Here are the official production notes for 'Victor Frankenstein.' Be aware of possible spoilers ahead.
Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy
star in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, a dynamic and thrilling twist on a legendary
tale. Radical scientist Victor
Frankenstein (McAvoy) and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman (Radcliffe)
share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research
into immortality. But Victor’s experiments go too far, and his obsession has
horrifying consequences.
Only Igor can bring his friend
back from the brink of madness and save him from his monstrous creation.
Twentieth Century Fox presents a
Davis Entertainment Company production, starring
Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy
in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, also starring Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott and
Charles Dance. The film is directed by
Paul McGuigan, and produced by John Davis, p.g.a. The screen story and screenplay is by Max
Landis. The executive producers are Ira
Shuman and Derek Dauchy, the director of photography is Fabian Wagner, BSC, and
the production designer is Eve Stewart. The film editor is Charlie Phillips,
the co-producer is Mairi Bett, music is by Craig Armstrong, and the costume
designer is Jany Temime.
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN is a “Frankenstein”
movie unlike any other. While inspired
by Mary Shelley’s classic novel and the countless interpretations of that
story, screenwriter Max Landis’ “regeneration” focuses on the relationship
between Victor and his best friend and assistant Igor. In fact, it’s the first story to be told
largely from Igor’s perspective. “It’s a love story between these two mean,
really,” notes director Paul McGuigan.
“Victor and Igor need each other; in fact, Victor
needs Igor probably more than Igor needs
Victor in his life.”
Moreover, the film, though set in 1860, at
the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, has a contemporary sensibility. “I don’t think of it as a period film,” says
Daniel Radcliffe, “but as being completely modern. Victor and Igor have cutting-edge ideas;
they’re the tip of the spear. They view
science as being more than just observational.
They believe it could be creative and re-shape the world.
“I like
the film’s irreverent tone and how it avoids being Victorian and
‘buttoned-up,’”
Radcliffe continues.
“Victor and Igor are forward thinking.”
Adds McGuigan: “These two young men are changing the
world.”
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN is also, notes James
McAvoy, a love letter to the myriad films featuring those characters and
themes. “This film has many of the
familiar elements you expect to see in a Frankenstein movie, but adds unexpected
dimensions of character, relationships and entertainment.”
“Max Landis has done nothing less than
capture the zeitgeist of all the Frankenstein movies he’s watched,” says
McGuigan. “He’s cherry-picked ideas and created his own
‘monster,’ so to speak.”
McGuigan was especially drawn to Landis’
decision to tell the story through Igor’s eyes.
That notion points to a key misperception about the character and his
role in
Frankenstein lore.
Igor was not a character in Mary Shelley’s book, nor did he appear in
most of the subsequent film interpretations.
Actor Dwight Frye’s hunchbacked lab assistant in James Whale’s
“Frankenstein” (1931) is the main source for the “Igor” of public imagination,
though the character he played was actually named Fritz. Most moviegoers know the character through
Marty Feldman’s performance in Mel Brooks’ beloved comedy “Young
Frankenstein,” though Feldman’s character insists on
being called “Eye-gore.”
A different kind of moniker mix-up
accompanies Victor himself. Many people
attribute that name to the monster, instead of its creator – the good
doctor. “So we give the name
‘Frankenstein’ back to the scientist – to Victor Frankenstein,” says McGuigan.
McAvoy relates that, “Whenever somebody
asked me what I was doing at the moment [during production of VICTOR
FRANKENSTEIN], I would say, I’m playing Frankenstein, and they’d reply, ‘You’re
a little short to be playing the monster.’
And I’d correct them and say, ‘No, no, it’s the doctor.’ So, yeah, we’re giving the name back to Dr.
Vic.”
A pivotal moment for both Victor
and Igor is an early scene where Victor straightens Igor’s hunchback, which
McGuigan says is “a metaphor for the entire movie.” Having rescued Igor from a London circus,
Victor takes him to his flat and within minutes throws Igor against the wall
and produces a massive syringe with which he performs a lightning-fast medical
procedure on his new “patient.” Moments
later, Igor’s hunchback is corrected.
“If you think you knew Victor, the first few minutes of the film will
prove you don’t,” says
McGuigan.
“He’s dangerous and fun to watch.”
Fun and dangerous, yes, but he’s
also, brilliant, obsessed – and a sociopath.
As Victor walks a fine light between lightness and darkness, and between
life and death, only Igor can keep him from a descent into madness from which
there’ll be no return.
That’s no easy accomplishment,
given that Victor and Igor are exploring fundamental questions, such as: Where
do we come from? Where do we go when we
die?
Can we prevent – or reverse – death?
“Victor and Igor are at the
forefront of scientific and medical research,” notes McAvoy. “But just because they can cheat death,
should they do it?
“I think Victor’s intentions are
good,” he continues. “He’s looking to
improve the human condition, which is very fragile. Victor is trying to make it
more robust and, ideally, eliminate death, which has been a human obsession for
ages.”
To McAvoy, a character with such
world-changing ambitions would not be a lab rat holding course at a
chalkboard. He’d be nothing less than a
force of nature. “Victor just doesn’t
stop moving. He’s a creator of machines,
as well as of a man, plus a skilled engineer and an accomplished surgeon.”
Victor’s friendship with Igor is
one of equals. Igor’s knowledge of
anatomy instantly impresses the scientist, who takes Igor under his wing. Even as Igor is in many ways Victor’s first
creation, Victor learns much from his friend and assistant.
Notes Radcliffe: “Igor has a
very rich, intellectual life and, if he’s not the academic equal of Victor,
he’s certainly a partner in terms of what they’re creating.”
Igor had spent his entire life in
the circus, working as a clown. Although
he’s much maligned and even abused by the owner and his fellow performers, Igor
has become a gifted surgeon, healing injured performers and animals. Books and medicine are his refuge amidst
these difficult, if not horrific, circumstances.
While visiting the circus in
search of animal body parts, it is Victor who rescues Igor, after witnessing
Igor performing an emergency procedure on an injured colleague.
“Victor lifts Igor out of those
horrible conditions, which sets up an interesting dynamic in their
relationship,” says Radcliffe. “He has
created a new life for Igor. As Igor and
Victor embark on this journey together, Victor starts losing his mind, and Igor
tries to pull him back from the edge of insanity. But how do you stand up to somebody after
they’ve given you everything? So, there’s an imbalance and tension in their
relationship that is fascinating to me.”
Like Victor, Igor is a man of
action. “Igor is quite well matched with
Victor, in terms of physicality,” says Radcliffe. That translated into a lot of what Radcliffe
calls “chucking each other around,” including the aforementioned and vigorous
hunchback-removing procedure.
“Every time Daniel and I had a
scene together, we’d ask each other, ‘How physical and dangerous-looking can we
make this? Come on, man!,’” says
McAvoy. “We are similar in energy levels
and physical ability, so we just kind of went at each other, 12 hours each
day.
Adds Radcliffe: “James is a bold actor and really
hits the ground running in an exciting way.
That enabled us to make some interesting choices
together.”
Igor’s only other friend is
Lorelei, a beautiful trapeze artist with whom he had formed a close bond at the
circus. It is Lorelei’s fall from the
trapeze and Igor’s treatment of her severe injuries that so impresses
Victor.
Former “Downton Abbey” star Jessica Brown
Findlay portrays Lorelei, who despite her beauty, doesn’t fit into the world of
the circus and has, notes Findlay, “found a real friend in Igor.”
Igor’s relationship with Lorelei
is strong and deep, though it avoids the expected by never becoming a
traditional romance. His dynamic with
Victor adds further complexity to his relationship with Lorelei. “Lorelei is excited about Igor’s new
opportunities, but when she witnesses the lengths to which Victor is pursuing
his experiments, her emotional intelligence kicks in and she becomes fearful
for Igor,” says Findlay.
Victor is none too pleased with
Lorelei, whom he dismisses as a needless distraction for Igor. Notes McAvoy:
“Victor perceives everyone, save Igor, as a hindrance, and Lorelei is an
especially massive threat in Victor’s eyes, and he tries to undermine her at
every step.”
Another thorn in Victor’s side is
Inspector Turpin from Scotland Yard, who is investigating Victor’s morally
questionable if not illegal activities.
Andrew Scott, best known for his role as the malevolent Moriarty in the
BBC-PBS production of “Sherlock,” takes on the role, which is a counterpoint to
Victor, in that Turpin is a man of faith, and Victor is a man of science.
“Turpin absolutely cannot accept
what Victor is doing, which is bringing back people from the dead,” notes
Scott.
But they’re more alike than
either would admit. Both men are
obsessed…and damaged. Victor is fixated
with creating life from death, and Turpin with religion and faith. Victor goes to any and all extremes to
fulfill his dreams, and Turpin is equally resolute in stopping him, no matter
what the cost. They fanatically adhere
to their respective beliefs. Victor’s
religion is science, whereas Turpin believes that taking creation into your own
hands is to transgress against God.
Turpin, notes McGuigan, is an
“old fashioned character that brings up questions of faith, but at the same
time that’s a modern idea because we’re still talking about those issues today.
Turpin is the story’s moral compass and conscience because he’s actually asking
the right questions.”
If there’s true malice in VICTOR
FRANKENSTEIN, it’s personified by the character of Finnegan, a wealthy medical
student and classmate of Victor’s at the Royal College of Medicine. Finnegan, portrayed by Freddie Fox, funds
Victor’s experiments for his own nefarious purposes. He’s a psychopath, and like many of his ilk,
Finnegan is proficient in identifying weakness in others. “He’s as ambitious as Victor but not as
medically gifted, so he invests his talents and ambitions in manipulating
Victor,” says Fox.
Yet, Fox insists that Finnegan is no more villainous
than any of the other characters.
“Everyone in this story is compromised because
they’re human beings with their individual desires,” he explains.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Filming
on VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN took place across 60 days in the United
Kingdom.
During production, the UK experienced some of its worst storms on
record, which made some exterior night shooting extremely challenging for the
cast and crew.
The
production made creative use of the storms for one of the film’s iconic scenes,
the
creation of the monster, and for its most impressive
set: the interior of the castle and laboratory, where Victor brings his
“experiment” to life.
The 60-foot-high cylindrical set,
which had an open roof, was built over a four month period at Longcross
Studios, Surrey. (The exterior scenes
were shot at Dunnottar castle, a spectacular, crumbling fortress on a cliff top
overlooking the sea, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.)
Once cast and crew were inside
the walls provided some shelter from the relentless rainfall, but the lack of a
roof (to facilitate the lightning strike that would bring the monster to life)
made for a very wet set.
As filming progressed, the set was steadily
destroyed by explosions, flames and water, which dramatically poured through it
night after night.
This,
and all the sets, were created by production designer Eve Stewart (a three-time
Oscar® nominee for her work on “The King’s Speech,”
“Les Miserables” and “Topsy Turvy”), whom Daniel Radcliffe says is nothing less
than “a force of nature and brilliant at what she does. Her work always has the ‘wow factor,’ as in,
‘god, this set is huge and really impressive!’
But the detail is also incredible, like the papers Eve had scattered
around
Victor’s lab.”
Stewart envisioned Victor’s
apartment/workshop/lab as being massive, reflecting the Industrial Revolution,
where machines were often the size of buildings. These scenes were shot at
London’s Crossness Pumping Station, which was built in 1865 as part of
Victorian
London’s urgently needed main sewage system.
One usually thinks of the Industrial
Revolution as being marked by soot, and even more soot, but Stewart says there
were “enormous amounts of color underneath the factories chugging out
soot.”
Stewart designed the circus set –where we
meet Igor – from referencing Victorian circuses. On the surface, the circus, she says, “looks
all jolly and wonderful and colorful, but actually poor Igor is enduring a
horrific life of servitude, from which he’s rescued by Victor.”
MONSTERS
The story’s monster is aptly named
Prometheus, for the figure who tried to steal fire from the gods, which Victor
is, in his way, is attempting to do, by stealing life-giving force from God.
The final version of the character was
embodied by 6’ 10”actor Guillaume Delaunay, who donned a full prosthetic suit
designed by Rob Mayor of Millennium FX, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of
special makeup effects. To capture the
monster’s sense of a life lost and reborn, Delaunay studied with a movement
coach. “Prometheus is a newborn; he remembers how to move on an instinctual
level,” says McGuigan.
Prometheus is actually version 2.0 of
Victor’s work. An early try at creating
life from death is named “Gordon,” and is even more horrific looking than
Prometheus. Gordon is a mish-mash of
animal body parts, including a hyena’s leg, a monkey’s head, and a dog’s leg.
“It’s not pleasant,” says McGuigan, in dramatic understatement, “but that’s the
whole idea.
Even though the audience may not see it, there’s a
reason behind every choice for a limb and tissue. It’s all based on science.”
In working with his teams to conceive the
design of Gordon, McGuigan likens himself to one of the subjects of his
film. “It was incredibly exciting coming
up with that design. You know, you
become a bit like Victor Frankenstein because you’re thinking, oh, I’ll take a
bit of this animal, and cross it with that animal…”
Still,
it’s not all about science and scares.
“There’s a look of sorrow and sadness in
Gordon’s eyes,” says Rob Mayor.
For much of Gordon’s on-screen time, he was
controlled by cables operated by puppeteers.
“It’s almost too real,” says executive producer Derek Dauchy. “Audiences aren’t going to believe we built
this thing; they’ll think it’s all CGI.”
Prometheus
and Gordon point to a key element of VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN:
invention and creation. But the film’s greatest creation is its
unique take on the story of Igor and Victor, which provides a one-of-a-kind
version of a classic tale.
ABOUT THE
CAST
DANIEL RADCLIFFE
(Igor) is currently filming “Now You See Me: The Second
Act,”
which is the sequel to the successful heist film “Now You See Me.” Lizzie
Caplan also joins the cast, which includes Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.
The film will be released in 2016.
Radcliffe was recently seen starring in the horror-thriller “Horns,” and the romantic comedy “What
If,” opposite Zoe Kazan. Previously,
he starred in Sony Pictures Classics’ “Kill Your
Darlings,” which, having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, opened to
rave reviews. Last summer, he
starred as Billy in “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” Martin
McDonagh’s comic masterpiece, set off the west coast
of Ireland. The play made its way to Broadway from London’s West End, where it
debuted in the summer of 2013 to critical acclaim and box office success, winning Radcliffe the Whatsonstage Award for Best Actor.
Since completing the final installment in the
series of eight “Harry Potter” films in 2010, Radcliffe has continued to prove
himself a diverse and acclaimed talent. In 2011 he starred in a ten month
sell-out run of the Broadway musical “How to Succeed in Business without Really
Trying,” and in 2012 Radcliffe starred in “The Woman in Black,” which became
the most successful British horror film of all time, and was also a box-office
success in the U.S. In October of
2013, Ovation aired Radcliffe's four-part TV mini-series, “A Young Doctor’s
Notebook,” a wildly original comedy drama based on a collection of short
stories by celebrated Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov. Radcliffe portrayed the younger doctor, who
has exchanges with his older self, played by Jon Hamm. Season two has already
aired in the U.K. and the U.S. In 2012
Radcliffe hosted “Saturday Night Live” and was voted “Entertainer of the Year”
by Entertainment Weekly, as the most
talented and original performer of 2011. He also won two Teen Choice Awards and
a Scream Award, as well as two nominations for the People’s Choice Award for
Favorite Movie Actor and Favorite Movie Star under 25.
Radcliffe’s other film credits include the Australian
independent feature “December
Boys” and the role of Jack Kipling in the fact-based
telefilm “My Boy Jack,” about Rudyard Kipling’s 17-year-old son Jack and the
devastating effect his death in World War I had on his family. The film also
starred Kim Cattrall, Carey Mulligan and David Haig.
Radcliffe
is no stranger to the theatre, having starred as Alan Strang, in both the 2007
West End and 2008 Broadway productions of Peter
Shaffer’s “Equus,” winning the award for
Best Leading Actor at the Annual Theatre Fan Choice
Awards, organized by Broadway
World, as well as Best Leading Actor and Breakthrough
Performance Awards at the Broadway.com Audience Awards. He also garnered Drama League and Drama Desk
nominations for his performance in the play. The London and Broadway
productions of “Equus” were directed by Thea Sharrock and also starred Tony Award
winner Richard Griffiths.
A lifelong fan of the hit series
“The Simpsons,” Radcliffe has lent his voice twice to the show. First, to the
character of a brooding vampire named Edmund for the show’s “Treehouse of
Horror XXI” special, entitled “Tweenlight,” which aired November 2010. He then
voiced the character Diggs, a new transfer student whom Bart befriends.
Previously, Radcliffe made a guest appearance as himself in the award-winning
HBO/BBC series “Extras” starring Ricky Gervais. He first appeared on screen as
the young David Copperfield in the BBC/PBS presentation of the classic Charles
Dickens novel.
JAMES MCAVOY
(Victor), a Golden Globe® nominee, won over American audiences with his
critically acclaimed breakthrough performances in “The Last King of Scotland”
and “Atonement.” Having been referred to
as “the best young British actor of our times” by Empire Magazine, James
continues to test himself with a wide variety of work, on stage, television and
film and is regarded as one of the industry’s most exciting acting talents.
Although McAvoy took on small
parts in high-profile projects like the World War I drama, “Regeneration” and
the hugely-successful HBO series, “Band of Brothers,” he first came to
prominence in the UK with the role of Josh in the Channel Four adaptation of
Zadie Smith’s popular novel, “White Teeth,” with Geraldine James, John Simm and
Naomie Harris. In the fall of 2003,
McAvoy played Dan Foster in the BAFTA-winning BBC political drama series,
“State of Play,” with Bill Nighy,
John Simm and Kelly Macdonald. The
series ran in the UK, debuted on BBC America and became one of the most
successful UK exports of the last decade.
McAvoy’s popularity in the UK grew with his portrayal
of the car thief, Steve, in the
BAFTA-winning Channel 4 series “Shameless.” He was nominated in the Best Comedy
Newcomer category at the 2004 British Comedy Awards
for this performance. That year, McAvoy
also impressed audiences in Stephen Fry’s comedy, “Bright Young Things” which
was also released in the U.S. the following year. The film had an all-star international cast
including Emily Mortimer, Peter O’Toole, Jim Broadbent and more.
In the summer of 2005, James
traveled to Uganda to take on the lead role in “The Last King of Scotland,” directed by Oscar and BAFTA winner
Kevin Macdonald. McAvoy was nominated
for a BAFTA, a European Film Award, a BIFA and a London Film Critics Circle
Award for his performance. That year he
also starred in “Inside I’m Dancing” (U.S. title:
“Rory O’Shea Was Here”) directed by Damion O’
Donnell and co-starring Romola Garai.
McAvoy was nominated in the Best British Actor category at the 2005
London Film Critics Circle Awards for his performance.
In December 2005, McAvoy was seen
in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” He was nominated in the British Actor in a
Supporting Role category at the 2006 London Film Critics Circle Awards for his
performance. McAvoy also was awarded the
Rising Star Award at the 2006 BAFTAs. In
2006, he starred in the adaptation of the hugely-popular David Nicholls book
“Starter for Ten” for HBO films. The
film premiered at the 2006 Toronto film festival.
In 2007, McAvoy starred in the
Golden Globe award winning “Atonement.” Directed by Joe Wright and also starring
Keira Knightly and Soairse Ronan, McAvoy received a Golden Globe and BAFTA
nomination for Best Actor and was awarded the London Film Critics Circle Award,
the Santa Barbara Film Festival Award and the UK Regional Critics award.
Other film credits include “Becoming Jane” (2007),
“Penelope” (2008), “Wanted”
(2008), “X-Men: First Class” (2011), “The
Conspirator” (2011), “Gnomeo and Juliet” (2011), and “Arthur Christmas”
(2011). He then appeared in the Eran
Creevy action thriller
“Welcome to the Punch,” Danny Boyle’s “Trance,”
“Filth” opposite Jamie Bell,” “The
Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” and “X-Men: Days
of Future Past.” He reprises his “XMen”
role of Charles Xavier in next year’s “X-Men: Apocalypse.”
McAvoy has also played a large
role in the London theater scene. In
2009, McAvoy took to the stage at the Apollo Theater in London’s West End
playing the two roles of Walker and his father Ned in Richard Greenberg’s
“Three Days of Rain.” His performance
earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor. He was also seen in “Breathing Corpses” at
the Royal Court, “Privates on Parade” at the Donmar Warehouse and “Out in the
Open” at Hampstead Theatre. James most recently starred in “Macbeth” at
Trafalgar Studios. His performance has
earned him an Olivier award nomination for Best Actor and the show was nominated
for Best Revival.
McAvoy was born in the Scotstoun
area of Glasgow, Scotland in 197 and is a graduate of the prestigious Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY (Lorelei) began her career as a dancer,
training with the National Youth Ballet and at age 15. She was asked to dance with the Kirov at the Royal Opera House
in London for a summer season. While
studying a Fine Art course at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martin’s
College, Jessica began acting classes.
She is currently filming “This
Beautiful Fantastic,” about a young woman who dreams of being a children’s
author, and who forms an unlikely friendship with a cantankerous, rich old
widower. She stars alongside Jeremy Irvine and Andrew Scott.
In 2015 Jessica starred in “The
Outcast,” for BBC One, a two-part drama written and adapted by Sadie Jones,
based on her best-selling and award-winning novel. Set in a booming post-war
Britain, the drama is directed by Ian Softley (“The Wings of the Dove”) and is
a deeply romantic, uncomfortably honest coming of-age story.
Last year, Jessica was seen in
the fantasy drama “Winter’s Tale,” alongside Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe.
The Warner Bros. adaptation of the 1983 Mark Helprin novel was directed by
Oscar-winning scribe Akiva Goldsman.
Jessica starred as a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief
who breaks into her home. The drama takes place in 19th century and contemporary
Manhattan. Also last year, Jessica was
seen in Andrew Levitas’ dramatic comedy “Lullaby,” alongside Amy Adams, Garett
Hedlund, Richard Jenkins and Terrence Howard; and in Lone Scherfig’s film “The
Riot Club,” based on the London stage play “Posh,” in which she starred
alongside Max Irons, Douglas Booth and Sam Claflin. The film follows students
at Oxford University as they join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can
be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening.
Jessica made her film debut in the
coming-of-age drama “Albatross,” released in 2011, helmed by British director
Niall MacCormick. Jessica had the lead role as Emilia, a headstrong teenager
with writing ambitions. The film also
starred Sebastian Koch, Julia Ormond and Felicity Jones. Since its premiere at the
Edinburgh International Film Festival in
2011, “Albatross” received fantastic reviews, with
Jessica singled out for her stunning performance, which earned her nominations
in the Best Newcomer categories at the 2012 British Independent Film Awards and
the Evening Standard Film Awards.
Jessica
is best known for her role as the convention-defying, politically-engaged Lady
Sybil Crawley in the phenomenally popular ITV period
drama “Downton Abbey,” from Oscar winning writer Julian Fellowes.
Her television credits also
include BBC One’s “Jamaica Inn,” based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel of the same
name. In 2012 Jessica appeared in in
Channel 4’s “Labyrinth,” a TV mini-series based on the international bestseller
by Kate Mosse. From producers Ridley and Tony Scott, Jessica starred in the
lead female role alongside John Hurt. In
December 2011, Jessica starred in the critically acclaimed satirical drama
“Black Mirror: 15 Million Merits,” directed by Euros Lynn, written and produced
by Charlie Brooker for Channel 4. Jessica played the tragic Abi alongside
Rupert Everett and Daniel Kaluuya. Jessica was also seen as Rachel in an
episode of the hugely successful E4 series “Misfits” opposite
Robert Sheehan.
In 2011, Jessica was selected as
one of four British actors to represent British talent at BAFTA’s inaugural
Brits to Watch event in Los Angeles.
ANDREW SCOTT (Inspector Turpin) is a BAFTA and Olivier
award-winning actor. He began his acting career at the age of 17 in the
acclaimed Irish film “Korea.” Scott is
best known worldwide for his portrayal of Moriarty in the multi-award winning “Sherlock,”
for which he received many awards, including the BAFTA for Best Supporting
actor.
Scott’s recent projects include
the highly anticipated next installment of the James Bond franchise, “Spectre,”
and “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” with Johnny Depp. He also appears in the
all-star BBC Shakespeare project “The Hollow Crown.” Scott is currently filming “This Beautiful
Fantastic,” the children's classic “Swallows” and “Amazons” for BBC Films
Scott’s credits also include “Legacy”
for the BBC, directed by Pete Travis; “Dates with Sheridan Smith”; the
critically acclaimed drama “The Town,” written by Mike Bartlett; BBC’s “The
Hollow Crown”; “Blackout,” alongside Christopher Eccleston; and “The Hour” with
Ben Whishaw and Dominic West.
Other work includes the multi
award-winning “John Adams” opposite Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti for HBO; “Sea
Wall,” a one man show written especially for Scott by Olivier award winning
playwright Simon Stephens; and “The Vertical Hour,” Scott’s critically
acclaimed Broadway debut opposite Julianne Moore, written by David Hare and
directed by Sam Mendes, for which Scott was nominated for a Drama League Award.
Scott’s other films include “Saving
Private Ryan”; “Nora”; the Irish films “Dead Bodies” and The Stag”; “The
Scapegoat”; and “Locke” with Tom Hardy. In
2014 Scott starred in the BAFTA-winning “Pride,” alongside Bill Nighy, Dominic
West and Imelda Staunton, for which Scott was awarded Best Supporting Actor at
the British Independent Film Awards
In 2014 Scott
returned to the Royal Court for a second time to star in Simon
Stephens’ “Birdland,” for which Scott received rave
reviews. His other theatre credits include
“Sea Wall,” “Emperor and Galilean” (National
Theatre), “Cock,” “A Girl in a Car with a Man” (Royal Court), for which he won
an Olivier award, “Design For Living” (Old Vic) and many plays in Dublin and
London.
Along with his BAFTA, Olivier and
BIFA awards, Scott has received two IFTA awards, a Drama League nomination, and
has twice won the BBC Audio award for Best Actor for his work in Radio Drama.
In some thirty five years as an
actor, CHARLES DANCE (Frankenstein)
has amassed an impressive body of work in all media, including title roles with
The Royal Shakespeare Company (“Henry V” and “Coriolanus”) and major work in
London’s commercial theatre
(“Good,” “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” and
“Shadowlands, for which Dance received the London Critic’s Circle Award for
Best Actor).
He appeared in the award-winning
television series “The Jewel in the Crown”
(BAFTA nomination for best actor), “Rebecca,” “Nicholas Nickleby,”
“Fingersmith,” “Bleak House” (for which he received an International Emmy
nomination and won the Press Guild
Award for Best Actor), “Consenting Adults,” about
the ground-breaking Wolfenden Report of 1957, which resulted in the
de-criminalization of homosexuality, and more recently “Secret Life,” a
documentary about Charles Dickens’ turbulent personal life.
Dance’s major film credits include “Plenty,” “White
Mischief,” “Good Morning
Babylon,” “The Golden Child,” “Alien 3,” “Last
Action Hero,” “Hilary and Jackie,” “Michael Collins,” “Starter for Ten,”
“Gosford Park,” “Kabloonak” (for which
Dance received the best actor award at the Paris Film Festival in 1996), “The
Perfect Disagreement” and “The Shooter.”
Dance’s debut as a film director
and writer was “Ladies in Lavender” with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, for which
both “Great Dames” were nominated for European Film Academy Awards. He starred
in the television series “Trinity” and Merlin,” as well as in a new television
adaptation of “Going Postal,” by Terry Pratchet.
Dance filmed “This September,”
directed by Giles Foster, also staring Eileen Atkins, in the summer of 2010 and
went on to film a second season of the series in 2011. He filmed a two-part
adaptation of the Peter Pan story for Sky entitled “Neverland” in 2011,
directed by Nick Willing. Dance also
starred in “Game of Thrones” for HBO and Sky Atlantic, as Tywin Lannister.
Recent films include Roland Joffe’s “There Be
Dragons,” David Gordon Green’s
“Your Highness,” Jonathan English’s
“Ironclad,” Deepa Mehta’s “Winds of
Change” (the filmic adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight Children), “Midnight’s Children” and
“Underworld: Awakening.”
In 2012 Dance shot the Russian
film “VIY” in Prague, “Strikeback 3” in South Africa, the political thriller “Secret
of State” for Channel 4, and the third season of “Game of Thrones.” Later that year he travelled to Australia to
shoot “Patrick,” directed by Mark Hartley.
In 2013 Dance shot “Child 44” alongside Tom Hardy and
Gary Oldman, directed by
Daniel Espinosa. In the summer he filmed season four
of “Game of Thrones,” as well as starring alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and
Kiera Knightly in “The Imitation Game,” directed by Morten Tyldum.
Dance began 2014 by filming
“Despite the Falling Snow” in Belgrade, starring alongside Rebecca Ferguson,
Sam Reid and Anthony Head. Later that
year he wrapped shooting on Burr Steers’ “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” the
long-anticipated film adaption of Seth Grahame-Smith's New York Times best-selling novel. Dance also appeared in “The
Great Fire,” a four-part drama for ITV, in which he starred opposite Jack
Huston, Andrew Buchan and Rose Leslie, and in Universal’s “Dracula Untold,”
opposite Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper.
At the beginning of 2015 Dance returned from Australia,
where he filmed
“Childhood’s End,” directed by Nick Hurran, in
which Dance plays Karellen. He then shot
Thea Sharrock’s “Me Before You,” in which Dance
stars alongside Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Most recently, he appeared in an
adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel “And Then There Were
None” for the BBC, starring alongside Sam Neill, Douglas Booth and Aidan
Turner.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
PAUL
MCGUIGAN (Director) is a
Scottish film director, whose feature work includes “Lucky Number Slevin” and
“Gangster No. 1.” On the TV side, Paul directed the pilot episodes for BBC’s
“Sherlock” and ABC’s “Scandal,” and his continued work on “Sherlock” earned him
a BAFTA, as well as an Emmy nomination for the episode “A Scandal in
Belgravia.”
Featured as one of Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” two
consecutive years, MAX LANDIS (Screen
Story, Screenplay) is an outspoken rising star in the screenwriting world.
Having sold over fifteen projects in the last five years, Landis’ first
produced feature, “Chronicle,” was a surprise box-office hit. He currently has
several projects in different stages of post-production, including a feature
film he wrote and directed, “Me Him Her,” starring Haley Joel Osment, and
featuring Geena Davis and Scott Bakula, which premiered at the Seattle Film
Festival; the action comedy, “American Ultra,” starring Jesse Eisenberg and
Kristen Stewart; and “Mr. Right,” starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick,
which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
Landis is currently in the
process of cracking the television world, having sold two pilots, as well as
moving into more directing and producing. He recently sold “Dirk Gently,” based
on the Douglas Adams’ graphic novel, to BBC America. As a producer Landis set
up
“Channel Zero,” a horror anthology with Nick Antosca
writing, at the Syfy Channel.
Landis has found success both
inside and outside of the studio system, and has had a rare amount of
tremendous success with original ideas. Barring VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, which is a
complete reinvention that he brought to the studio rather than an assignment he
won, all of Landis’ produced films are original ideas.
JOHN DAVIS,
p.g.a. (Producer), Chairman of Los
Angeles-based Davis
Entertainment, is one of Hollywood’s most prolific
producers, having been a producer on more than 95 feature films and movies for
television that have earned more than $4.8 billion worldwide. Davis
Entertainment, established in 1986, has enjoyed a long-standing first-look
production deal at 20th Century Fox, but produces projects for all
studios and mini-majors. Some of the
company’s action-adventure-thrillers include the acclaimed hit
“Chronicle”; the sci-fi hit “I, Robot,” starring
Will Smith; the blockbuster “The Firm,” starring Tom Cruise; “Courage Under
Fire,” starring Denzel Washington; “Waterworld,” starring Kevin Costner;
“Predator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Behind Enemy Lines,” starring Owen
Wilson and Gene Hackman; “Predator 2; Flight of the Phoenix,” starring
Dennis Quaid; the John Woo action film “Paycheck,”
starring Ben Affleck and Uma
Thurman; and “Alien vs. Predator,” combining the two
classic creatures, among many others.
Davis’ family films include the
Jim Carrey starrer “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”; “Norbit,” starring Eddie Murphy and
marking their fourth film together; “Garfield” and “Garfield 2”; the $100
million-plus hit Eddie Murphy comedy “Daddy Day Care”; the two hugely
successful “Dr. Dolittle” films, starring Eddie Murphy; the Jack Lemmon/Walter
Matthau trilogy “Out to Sea,” “Grumpy Old Men” and “Grumpier Old Men”; “Fat
Albert,” written by Bill Cosby; “Marmaduke,” based on the comic strip of the
same name; and the Jack Black adventure comedy, “Gulliver’s Travels,” which
earned $200 million worldwide.
Among his numerous upcoming feature projects are
“Victor Frankenstein,” starring
James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe; the animated
feature “Ferdinand the Bull” with Carlos Saldanha directing; the actioner
“Protection”; Shane Black’s “Predator”; and David O.
Russell’s “Joy,” starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer
Lawrence and Robert De Niro.
Other Davis productions include
“When a Stranger Calls,” a remake of the 1979 horror classic which took the top
spot its opening week; “Heartbreakers,” starring Sigourney Weaver, Gene Hackman
and Jennifer Love Hewitt, which also opened as the #1 film in the country.
A hallmark of Davis’ success is
his ability to attract the industry’s most successful actors, directors,
writers and other creative talent. He has produced a number of successful,
multi-title franchises, including the “Predator,” “Grumpy Old Men,” “Dr.
Dolittle” and “Garfield” films, making Davis well-known for his ability to
brand entertainment, extending his titles beyond the theatrical applications. Davis’ career is further distinguished as his
films are routinely produced for responsible budgets and thus earn domestic and
international box office success.
“Garfield,” for example, was produced for $42
million and earned nearly $200 million worldwide.
Davis has a canny knack for
securing the rights to projects long but unsuccessfully sought after by others,
including the “Garfield” films, “Fat Albert,” “The Sims,”
“Marmaduke,” the rights to the
Ringling Bros. circus story, “Dr. Dolittle,” “Flight of the Phoenix,” and the
two Grisham novels, The Firm and The Chamber. Davis also continues to
produce DVD premiere titles born out of his successful “Garfield” and “Dr. Dolittle”
franchises as well as numerous other titles.
Davis
Entertainment Television has produced 20 telefilms, including the NBC movies
“The Jesse Ventura Story” and
“Little Richard,” and the ABC movie “Miracle at Midnight,” starring Sam
Waterston. His television department has series and made-for-television movies
set up with all of the major television networks and cable broadcasters. Davis also produced
“Asteroid,” the hit NBC
mini-series; “Volcano: Fire on the Mountain,” for ABC; NBC’s highly rated movie
of Truman Capote’s “One Christmas,” starring Katharine Hepburn; and the popular
CBS movie “This Can’t Be Love,” starring Katharine Hepburn and Anthony
Quinn. He is an executive producer
on the acclaimed NBC crime series “The Blacklist,” starring James Spader, now
in its third season. He will also serve as an executive producer on the new NBC
drama series “The Player,” and the new comedy series for ABC “Dr. Ken,”
starring Ken Jeong.
Davis was born
and raised near Denver, Colorado. His obsession with film began as a youth when
his father purchased the neighborhood movie theater, where he sold popcorn and
subsequently viewed up to 300 films a year. Davis graduated from Bowdoin
College, attended Amherst College and received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business
School. His successful business ventures
include setting up and running successful TV Stations and Wetzel’s Pretzels,
which Davis was instrumental in expanding and sold in 2007, and his new pizza
company, Blaze.
IRA SHUMAN (Executive Producer) has served as an executive
producer, unit production manager or co-producer on numerous films, including
“Night at the Museum,”
“The Pink Panther” (2006), “The Pink Panther 2,”
“Cheaper by the Dozen,” “The Wedding Singer,” “The Waterboy,” “The Spy Next Door”
and many others.
DEREK DAUCHY (Executive Producer) is the President of Production at
Davis Entertainment, a film and television production company with a first-look
deal at Twentieth Century Fox Studios.
During his nine years at Davis,
Dauchy has overseen development and production of a diverse slate of films, and
was the Executive Producer for a wide variety of projects, including the family
films “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” and “Marmaduke,” and the sports drama “The
Express.”
Prior to that, Dauchy spent six
years as a senior executive at Revolution Studios, where he oversaw development
and production for more than two dozen films, including the
“xXx” franchise, “Anger Management,” “Click,”
“Across the Universe,” “Daddy Day Care” and “Are We There Yet?”
Dauchy began his career
developing film projects as an executive at Baltimore/Spring Creek Productions,
including “Analyze This” and “The Perfect Storm.”
Hailing from Munich, FABIAN WAGNER, BSC (Director of Photography) cut his teeth on music videos and short
films before segueing into television as a cinematographer on the shows
“Spooks,” “Survivors” and “Hustle.”
Wagner has gone on to lens
episodes of groundbreaking programs like “Sherlock” and “Game of Thrones,” both
of which earned him Creative Arts Emmy nominations for
Outstanding Cinematography. Wagner received an ASC Award nomination for
his work on
“Game of Thrones.”
He recently collaborated with Robert Carlyle on the actor’s directorial
debut, “The Legend of Barney Thomson.”
EVE STEWART (Production
Designer) is a prolific, multi award-winning
Production Designer whose
impressive TV and film credits range from "The King's
Speech" to Mike Leigh's
"Topsy-Turvy.” Stewart has earned multiple BAFTA, Emmy and
Academy Award nominations, most
notably for her work on "Les Miserables" and "The
Kings' Speech.”
Stewart is
currently working on the new Gore Verbinski feature, "A Cure for
Wellness" and her recent credits include "Muppets Most Wanted"
starring Tina Fey, Zach Galifinakis, Christoph Waltz, Ty Burrell and Stanley
Tucci.
Stewart is a
longtime collaborator of director Tom Hooper, having worked on the hugely
successful feature films "The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth,
Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush, "Les Miserables" starring
Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe, and "The Danish Girl"
starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander and Amber Heard.
Stewart's
talents also extend to television, including Abi Morgan's acclaimed series,
"The Hour" starring Dominic West, Ben Whishaw and Peter Capaldi; the
feted BBC drama "Call the Midwife"; and "Elizabeth I"
starring Helen Mirren, Hugh Dancy and Jeremy Irons, for which Stewart won an
Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a miniseries or movie.
Stewart has
won several awards including a BAFTA for Best Production Design for "Les
Miserables" and an Art Directors Guild Award for "The King's Speech.”
She has received three Academy Award nominations.
Stewart's credits also include
Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake,” "Topsy Turvy" and
"Secrets and Lies";
"Becoming Jane" starring Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy and Julie
Walters; "The Damned United" starring Michael Sheen and Timothy
Spall; Guy Ritchie's "Revolver"; and "The Hole" starring Thora
Birch and Keira Knightley.
CHARLIE PHILLIPS’ (Editor)
credits include several episodes of the acclaimed BBC series “Sherlock,” on
which he collaborated with director Paul McGuigan. His other credits include the series “Man
Down,” “Him & Her,” “Monroe” and “Psychoville.”
CRAIG ARMSTRONG (Music) was born in Glasgow, and studied
composition and piano at the Royal Academy of Music, London from 1977 to 1981.
From his base in Glasgow,
Armstrong has written for film, classical commissions and solo recordings. He
has composed for Baz Lurhmann’s “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” and
“Moulin Rouge!,” as well as for “The Quiet American,” “Ray,” “Orphans,” Oliver
Stone’s “World Trade Center,” and “Elizabeth: The
Golden Age.”
In 2012 Armstrong collaborated for the
third time with Baz Luhrmann on the film “The Great Gatsby,” for which
Armstrong was Grammy nominated for his original score. Most recently Armstrong
did the original score for Thomas Vinterberg’s “Far From the Madding
Crowd,” released by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
For his film scores, Armstrong has been
awarded two BATFAs, two Ivor Novellos, a Golden Globe, an American Film
Institute Award, a Grammy and, in 2007, an Outstanding International
Achievement award from Scottish BAFTA.
Armstrong has released two solo
records to Massive Attack’s label Melankolic, followed by “Piano Works on
Sanctuary.” “Memory Takes My Hand” was
released on EMI Classics in 2008 featuring the violinist Clio Gould and the BBC
Symphony Orchestra.
Armstrong’s latest solo album “It’s Nearly
Tomorrow” was released by BMG Chrysalis on October 2014 and features guest
collaborations from the Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan, Brett Anderson and Chris
Botti, among others.
Armstrong has composed concert
works for the RSNO, London Sinfonietta, Hebrides Ensemble and the Scottish
Ensemble. Armstrong’s second Scottish Opera commission, “The Lady from the
Sea,” premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012 winning the
Herald Angel Award.
Armstrong is currently visiting
professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London and was awarded an O.B.E for
services to the music industry.
JANY TEMIME (Costume
Designer) designed the costumes for the films “Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” for which
she received a Costume Designers Guild Award nomination, “Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts, 1 &
2”.
Temime was awarded the Costume Designers Guild (USA)
Award for Excellence in
Fantasy Film in 2012 for “Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Part 2” and for Excellence in
Contemporary Film in 2013 for her work on the James
Bond film “Skyfall,” directed by Sam
Mendes. Temime
recently completed Mendes’ new Bond movie “Spectre.”
Temime designed Alfonso Cuarón’s
critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller “Gravity,” starring Sandra Bullock and
George Clooney. Temime is a longtime collaborator with Cuaron, having worked on
the director’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Children of
Men,” the latter starring Clive Owen.
Temime’s credits include Martin McDonagh’s “In
Bruges,” starring Ralph Fiennes,
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson; Brett Ratner’s
“Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson; “Wrath of the Titans,” starring Sam
Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes;
Agnieszka Holland’s “Copying Beethoven,” starring Ed
Harris; and Beeban Kidron’s “Bridget
Jones: The Edge of Reason,” starring Renée
Zellweger. She earned a British
Independent
Film Award nomination for her costume designs for
“High Heels and Low Lifes,” starring Minnie Driver. Temime won a BAFTA Cymru Award for her work
on Marc Evans’ “House of America,” and the 1995 Utrecht Film Festival’s Golden
Calf for Best Costume Design for
Marleen Gorris’ Oscar-winning “Antonia’s Line.”
Her additional credits encompass
more than 40 international motion picture and television projects, including
Werner Herzog’s “Invincible,” starring Tim Roth; Todd Komarnicki’s “Resistance”;
Marleen Gorris’ “The Luzhin Defense”; Paul McGuigan’s
“Gangster No. 1”; Edward Thomas’s “Rancid Aluminum”;
Mike van Diem’s “Character,” which won an Oscar for Best
Foreign Language Film; Danny Deprez’s “The Ball”; George Sluizer’s “The
Commissioner” and “Crimetime”; Ate de Jong’s “All Men Are Mortal”; and Frans
Weisz’s “The Last Call.”
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