Hollywood stars queue up to act in movie of Barry’s novel
SEVERAL Hollywood A-listers will star in the film adaptation of The Secret Scripture, the 2008 novel by Tinahely writer Sebastian Barry.
Jeremy Irons and Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be taking on ‘ prominent' roles in the film joining female leads Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave in the big budget production, which will start filming this June in Wicklow and Sligo.
Both Irons and Rhys Meters are expected to sign contracts in the coming days.
Rhys Meyers (36) returned to the screen after a lengthy absence last year appearing in The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones and also playing the lead in Sky series Dracula.
Academy Award winning Irons last featured in Neil Jordan's period drama The Borgias, which was axed by Showtime mid way through its third season in June 2013.
He is also due to star in The Man Who Knew Infinity and is rumoured to be connected to the Man of Steel sequel.
The Secret Scripture project, which has been in the pipeline for nearly two years, will be entirely shot in Ireland over the summer, with an Irish crew – giving a further boost to the film industry as well as the Irish economy.
The movie is being produced by Noel Pearson, who is behind critically acclaimed movies My Left Foot and The Field.
The Secret Scripture was released in 2008. The novel is told by Roseanne, who is uncertain of her age and recounts her journey in asylums in Ireland for over 60 years.
As the story unfolds, audiences discover the why and the how of Roseanne's incarceration and are also introduced to the second narrator of the novel, Roseanne's psychiatrist Dr William Grene.