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 made some headway on that front with Luxembourg producer Jani Thiltes and the Film Fund Luxembourg backing the project and a spring 2012 shoot being targeted.
Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy are the thesps who have remained loyal to the project since it was first announced in 2009 and the trio is reconfirmed along side Gleeson’s son Domhall as those who’ll join Fassbender in the upcoming production. However, one name has been left out: Jonathan Rhys-Meyer was amongst the cast when Colin Farrell spoke about the project last year. Whether he’s vacated the project or left it due to scheduling conflicts remains unclear.
“At Swim-Two-Birds,” was featured in Time Magazine’s Top 100 Novels Of All Time, centers on the idea of fictional characters rebelling against their creator and follows a university student as he writes a novel behind closed doors that seemingly intertwines with characters in his own life. A closer look at the novel’s plot reveals very complex, meta-fictional tale that would seemingly be impossible to summarize, but it has been described as “a collision between Ireland’s literary, heroic past and its grimy, mundane present.” No word yet on what roles each actor will be taking but the more senior Gleeson did add that, in addition to taking up directorial duties for the first time on the project, he will be portraying an uncle to the protagonist.
With the latest developments now taking the adaptation to a position where it’s “getting closer to production,” here’s hoping the remaining pieces of financing which are still required will come together soon enough. Surely, a name like Fassbender will only help. [ScreenDaily]