If you managed to catch John Michael McDonagh's "The Guard" last year, you'll surely agree that it was right up there with "Bridesmaids" in contention for the title of The Funniest Film of 2011. And here's something we don't say very often, but let's give the Golden Globes a whole heap of credit for nominating Brendan Gleeson for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy when most of the other major awards ceremonies forgot about the film (even the BAFTAs only managed to recognize it in one category). Gleeson and his co-star Don Cheadle were excellent in the movie, and we can't stress enough how much you should seek out this wicked black comedy if you haven't seen it yet.
McDonagh and Gleeson will reunite for "Calvary," the director's sophomore effort, which will see Gleeson (this time playing the straight man) as a priest who becomes a pariah in his parish after being involved in an abuse scandal. We were on board with this movie as soon as we heard about it but our interest piqued when we heard that Chris O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids"), Aidan Gillen ("The Wire") and Kelly Reilly ("Sherlock Holmes," "Eden Lake") had joined the cast as well. Now two more are on board.
Twitch reveals that David Wilmot and Isaach de Bankole will also play along in "Calvary." Wilmot had a small but hilarious role in "The Guard" as a philosophical assassin and also has credits in other notable Irish productions such as "Michael Collins," "Intermission" and Martin McDonagh's Oscar-winning short "Six Shooter." Meanwhile, the Ivory Coast-born actor Bankole is probably best known to Jim Jarmusch fans for his numerous collaborations, including an awesome turn in "Night On Earth," stints in "Coffee & Cigarettes" and "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai," and for his near silent performance in "The Limits of Control." He's also impressed of late in "The Diving Bell & the Butterfly" and "White Material" and is basically an ace in the hole of whatever project he's in, so we can't wait to see what he does here.
The film will shoot in September with an eye on a 2013 release. We're excited to see this, so much so that many repeat viewings of "The Guard" may have to be utilized between now and 2013.