Twist And Shout', the same Beatles song which he was performing with Paul McCartney when the plug was pulled at Hyde Park by the UK authorities.



Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney in Hyde Park before plug is pulled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpaMN5moBNM

There was more fun made with the incident by his choice of second song, the Bobby Fuller Four track made famous by The Clash, 'I Fought The Law', whose thrashing by the E Street Band prompted Springsteen to remark: "That will teach them".

It wasn't long before Dublin City Council chiefs were the next target. Springsteen and his band were fined an estimated ?50,000 for breaching a curfew by 15 minutes at the RDS with their first concert and 19 minutes at their second gig in July 2009.

"We're not sure when the curfew is tonight. Do you really have curfews in Ireland?" he said of the 11pm cut-off point agreed between promoters and Dublin City Council Planning.

But curfews were forgotten as he began to hit his stride.



Read more:http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/bruce-springsteen-mocks-london-sound-police-and-shows-whos-boss-at-rds-16186427.html

Kate Winslet, Kenneth Branagh get royal honors June 15, 2012 -- 2:24 PM (EXAMINER)

LONDON (AP) — Kate Winslet has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her titanic contribution to the arts.

The actress, who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for "The Reader" and made her breakthrough as the feisty Rose in 1997 blockbuster "Titanic," has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in the queen's Birthday Honors List, published Saturday.

Winslet said the honor made her "very proud to be a Brit."

"I am both surprised and honored to stand alongside so many men and woman who have achieved great things for our country," the 36-year-old star said.

Actor and director Kenneth Branagh was made a knight and will be known as Sir Kenneth. A respected Shakespearean actor whose films as a director range from "Henry V" and "Hamlet" to the comic-book fantasy "Thor," Branagh said he felt "humble, elated, and incredibly lucky" to get the honor. It puts him in a pantheon of theatrical knights alongside the late Sir Laurence Olivier, whom Branagh played in "My Life With Marilyn."

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team," said the Belfast-born, 51-year-old actor. "I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt, and my heart's fit to burst."


READ MORE:  http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/movies/2012/06/kate-winslet-kenneth-branagh-get-royal-honors/734971

CLIVE OWEN UNVEILS IRA THRILLER AT BERLIN FEST (7 NEWS)

BERLIN (AFP) - Britain's Clive Owen plays an MI5 officer trying to protect an informant who is spying on her own IRA family in "Shadow Dancer", a taut thriller that premiered Sunday at the Berlin film festival.

Directed by Oscar-winning film-maker James Marsh and written by Tom Bradby, a journalist who covered the long-running "troubles" in Northern Ireland, the film revives the terror and paranoia of the era's sectarian violence.

"I think that if you're brought up in England and you're my age, it was something that was kind of on the news every day, the troubles in Ireland, and you kind of lived with it," said Owen, 47. "I remember going to Belfast for a while during the troubles. You forget how recently it was a rough place, it was a war zone really."

Owen's MI5 officer Mac interrogates single mother Collette, a Republican living in Belfast with her mother and IRA militant brothers, when she is captured for her part in an aborted bomb plot on the London Tube.

He presents her with a choice: go to prison or inform on her own family. She agrees to spy for the British but when a secret IRA operation goes awry, suspicion falls on her and she fears for her life.


Read further:  http://au.news.yahoo.com/entertainment/a/-/entertainment/12884649/clive-owen-unveils-ira-thriller-at-berlin-fest/

KENNETH BRANAGH in THE PAINKILLER

Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon set for pacey comedy

Rob Brydon and Kenneth Branagh appearing at the Lyric Theatre Belfast in Sean Foley's adaptation of Francis Verber's "The PainKiller". 14th September 2011

Published on Friday 16 September 2011 03:55

LAUGHTER at the Lyric beckons with The Painkiller, a new comedy co-produced by one of Belfast’s most famous thespian sons, Kenneth Branagh, and writer/director Sean Foley.

The Painkiller stars Branagh along with comedian of the moment Rob Brydon in the English language première of Francis Veber’s speedy, rollicking farce.
“The Painkiller is a remarkable play,” said a sprightly Branagh back in his hometown for the beginning of rehearsals.
“Sean Foley, the director, is a fantastic talent, familiar to Belfast audiences.
“When he showed me his modern adaptation of Francis Veber’s farce, I knew I wanted to be involved. It’s also a particular thrill to partner on stage with the brilliant Rob Brydon.
“I was lucky enough to begin my career with Graham Reid’s Billy, in my home town of Belfast, exactly 30 years ago. I feel equally lucky to be back, and at the Lyric.”
“This is my first stage play and I couldn’t be more pleased than to be working alongside as great a talent as Kenneth Branagh, under the
direction of the excellent Sean Foley,” added Rob Brydon during a press conference at the revamped theatre.
Branagh, most famous for starring in and directing several film adaptations of Shakespearean works, began his career with Graham Reid’s Billy Plays, attended RADA and made a name for himself at the RSC. Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Henry V, Richard III, Hamlet, As You Like It - it seems he’s appeared in or helped produce adaptations of almost every play in the Shakespearean corpus.
And of course he featured prominently in 1994 blockbuster Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, alongside Robert de Niro and Helena Bonham Carter. This year saw the release of Thor, a film about the Marvel superhero starring Natalie Portman, which Branagh directed.
Welsh star Rob Brydon is famous for being incredibly funny on television and among many other things, has played Uncle Bryn in Gavin and Stacey, hosted panel quiz show Would I Lie to You?, starred in Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive and played Keith Barret in BBC comedy Marion and Geoff. He a hosts the Rob Brydon Show and has worked with comedians like Steve Coogan.
The action of The Painkiller is frenetic and focuses on the misadventures of one Brian Dudley (Rob Brydon). His wife has just left him for her psychiatrist and so Dudley is lovelorn and desperate in a hotel room with suicide in mind.
In the adjoining room, a hit man called Ralph Smith (Kenneth Branagh) is poised to complete his latest assignment with the use of a telescopic rifle; he’s in the business of ‘pain removal’after all.
Caught between Brian and the hit man is the hapless concierge, desperate to finish his shift before disaster strikes. Added to this are the machinations of policemen, a case of mistaken identity, lots of frantic coming and going and some near falling out of windows - the whole climaxing at incredible velocity.
“We are looking forward to plenty of laughter at the Lyric in this stylish comedy,” said artistic director of the theatre Richard Croxford, obviously tickled to have two such big stars on the stage.
The cast also includes Mark Hadfield, Stuart Graham, Claudia Harrison and Andy Moore.
The Painkiller, which is supported by Clear Pharmacy, runs at the Lyric Theatre on the Northern Bank Stage September 23 - October 16.
To book tickets call the box office on 02890 381081 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 02890 381081 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk.

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