Timothy Spall In Talks To Play Ian Paisley

He could be the late Democratic Unionist Party leader

Having won major acclaim (and an acting award at Cannes) for his performance in Mr. Turner, Timothy Spall has his eye on another job playing a real person. He’s in talks to play the late Sir Ian Paisley in The Journey.

While it sounds mostly like an excuse for our Chris to roll out his Paisley voice for the Podcast, Nick Hamm’s film is actually chronicling the story of how two seemingly implacable enemies – Paisley, the stalwart, vocal leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness – who had to find common ground and make history. 

Hamm is writing the script with Colin Bateman and aims to kick off filming in Northern Ireland and Scotland this September, once he’s found someone to play McGuinness. It’ll represent another meaty role for Spall, playing a man who managed to forge a lasting friendship with someone he once bitterly opposed, to the point where McGuinness was visibly moved at Paisley’s funeral last year. The actor has several films on the way, including Alice In Wonderland sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass (out May 27 next year), plus Away and Special One.

Source Empire News http://ift.tt/1Hw6LQM