Crossmaglen - new film project?? - so far confirmed as FALSE

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/butler-jetting-in-to-film-tough-ira-role-2200006.html

Butler jetting in to film tough IRA role

By Aoife Anderson


Saturday May 29 2010

Dublin is set to get an injection of heat this summer when Hollywood heartthrob Gerard Butler jets in to film a new movie.

The Scottish actor will no doubt set pulses racing when he arrives in the capital in a matter of weeks for an extended stay to shoot his latest flick alongside legendary Irish actress Brenda Fricker. Butler is rumoured to have nabbed the lead role in the controversial new IRA movie Crossmaglen, after Ben Kingsley decided to pull out ahead of filming.

The film, which will be directed by Kevin Connor, tells the tale of IRA gunner Dermot McGarvey, who accidentally kills a mother and her two young children on a stakeout to kill British soldiers. Butler is no stranger to Irish shores having previously spent months in Wicklow filming the romantic blockbuster PS I Love You here in 2006, alongside Oscar winner Hilary Swank and former Friends star Lisa Kudrow.


BOUNTY

The 300 star has become somewhat better known for his love life over the past year after rumoured romances with numerous of his leading ladies including Jennifer Aniston, with whom he starred in the box office flop The Bounty Hunter.

But the 40-year-old hunk, who starred in a popular Guinness ad here before he hit the big time, is likely to get his acting career back in focus with this new meaty role alongside Thora Birch and Fricker.

Meanwhile Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall, Bette Midler and singer Pixie Lott will all also shortly arrive on Irish soil to shoot Bootstrap Films' Sweet Baby Jesus.

The film, set in Bethlehem, Maryland, will see Pixie playing a pregnant young hippy who visits her mother for Christmas along with her boyfriend Joe.

The crew is scouting Irish locations for the film which is expected to shoot in July or August this year.

I'm wondering when he will be in Dublin? If he's shooting MGP in June and July, then it would have to be in August maybe. I wonder if he's still doing the one in September?

Ger

gerardbutlernet just announced through Twitter that this report is false.

Hmmmm....

I guess instead of deleting the thread, I'll move it to "rumors".

I looked up the movie on IMDB and it said Ben Kingley is "rumored" for the role himself, so maybe they're talking about asking Gerry as the next choice if Ben doesn't take it. I was so thrilled! It sounded like such a good role for him and the star one.

Ger

What makes me mad is that this reporter didn't check her facts before publishing this. The other movie she talked about is true. Do we believe tweets or the reporter??? I don't know.

Ger

gb.net has access to gerry's people, so they usually know what they are talking about! when they don't know...they ask!

Disappointing really. That sounded like it would have been a great role for him. But maybe the rumor planted the "seed" and if Ben backs out, they'll ask Gerry? I'm the eternal optimist here, I know, but I love hearing about offers for him that could elevate his career and I like the man working!

Ger

I read where the production company of Crossmaglen will do just about anything to get another actor to play the role. Guess Ben did drop out. Maybe if there was a conflict in filming schedules for Gerry due to MGP, they'd be willing to back off shooting.

He was rumored to be in line for a part in the film back in 2008 apparently.

Ger

Ok, personally, he will really have to work on his Irish accent if he even thinks about doing this one. I'd prefer that he stay away from anything he has to practice accents, because he's shown that unless it's an American accent, he won't stay with it for long. And even then we forgive him for messing that up.

If only writers or studios would just let him talk the way he naturally talks.

You wonder how things like this get started in the first place and that perhaps there is some element of reality to it.

I don't think Gerry is so bad at accents really but he could improve! I would think it would be his job as an actor to perfect his skills and fun to master a new dialect.
Obviously, he can't always get jobs that just call for a Scottish accent but I too wish he could use his own more often, if it's appropriate.

I don't let him off the hook on much but he does need to get some roles that put his career on a track that puts him in demand for his acting and not his popularity to make women drool. He could have both ya know!

I wish he was taking the project and should never back off of something because of something like an accent. Sometimes I think Gerry holds himself back a little out of some kind of fear. It's that fear that maybe he'll be asked to perform above and beyond what he thinks he can and I think we all have that fear sometiimes. Some people live to constantly improve themselves and others are afraid they'll let people down I think.

This role sounds like something Gerry would love to get unless he has some aversion to it due to his own political views. I think it may be just another case of poor timing, prior commitments and overlapping schedules.

Gerry seems to me to be the kind who doesn't take the path of least resistence unless he's lost his enthusiasm. But if and when he stops caring about himself as a serious actor, so will I.

Maybe all he cares about is reaching a certain level of fame, making his fortune and moving on to something else. Who knows.

I don't know what I'm talking about today. Ignore me.

Ger

I think I remember talk about him and this role a year or two ago? For some reason I think he was rumored for the Dermont role as opposed to the IRA commander role (that Ben was rumored to have). I could be wrong though. In any event, I remember thinking that it sounded like a really good movie, and a role that I would be interested in seeing him play. But I was really concerned about him having to do an Irish accent. His accent in PSILY made me want to eat Lucky Charms and I honestly didn't think he could do justice to the role if he butchered the Irish accent again.

When he slides in an out of an accent, I find it distracting and it takes me out of the movie. It really ruins the experience for me because I can't suspend reality and lose myself in the story. It makes me see Gerry trying to act, as opposed to the character that he is playing.

You know, so what if he has trouble with an Irish accent. Then do Scottish. Most people, except maybe the Irish, won't know the difference anyway. I think the most important part of a film is the story, not the accents.

Ger

DonnaKat wrote:

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/butler-jetting-in-to-film-tough-ira-role-2200006.html


But the 40-year-old hunk, who starred in a popular Guinness ad here before he hit the big time, is likely to get his acting career back in focus with this new meaty role alongside Thora Birch and Fricker.

Did you all notice the reference to the Guinness ad? Here it is:

Geranimal wrote:

You know, so what if he has trouble with an Irish accent. Then do Scottish. Most people, except maybe the Irish, won't know the difference anyway. I think the most important part of a film is the story, not the accents.

Ger

I think in this story, being Irish is an important part of the plot. The character is a member of the IRA and the story revolves around those conflicts and that part of history in Ireland.

But I get what you are saying. I think that Gerry should just use his natural accent in a lot of roles. Sean Connery did it, and no one seemed to care.

Wow, he did a Guinness ad way back when? I don't drink at all, but I'm impressed. Anyone who wanted to be anyone did an ad for Guinness.

As for the Irish film, yeah, you kind of have to sound like you are Irish and get the accent if you are going to tell a story about the history of Ireland. Irish people are very particular about their history, even though Gman has an Irish background. You don't want to mess up their history.

As for PSILY, it was a fictional work. But I would have preferred if they changed the story to Scotland. Sorry, if you are going to tell me a story about an Irishman, and you are going to play the lead, you'd better get the accent down. You get paid the big bucks!

I am very bothered when an actor is supposed to play with a certain cultural background, and he louses it up. Haven't forgiven Harrison Ford for that, yet. Either change the story to accommodate the actor, or learn the accent!

When we allow this kind of crud to come out of the films, and pay for it, then the actors have no respect for their fans. They can come out with any kind of junk and we'll eat it up.

Thanks for the link to the Guinness ad. I watched it and it made no sense, though.

Dallas wrote:

Geranimal wrote:

You know, so what if he has trouble with an Irish accent. Then do Scottish. Most people, except maybe the Irish, won't know the difference anyway. I think the most important part of a film is the story, not the accents.

Ger

I think in this story, being Irish is an important part of the plot. The character is a member of the IRA and the story revolves around those conflicts and that part of history in Ireland.

But I get what you are saying. I think that Gerry should just use his natural accent in a lot of roles. Sean Connery did it, and no one seemed to care.

Ben Kingsley is English and part Indian so I don't think accent had much to do with the choosing of the actor.

Looks like they may have Tony Curran in the role of Dermot McGarvey and he's Scottish as well, in fact born December 13, 1969.

Ger

It doesn't matter what you are, as long as you can do the job effectively. There are a lot of Scottish performers who can do accents, Craig Ferguson for one. Tony can do an English accent, so I'm sure he can do the job that will make the viewers proud.

The laid down fact is that Gman can't do accents, and frankly, they should just make his characters Scottish or Scottish American. I'd be satisfied with that. My ears won't bleed.

I am assuming that if Ben Kingsley had taken the role as the IRA commander he would have been asked to use an Irish accent.

He has proven that he can do accents in the past (he was excellent in Ghandi), although I don't recall if he has ever played an Irishman before. I am assuming that Tony will be required to use an Irish accent as well, as he is playing an Irishman in this true Irish story.

Ger, I guess I'm missing your point about the nationalities of the actors. I don't think that Gerry would be bad in the role because he isn't Irish. I think he would be a poor choice because I don't think he can do a convincing accent. Based on past work, I haven't seen him do one yet. But who knows? Perhaps he could in the future. It's just my opinion based on what I have heard him do in his past films.

Speaking of Irish accents, Jim Sturgess is an Englishman who does an incredible Irish accent. He also does a convincing American one. I had no idea that he was English when I saw him in "21". And he has a lovely singing voice as well (he was incredible in "Across the Universe")! You may also remember him as George Boleyn in "The Other Boleyn Girl". He can do great regional English accents as well.

He did a very convincing Irish accent in a movie (which also co-starred Ben Kingsley, coincidentally) called "Fifty Dead Men Walking". This movie was also based on a true story and was about an Irish guy who was recruited by the British police to infiltrate the IRA as a spy during the height of the conflict. He was incredible in the role. I couldn't believe his accent. It was spot on. The entire movie was so thick with Belfast accents that I had to put on the closed captioning in order to follow everything. I normally can follow those thick accents, but with the slang etc. it was difficult not to miss something.

It was a great movie about that time in history and even more amazing because it was a true story. I highly recommend it, it you like these types of movies.

Here's the link on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1097643/

Quote :

Thanks for the link to the Guinness ad. I watched it and it made no sense, though. scratch

Ditto DK!

Quote :

And he has a lovely singing voice as well (he was incredible in "Across the Universe")!

Love that movie and Sturgess in that movie, Dallas.

What did Harrison Ford do that was bad?

I could do it I have an slight Irish accent...lol ..joke...Probbaly it does matter too some people, if they would the movie in europe that wouldnt bother anyone because you dont hear their real voices anyway!

I think Gerry did a great "Brooklyn" accent in the BH to me, mostly because I'm from the midwest and not from Brooklyn. To them, it was probably lousy.

Gerry has a bit of a nerve issue with his face which may cause him some problems with pronouncing some words or doing accents.

And please, don't request that I go look up that fact. He had an operation on his right ear as a child for a severe infection and a nerve was damaged which could cause a bit of a Belles palsey type syndrome on that side.

Ger