So you loved Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and are eagerly awaiting the next pot-boiling John Le Carré adaptation? Well lucky you, because there will be plenty to choose from before too long.
First up, we're getting our first look at Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams in A Most Wanted Man, which follows a half-Chechen, half-Russian, tortured half-to-death immigrant turns up in Hamburg’s Islamic community, laying claim to his father’s ill gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest. The central mystery surrounds the man's true identity. Is he an oppressed victim or an extremist bent on destruction? The film also stars Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, and Daniel Bruhl, with Anton Corbijn (The American) directing. Awesome cast and a perfectly set director, so it's a wonder why no U.S. distribution has been secured yet.
Then there's Our Kind of Traitor, which recently cast Ewan McGregor in one of the lead roles and will be directed by Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders). Last fall it was rumored that Mads Mikkelsen, Ralph Fiennes, and Jessica Chastain would join the international thriller, which follows an English couple(McGregor is one) who get mixed up with a Russian money-launderer and are forced to go on the run. While it appears Chastain is out, Fiennes and Mikkelsen are now confirmed, making this yet another Le Carré adaptation with a stellar roster. Fiennes will play a U.K. "fixer", while Mikkelsen plays the Russian oligarch central to the story.And as for Smiley's People, the true sequel to 'Tinker Tailor'? Tomas Alfredson and Peter Straughan are indeed coming back to direct and script, and the film may shoot some time in 2014 with the principle cast returning. More reason to celebrate.[THR/Screen Daily]
