Brosnan’s NI role
Superstar signs up for movie about D-day veteran to be shot locally
HOLLYWOOD star Pierce Brosnan will play a Northern Irish World War II veteran in the upcoming film The Last Rifleman.
Based on a true story, Drogheda native Brosnan (67) will play Artie Crawford, a veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland who has just lost his wife.
The Last Rifleman is due to film in Northern Ireland this winter.
The story is inspired by WWII veteran Bernard Jordan who, at 89-years-old, sneaked out of his care home in East Sussex, got on a ferry to France and made his way to Normandy for the 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-day landings in June 2014.
Jordan wanted to pay his final respects to his comrades who died on the beaches of France.
The film has been written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and is supported by Northern Ireland Screen.
Principal photography will begin this winter in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
“When I first read Kevin’s screenplay, I found it to be a beautifully touching story with an honest heart and soul,” said director Loane.
“With the recent anniversary of the end of WWII, I feel the timing is perfect to tell this story, while an ever-diminishing handful of veterans are still with us to share their lives.”
Writer Fitzpatrick said that Jordan’s story “highlighted the spirit that epitomised the Second World War generation”.
“I was enthralled by this story and the motives that drive a man near the end of his life on a quest to a place that must hold only painful memories,” he added.
In the 2017 film, The Foreigner, Brosnan played an EX-IRA man turned government official sporting a look many said drew on former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. Adams — who has always denied being in the IRA — said he never knew the actor was “so good looking” in response.
Brosnan also played British spy James Bond in four films from 1994 until 2005 and last month, he lost out to Sean Connery when the Scottish actor was voted as the best ever 007. Connery saw off competition from other stars including Daniel Craig and Roger Moore in the poll for Radiotimes.com.
More than 14,000 people voted for their favourite Bond, with actors pitted against each other in different rounds of the survey.
The first round saw Connery beat Craig after securing 56% of the vote. Brosnan beat George Lazenby in the other heat with 76% of the vote.
Moore also lost out to Timothy Dalton after scoring just 41%. The final therefore saw Connery pitted against Dalton and Brosnan, with the actors securing 44%, 32% and 23% respectively.