Role Call: Nearly Headless Nick vs. the CIA…in Bathing Suits?
As John Cleese begins to prepare himself for a short tour and live television broadcast of the Monty Python reunion, it was announced that he will also be taking on a more villainous role in a spy comedy spoof. Empire Online reports that the veteran actor has joined the cast of The B Team, a film written by former Baywatch television series actors Alexandra Paul and Jaason Simmons. The film follows a group of CIA agents who had formerly posed undercover as Baywatch lifeguards in the 90s and get called back to their old posts to bring down John’s character, known only as Vachon, who is blackmailing the CIA but is secretly a Baywatch fan. Filming is set to begin this September in Budapest.
In an interview with CraveOnline, Miranda Richardson talked about her role in the film Belle, including working with Tom Felton. She told the site via phone that she had come across Felton while filming the Harry Potter series, but didn’t really know him. She got to know him a bit better during the filming of Belle and had nothing but nice things to say (unlike her HP alter ego Rita Skeeter) about working with Tom, who played her son, James, in the film:
He’s a delightful guy, completely delightful, very sweet nature.”
In addition to giving the scoop on Tom, she revealed that one of her next projects is a television series set in the late 20s to the early 30s, called Mapp and Lucia. The series is set in 3 parts and is based on a celebrated British book series by E.F. Benson. To read the rest of Miranda’s interview, visit the CraveOnline site here.
Emma Thompson keeps adding to her body of work. Variety revealed Monday that the actress has joined the cast of A Walk in the Woods with Robert Redford. An adaptation of Bill Bryson’s travel memoir, the film began production this week. Redford has had the rights to the film since 2005 and it seems like the film, which is based on Bryson’s attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail that runs from Georgia to Maine, will finally get made. No word yet on the character Emma will play in the independent film tentatively set with a late 2015 release.
Rehearsals have begun for Bill Nighy‘s new play, Skylight. The production released the first picture of Nighy in character as Tom Sergeant, which you can see below, along with a synopsis of the play.
On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant, a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.”
Skylight is set to open on June 18 at the Wyndham’s Theatre. The production previously received the Laurence Olivier award for Best Play in 1995. To learn more about the play and to purchase tickets, you can visit the play’s website here.
Finally, we previously reported on Timothy Spall‘s involvement in the indie film Sucker. The director of the film has confirmed that principal photography has wrapped on the flick. The project, which has been in the works since 2002 while writer-director Ben Chessell sought the right team to bring his creation to life, finished filming in Melbourne, Australia on Monday. Chessell recalls when Tim called him about the project prior to accepting the role as the slick conman known only as the Professor:
We wanted an actor who could play the custodian of a dying art, the art of the con. When he rang me from his houseboat in the Netherlands, Tim described him as ‘shabby chic.’”
He further expanded on the chemistry his three main characters had, stating the “camaraderie came across” in their scenes together. No word yet on when the film will debut as they are now entering the editing phase. We’ll make sure to bring you all the latest as information becomes available.
What are your thoughts on this week’s round of Casting News? Are you excited for any of these projects? Let us know which film has you hooked, and perhaps what project you’d like to see your favorite Harry Potter alum tackle next by commenting below!
