Sweet Summer of Sives Continues: New Projects and Reviews from the Pride

A celebration of the sweet summer of Jamie Sives continues here in fanland ;) with the slew of new interviews photos and reviews from The Pride. Also below you can find news of his future projects post pride, including a starring role in a new film A Very Unsettled Summer. Details to follow but first things first.

THE PRIDE:
Thanks so much to the folks at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre for letting me know about their gorgeous production photos of The Pride available to all via Flickr. So many of a very handsome Jamie; suffice it to say that Scot on the rocks photo went instantly on my desktop. Enjoy~

Recap of the many 4 star reviews:
*The Guardian 4 stars
*WhatsonStage 4 stars and praises Jamie:
Jamie Sives is both chilling and desperately sad as her violently repressed husband and touchingly vulnerable as a man who today rejects the stereotype of gay promiscuity.
*The Telegraph
*The Stage
*Sheffield Telegraph (with an updated review now online) "Jamie Sives seems more comfortable as the present day Philip but that is in no small measure because his earlier counterpart is clearly so uncomfortable in himself. He’s a cold fish which makes his sudden eruption into violent sexual passion so shocking."
*BroadwayWorld

*Theatre director and blogger Paul Griffiths who wrote a wonderful (and in welsh!) review:
"Richard Wilson's production of raw honesty charmed me most, four actors who push beyond the words. There was fighting mental 'Philip' in 1958 which led to violence is very powerful, and performance of Jamie Sives is thrilling, especially in the Second Act when he tried medical treatment to be 'cured' of being gay."


*Blogger: Rev Stan who gets high marks for his knowledge and use of the seven degrees of Jamie Sives woooot LOL

There is also one graphic scene where, if you are sat to one side of the stage, you get more than your fair share of the view. But putting that to one side, I loved The Pride all over again and it was more than a match for the New York version.

I'm giving it five stars.

RS/BW 6DS

Jamie Sives is the source of a couple of connections. First he was in Get Him to the Greek which starred Russell Brand who played Trinculo in Julie Taymor's The Tempest in which Mr W played Ariel. And Mr Sives was also in Last Chance Harvey which starred Emma Thompson who played Mr W's mum in Brideshead Revisted."

Press: Jamie has done several bits of press for the play. While I believe there are a few more floating about, there was one released today from The Sheffield Telegraph worth reading AND EVEN MENTIONS SIGMA FILMS I LOVE YOU JAMIE SIVES :)))
Quotage of interest:

"Then he reflects: “I think I got spoiled,” referring to his Crucible debut. “It was a fantastic part in a great cast and the chance to work with Michael Grandage. Everyone came to see it. My second stage appearance was being directed by Richard Eyre at the Almeida. After those two I didn’t want to do anything else.

“Edward II kick started my career and led to a couple of telly jobs, so I have Sheffield to thank for that.”

Soon after he was taking the lead in a clutch of independent movies made in Scotland – Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, One Last Chance, A Woman in Winter and Hallam Foe.“It was a short-lived period when Sigma Films and other producers were on a roll and got the funding to make all these films in Scotland,” says the actor who has nevertheless been based in London for the past 16 years.

...

“The attraction was doing a good play and to go one further – I have never played two characters in the space of a scene change before,” he says. “I have found it interesting and full of challenges.“I have known Richard Wilson for a long time and I was with Daniel Evans in To the Ends of the Earth and The Passion, hanging out together in Morocco.”

There was one slight reservation Sives had about taking on The Pride. “My best mate, JJ Feild, played the part at the Royal Court and was absolutely brilliant in it. I’ve tried not to think about that.” The Pride continues at the Crucible Studio until July 16."

Another one is a bit of press release I think, and reflects many of the comments heard earlier from Jamie, including right here on this blog. Be sure to check that one out here at this link.

Finally, there was this audio interview from several weeks ago. Please note: It is quite difficult to hear and despite Jamie's lovely accent, we really don't learn much in this very short clip, alas.


THE NEW!
Follow up: As noted here previously, Jamie Sives will have a guest role in the series "New Tricks" Jamie filmed his guest spot earlier this year in February, and that episode will be part of a new season for the show, Season Eight due to return on BBC1 THIS MONTH JULY 4 IN 'OLD FOSSILS' in the role of Mark Slater.

NEW MOVIE!~!
At the conclusion of his turn on the Sheffield Stage, Jamie will head immediately to Romania and Sweden to begin filming on a new movie called "A Very Unsettled Summer." Directed by Romanian Anca Damian, Jamie will be in a lead role, starring alongside Maria Dinalescu and Kim Bodnia (Jamie notes that Kim is 'a Danish actor who worked alongside my good mate Mads Mikkelsen in 'The Pusher'.) The film is based on a short story by Phillip O Ceallaigh. EXCELLENT NEWS INDEED!
There is more news yet to come from Jamie, so stay tuned!
WHAT A GREAT YEAR FOR JAMIE SIVES! :)))

David Mackenzie's "Perfect Sense" to be released in UK this October

Following on the heels of last night's premiere, more and more outlets are reporting a more firm UK release date for David Mackenzie's "Perfect Sense." Numerous outlets now report that Arrow Films will release the latest film from Sigma in the UK 7 October, 2011.

As noted here on this blog many times previously, the film will be seen world wide (some possibly even as late as Jan 2012), with the US release date via IFC films yet to be released but looking to be later this fall as well-stay tuned!

Filming Through the Snow: "Citadel" on Location Video, More

While news has um frozen to a slow Icetrickle due to the tundra that has descended upon seemingly most of us in the northern part of the world lol, the hearty folk at Sigma Films continue on with filming for Ciaran Foy's "Citadel." Note that even Colin Kennedy has taken to sporting a staypuff production man look for the inclement weather lol LOVE HIm!. Weather is dreadful to be certain yet things progress onward even so as noted by and many thanks to crew member extraordinaire and props man Paul Lambie, we can now see some video he shot of the frozen location below:



Paul also tweets his harrowing adventures this past week, on location in various places like a Yokerhill hospital or a hilltop cemetery in Glasgow or and noted that even star James Cosmo got stuck in the snow (just like so so many of us all around the world it seems lol) Be sure to follow Paul here for more! You can also see some very cool location photos (mostly pre-blizzard bomb photos lol altho a few more recent) on the personal blog of the superb cameraman Tim Fleming who is shooting Citadel. good stuff indeed! Citadel continues through snow wind rain and hail for a few more weeks yet before off to Dublin and wrapping later this month.

Donkeys Roundup: Ticket Info and More for November Screenings

As the month draws to an end and a new one soon to start, here is a recap of practical info from my earlier posts/ round up of the screening dates and times for "Donkeys" in November.

1 November-4 November: Edinburgh Filmhouse; TICKETS HERE
(Morag Mckinnon, Colin McLaren, Kate Dickie & Brian Pettifer Q & A session the 1st)

4 November-5 November : Cineworld AberdeenUnion Square; Tickets here

5 November: Cineworld Edinburgh, two pm showings, ticket info here

7 November: Apple Store, Glasgow 4:00-5:00pm Meet filmmakers

8 November: Robert Burns Centre Dumfries, Morag Mckinnon Q & A afterwards 6:30pm

11 November: Cineworld Falkirk, 6:45pm

12 November: Cineworld Dundee, 6:45pm

12-November-17 November: Inverness Film Festival, Eden Court
TICKET INFO HERE

Colin Kennedy's I Love Luci to screen before Outcast 6 NOVEMBER Eden Court; ticket info here

Please note: a few more articles mentioning Donkeys are now online but frankly are just cut and paste/recap of STV piece from the other day alas. Still, all mentions are greatly appreciated-keep on getting the word out! :) Also worth noting are two contest to win free tickets to see "Donkeys" in theatres
1)Podcast cart

2)Radio Magnetic

"Donkeys" Stars Kate Dickie and Brian Pettifer to Attend Special Screenings, More!

Some great news for fans who will be attending the special screenings of Sigma's newest film Donkeys this Friday (8 October) at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Due to attend are two of the wonderful cast, including the superb actress KATE DICKIE and actor Brian Pettifer. They will be joined by director Morag McKinnon and screenwriter Colin McLaren, as well as producers Gillian Berrie and Anna Duffield. As noted previously, as a special bonus, award-winning short I Love Luci will be playing before the showings of Donkeys, and on Friday you can meet and speak with writer/director Colin Kennedy and Brian Coffey too! What a great night that will be!

The opportunity to hear from and meet these impressive people continues for the very next night (9 October), a one night only screening of Donkeys will take place at the Perth Playhouse (tickets available here) Attending this event will be:
director Morag McKinnon
writer Colin McLaren
producer Gillian Berrie
Stars: Brian Pettifer and Kate Dickie

I Love Luci will see Colin Kennedy and Brian Coffey there as well!

Finally, as noted before EDINBURGH will also have their chance to see this film when it screens at Filmhouse cinema (tickets available at this link), starting 1 November. At the special Q & A session, lucky fans will hear from Morag McKinnon, Colin McLaren, actor Brian Pettifer, and Sigma's own and the producing directing crew of Luci: Brian Coffey and Colin Kennedy.

MORE MAY BE ANNOUNCED SOON, STAY TUNED!
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING, PLEASE PLEASE send in your reports and photos and we will be glad to post or tweet and post on the Facebook pages :)

Bonus: The List magazine has a short preview of Donkeys online that you can read right here.

Tickets Going Fast for "Donkeys," Plus New Contest!

Quick reminder that tickets remain but are going fast for the screening of "Donkeys," the second film in the acclaimed Advance Party series from Sigma. Screening this week in the town where it was made, Donkeys will be screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre THIS WEEK STARTING ON FRIDAY, 8 October featuring a very special appearance from CAST and Crew after the 6:30 showing. Be sure to get your tickets at this link. Plus do not forget, Colin Kennedy's award-winning short "I Love Luci" will be screening before each of the showings of Donkeys, which is very cool news indeed.

Speaking of cool, Sigma has launched a new contest to win tickets to see "Donkeys" so if you are a member of Facebook, head here for more-good luck! Finally, in a fun series of updates we learned a random selection of things about the wonderful star, actor James Cosmo, including that apparantly he's a fire hazard ;), he's prone to finding unusual things in his drinks and lolz, thats he's a better poker player than ole Mel (some might argue that he's a better actor but eh that's neither here nor there.) You can see some good highlights of James when he worked with Mel (who frankly earned those oscars cause I still think it's a superb film) in this showreel, including footage from Braveheart.

Jamie Sives Casting News: Lone Scherfig's "One Day," Game of Thrones Series?

Simply Sives summer delight today in the form of some terrific casting news!

Jamie Sives has been cast as Mr. Godalming in the film adaptation of David Nicholl's book "One Day." More fantastic is that Jamie will be reunited with superb director Lone Scherfig for work on this film; Lone of course directed Jamie in his award- winning, critically acclaimed performance in Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself. The new "One Day" film is about two lovers who meet once a year on the same day (Jamie plays a lover to the lead character Emma, who will be portrayed by Anne Hathaway)

Just wonderful news! You can read more from the author at his blog here, and read about the book release from last year (just out in paperback this month in US) at this link.

If that wasn't good enough, word has it that Jamie has been cast in the HBO production of George Martin's beloved Game of Thrones series. Jamie has apparently been cast in the role of Jory Cassel. I am really quite uncertain on all of this, for I thought some filming had already been done, but apparently additional filming is due to start on this series for the cable channel starring Sean Bean at the end of the month. I am working to confirm this casting, but in the meantime you can learn more about this production at the Westeros.org website.
IF YOU ARE HERE LOOKING FOR MORE INFO PHOTOS OF JAMIE, PLEASE CHECK MY FLICKR FOR LOADS MORE :))
Help yourself, he's FABULOUS and will do a wonderful job with the part! :)))


Update: Word on this casting is spreading fast and the reaction is quite positive, as seen here on a site called Winter Is Coming.net. Rock on!!
ps no, that wasnt me there singing praises to Jamie lol, should tho! lol

Random Trivia: If true Jamie will be appearing alongside Mark Addy, with whom he worked with on It's a Wonderful Afterlife. IAWA DVD will be released in the UK next month on August 16th.
This of , just one week after the August 10th release of the Triage DVD which stars Jamie and Colin Farrell. :D
Finally, reminder that the Clash of Titans DVD with Jamie and Mads Mikkelsen is released on July 27th. Valhalla Rising with Jamie and Mads is screening in very select venues in the US and on demand from IFC, with the DVD already long out in the UK (and frankly on just about every torrent possible oy~~), and soon to follow in the US.

UPDTED: Jamie Sives Confirmed for "Get Him to the Greek" with Russell Brand

CONFIRMED! Just got the word that YES INDEED Jamie Sives will be seen in Russell Brand's upcoming "Get Him to the Greek." As some of us will recall, Jamie and Russell are old mates, as I believe they went to drama school in London together at one point. Anyhow, Jamie will be seen briefly (lots of fun cameos in the movie ) in a small part as a comedian for the film which is due out June 4th. Yay! :)))


Here is a quick update on other happenings with Jamie:

There is a cute new 'Stayin Alive' spot airing for "It's a Wonderful Life" that shows a new shot (@1:25) of Jamie with his fellow police officer (mark addy?);
screengrab here


Valhalla Rising is getting some press (interesting series of shots/quotes with Refn at Empire, Times interview Refn, Herald which has this brief mention Apart from Mikkelsen, the film is populated largely by Scots, including Gary Lewis, Jamie Sives and Ewan Stewart. “It was always meant to be Scottish actors, because the film takes place in that region, so there was no point in casting Americans,” says Refn. “Plus I loved the whole accent thing. It gives it a more robust edge.”) before the release next week; if you should like to book tickets to the UK showings you can do so at this link. (website still not open, no idea if it ever will be at this point with the DVD coming so soon after the release)

Clash continues to do well at the box office but imo gah dont see it in 3d, because as tempting as it was for me it was such a mess, 2d is better (yes saw it twice just to see that 2 mins or so of Jamie, thats what true fans do despite laughing at the too many ripoffs of other films/homage attempts in the film) Mads is by far the best part of that film (despite the awesomeness that is Jamie who even has a few lines !! early in the film, which I was thrilled before umm he meets the smokey monster from Lost or whatever lol still... LOVE YOU JAMIE!).


Finally, there was a piece last week in the Scotsman about films made in Edinburgh. Alas, no mention of the superb Hallam Foe from David Mackenzie and Sigma Films which was beautifully shot in the equally beautiful city *sighs* However as a bonus, thanks to the ever awesome Chossychoss channel, we can see three clips of Jamie in Hallam Foe below. Thanks so much to chossy dude for uploading those!!! (even though as Jamie says his character of Alisdair is a complete arse and he totally is booo! but..., still easy on the eye :D)

A Tweet of News on Progress with The Last Word

Sometimes no news is good news, but there is nothing better than an unexpected, peep, word, a note, a brief update out of the blue on something you've been anxious about...in this case several tweets about progress on David Mackenzie's upcoming The Last Word!

Part of the original Trifecta of super at Film City Glasgow (along with Sigma Films and Serious Facilities) I was thrilled to discover the excellent Savalas Sound is now on Twitter,woot! and better yet, they've updated on their progress as the highly anticipated film from Sigma and David is now well into post-production. Of note, listen up Ewan fans ;) came the following:

April 8 "Last night we connected to a studio in LA to record Ewan McGregor's ADR for Last Word. "
hell yea!

For those of us who are really interested in how they actually make quality films, it was also with grateful eyes I read these other pieces of news:

"We're recording foley for David Mackenzie's new feature The Last Word. It's mostly salmon slapping, watermelon munching and lemon twisting....Today at Savalas, Welcome to Lagos nears it's conclusion and the Last Word dialogue edit, foley and sound design continue at a frantic pace."

Be sure to follow Savalas HERE and you can learn more about the very fine work this company does here at this link! THANKS SO MUCH to those at Savalas for sharing this good news with us on Twitter! :)

Jamie Sives: In New Trailer for "Wonderful Afterlife," "Clash of Titans" Video

At freakin last lol, you can see Jamie Sives in several new pieces of movie marketing this week including the recently released new trailer for Gurinder Chadha's "It's a Wonderful Afterlife," where Jamie has actual lines and everything YAY!




Plus as a fun (and frankly rather amusing) bonus, you can see some of the b-roll from Clash of the Titans showing Jamie joking around with star Sam Worthington. Jamie appears to not be much of a fan of his leather skirt/kilt thing lol, I LOVE YOU JAMIE :))))

See Ewan McGregor and Eva Green in "Last Word" This Weekend for Test Screening

Huge News today of a great opportunity to be the very first to see a special test screening of David Mackenzie's newest film "Last Word" starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green THIS WEEKEND ON SATURDAY MARCH 13 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Sigma Films are holding a very special screening and are looking for some very lucky folk to come and WATCH IT FOR FREE this Saturday, 13th March. In order to take part, click here at this link, and note at the end you will be asked to fill out a very short questionaire about the film. Tickets are First Come, First Served so be sure to act fast! Feel free to bring a friend, TWEET THE NEWS, Post it on Facebook, Bebo wherever you want, but remember you must register here quickly. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY! :)))


'Last Word' stars Ewan McGregor and Eva Green as a couple who begin to fall in love as the world begins to fall apart. For more on the filming of "Last Word" be sure to check out these previous reports and photos.

First Look: Jamie Sives in "Clash of the Titans," New Clip from Valhalla

Thanks ever so much to those who sent confirmation: Official! First Look at Scottish actor Jamie Sives in the upcoming Clash of the Titans.



As reported previously, Jamie appears in Clash as "Commander" and you can see the high quality video of this on the official website for the film, here or download HD from Moviefone here. Opens April 2nd (3d to boot!)


On a related note, there is a new clip online of Jamie in Valhalla Rising. As confirmed on the official FB page, the film will open April 30 in US, but the DVD is due out before that. There are multiple copies of the DVD all over the net of course (same for Triage which is also already on DVD in several places now apparently in Russia) I have a shameful confession to make. This lost weekend, prompted by the consummation of an entire bottle of vodka, I watched one streaming (yes streaming live on the net) of VH. Dubbed in Greek. Yes. If the film was already vague enough, try watching it drunk as fuck in another language, esp where tis wretched and badly done so you get background actors still speaking with their Scots accent and badly synched Greek! I have no idea what the hell I just watched, but I wont be seeing this in theatres Im afraid although there is sooo much Jamie-and will just wait to legally buy the english DVD and try again. sober. lol. On the bright side, here is a legally released clip with Jamie and his co-star from Wilbur and Clash, the ever fabulous Mads Mikkelsen

*I should point out that these streaming videos of both films are WRONG and very hurtful for the entire cast and crew. I do not advocate this in any shape or manner and damm straight should not have watched it, but I was feeling sad and low and so I did. no excuse and it was wrong. and still most offended at the crap bs marketing being done to try and hook US audiences to go see VH which will backfire terribly but I digress.

April Showers Bring Jamie Sives Galore: Valhalla Rising DVD, Clash of Titans, Wonderful Afterlife

Sweet Sives Forecast for April 2010: JAMIE SIVES MONTH!

Yes, with my keen prognosticator skills at hand, I pronounce it will be raining Jamie Sives (Hallelujah!) for the month of April-best kind of showers I can think of ;))) What blather am I on about now? Why the release dates of new upcoming Jamie Sives projects coming soon to a screen near you! Witness:

APRIL 2: Clash of the Titans released! In ffng 3D...yes 3D JAMIE TO BOOT. god I cant wait! :)))) Website at this link. While I can NOT find one single still background shot or anything of Jamie in the barrage of trailers stills etc of late, he does appear as "Commander" in the remake of the classic film, which also stars the always wonderful Mads Mikkelsen. As Jamie exclusively told me here first, he will be appearing in this film, doing most of his scenes with Mads. The fan sites are now permitted to release their set visits and Coming Soon (same interview I think as on collider) has this great piece with Mads. No mention of Jamie of course, but we remain hopeful that we will see a wee Jamie action figure, or you can see his character in the video game too lol. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE HAVE MERCY and let us see a still of Jamie in his costume for this film /grovels.

APRIL 19 Valhalla Rising DVD released in UK (US distribution somepoint this spring, date unknown) AMAZON HAS THE DVD FOR PRE-ORDER .
HMV also has the same date, however please note that Play.co.uk has it for pre-order with a April 26 release

As I reported previously this film is still screening at festivals, with tickets remaining for the Jameson Dublin festival.


APRIL 23 It's a Wonderful Afterlife released in theatres. Website here. Jamie plays a police detective in this film which has gotten mixed reviews (ie its just ok kind of thing alas) Still I will be there for sure opening day! :)))

Sundance in the Snow with Jamie, or Finding Love in France with Luci

As the year draws to an end, there are so many things to look forward to next year: Rounding up Donkeys, Last Word, I LOVE LUCI, some of Al's work (Monster Mutt) new Sigma productions afoot, and oh yes JAMIE jamie jamie jamie in the snow jamie in the um ok, well yes nothing like a wee bit of Jamie news to make this holiday festive and bright

It's a Wonderful Afterlife, featuring my favorite Scottish actor will be screening at Sundance! As noted by THR and a slew of subsequent media Gurinder Chadha will be showing her latest at the vaunted film festival next month on January 26th. . Jamie in the snow...well sorta!

Also do NOT forget lucky viewers in Scotland only will be able to see One night in Emergency with Jamie and Kevin Mckidd and Ewen B and James Cosmo and a whole host of excellent people airing on JANUARY 4 (thanks much to KMO for confirming the first week of January air date reported earlier)

Ring in News Years Week with One Night in Emergency and Kevin McKidd and Jamie Sives

Ring ding ding there is news tonight that One Night in Emergency, starring Kevin Mckidd, Jamie Sives, Ewen Bremner and James Cosmo will air on BBC in Scotland the first week of January, 2010. This comes after recent news the drama shot in Glasgow would air in December, however as per the official BBC Scotland press release:

On a related note, when I was away, I missed this much appreciated tip from the great crew at Kevin Mckidd Online who have the trailer for the movie at this link..and NO there is no Jamie yet again *sigh* Still it looks very cool

Updated: Interview with Des Hamilton and Casting "The Eagle of the Ninth"

UPDATE: FILMING IS UNDERWAY IN THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND TODAY. This is confirmed directly by
Jenna Dewan-Tatum, wife of Channing who tweeted
"Im with Chan as he is filming on top of a mountain in Scotland,20 min muddy hike to get to set,it's freezing and raining..this is true love!"

UPDATE: via the Inverness Courier there is more from Des and on the casting of extras for Eagle who were not at all afraid to have their head shaved for the roles which are being filmed this weekend and beyond in the Highlands of Scotland. Quotage:

"Former Millburn Academy pupil Kevin MacRae (26) was also hoping to be signed up. "I have never done this before," admitted Mr MacRae, of Uist Road, Inverness."I have just got back from Australia, having been away travelling for a year. Unfortunately, there is no work here at the moment and this would be the first chance to do something."So how would he feel about having his head shaved? "No problem," he replied. "I usually have it shaved anyway."Losing his locks was also not a problem for Christie Berg, who not only has a long pony tail but also a beard. "It would not bother me," said Mr Berg, of Carnac Crescent. "I would be prepared to cut it off."Painter and decorator Peter Boyle and his pal, concreter Daniel Craig, both aged 39, were sporting kilts in a bid to be noticed. "We wanted to show them we were prepared to get dressed up for our Scottish heritage," said Mr Boyle, who travelled up from Glasgow to audition."We stayed overnight in a camper van. Inverness is a wonderful place — everyone is really friendly and there is such beautiful countryside round about."

With location filming underway in earnest this week in Scotland for Kevin MacDonald's "The Eagle of the Ninth," there is a new audio interview with casting director (and longtime friend of Sigma Films) Des Hamilton (his pic on the side) on his work for the new movie. Extras continue to be cast (YES PARTS ARE STILL OPEN! GO FOR IT!), and in this audio interview available here via the BBC, we learn yesterday that indeed the 20-40 year old men who are willing to have their head shaved are being cast as "ferral' men, Pics celts that lived north of Hadrians wall. Press and Journal comes through again too with an article on the open casting taking place, as another event was held yesterday. Quotage:

"Some arrived at the four-hour casting session at the Spectrum Centre in Inverness with freshly shaved heads, while others sported impressive beards and donned kilts to prove their credentials as fearsome fighting foes. Des Hamilton, the casting director, said he was looking for 12 to 24 individuals who will take part in filming at Achiltibuie on the Coigach peninsula this weekend.

Asked if the auditions could unearth the next Brad Pitt or George Clooney, Mr Hamilton said: “It might be a little far-fetched, but if someone steps forward and pursues their ambitions, then who knows? Scotland has always been a talented country in the arts.”

Paul Duncan, 33, of Blackthorn Road, Culloden, said: “I’ve done this sort of thing once before and enjoyed it.“I’ve already got a shaved head and it’s something different.”Eagle of the Ninth is set in Roman Britain and charts the journey of a Roman officer along Hadrian’s Wall into Scotland to recover a lost Roman legion. The film is directed by Kevin Macdonald, whose previous films include The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void.Men who auditioned for roles will be told if they have been successful today."

A tabloid claimed there is a scene due to be filmed today, with an extra on IMDB who wrote: Have got confirmation that extras are required for this movie. The company involved are UniversalExtrasLtd. Filming will take place on Saturday 10th October 2009 around Inverness area. £85 per day. Email to info@universalextras.co.uk

A reminder of course that Jamie Bell (HALLAM FOE) and Channing Tatum star in Eagle, which will be based out of Film City Glasgow in the coming weeks thru the end of production next month.

(Now w/ 2nd Longer Video of Mads) Valhalla Rising To Show in US Theaters; Video of Refn, Mads at Premiere

Great news today thanks to those at Screen Daily, who report that IFC Films snagged the US rights to distribute Nicholas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising! woot! According to the piece:

“Nicolas Winding Refn knows film like no other director,” IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring said. “He elevates genre to the realm of art and has established himself as one of the most audacious film-makers working in Europe today. IFC Films plans to release in 2010 via its IFC In Theaters theatrical and VOD day-and-date platform."

No word on when the film which also stars JAMIE SIVES will show in the states; will update on that when I can! As a follow, cheers and many thanks again to Movie Moxie for this great clip of director Refn and Mads Mikkelsen at the Toronto Film Festival for the premiere of Valhalla Rising over the weekend, very funny cool stuff LOVE THEM. Enjoy!

UPDATE: More, including an extended post screening Q & A with Mads, where he discusses the horrible weather, trying to do fight scenes in the mud and more, definitely worth watching, aces!

Confirmed! Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephan Dillane Join Cast of David Mackenzie's "The Last Word"

Excellent news this morning to start off what will be an excellent weekend! There is casting news today for David Mackenzie's upcoming The Last Word starring Ewan McGregor. As first noted here last week, the wonderful Eva Green has indeed joined the cast, along with an old friend to Sigma Ewen Bremner (so hilarious in his turn in Hallam Foe), Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, Rushmore?), and the truly excellent Stephen Dillane (US audiences will recognise him from his superb turn as Thomas Jefferson in the very fine John Adams series).

Based out Film City Glasgow, and working with many partners including BBC Films, Scottish Screen, Irish Film Board, Zentropa, Papkassen, Danish Film Institute and Filmivast, Gillian Berrie and Malte Grunert are set to be the producers.

Details on the script from Kim Fupz Aakeson remain elusive still, with the article restating that the piece is a" story about two people who fall in love as the world begins to fall apart." Ewan and Eva as a couple does it alone for me, FABULOUS! I cant wait! I will try and bring as much coverage to this production as possible. Please note: coverage of actual independent film news in Scotland is very limited at best, so fans hoping for scads of photos are sure to be disappointed, but we will keep our fingers crossed. AS ALWAYS any tips mails comments -yes annoy- are ALWAYS welcomed!
sweetonsigmafilms@gmail.com
Cheers!
Sue

Scottish Casting Call for Eagle of the Ninth with Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell

Anyone from Scotland interested in being an extra in Kevin MacDonald's upcoming "The Eagle of the Ninth," we have news for you! A casting call is underway for THIS SATURDAY, SEPT 12 at the MacPhail Centre in Ullapool, Scotland. The Press and Journal reports that:

An opportunity for local men aged between 16 and 45 and woman aged between 16 and 25 to appear in the feature film Eagle of the Ninth, directed by Academy Award-winner Kevin Macdonald. Anyone interested will have their pictures and contact details taken and passed to the production team, 10am-4pm, Saturday.

Casting is being conducted by longtime Sigma associate Des Hamilton for what is sure to be another fantastic film from Mr. MacDonald. Good luck to all who apply!

Toronto Film Fest: Tickets Still Available for Premiere of Valhalla Rising, Triage Sold Out!

This morning individual tickets went on sale for the Toronto International Film Festival. The site was crashed tho for the first several hours this am, and naturally by the time I could get through online, as predicted Danis Tanovic's Triage with Jamie Sives and Colin Farrell sold out both showings BOOO! As of this posting in the am east coast us time, a handful still remain though for Nicholas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising GO GO NOW ! (or try this link if that one doesnt work)
Reminder
Valhalla Rising premieres
Sunday September 13th 2:30PM

PS: I have a big ole nice large size version of the Valhalla Rising poster now here on my flickr