Pierce Brosnan has been attached to star in The Last Rifleman for director Terry Loane (Mickybo And Me), with WestEnd Films boarding the project’s sales rights ahead of TIFF.
Inspired by a true story, Brosnan will play Artie Crawford, a World War II veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland who has just lost his wife. On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, he decides to escape his care home and embarks on a journey to France to pay his final respects.
Developed with funding from Northern Ireland Screen, the film was written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and is produced by Katy Jackson and John Leslie from Wee Buns (Zoo). It is co-produced by Jacqueline Kerrin and Dominic Wright from Ripple World Pictures (Never Grow Old). Oscar nominee Mark Huffam (The Martian), Kevin Jackson (Zoo), Nick Leese, Eloise Singer (Rare Beasts) and Tommy Curran are executive producing.
Production is being lined up for this winter in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Crew include Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare In Love) and make-up designer Clare Ramsey (The Hobbit trilogy).
WestEnd will be introducing the film to buyers during TIFF. CAA and WestEnd are co-repping US rights.
“We were highly impressed by Kevin Fitzpatrick’s incredible script and Terry Loane’s great vision for the story and we couldn’t be more excited now that Pierce Brosnan has joined the project,” said WestEnd MD Maya Amsellem.
“When I first read Kevin’s screenplay, I found it to be a beautifully touching story with an honest heart and soul. It is the script that directors search for: a powerful, character-led drama that perfectly balances heart and pathos. The personal price paid by those in the aftermath of war is something that resonates with all ages, all over the world,” added director Terry Loane.
“Bernard Jordan’s daring journey caught the nation’s attention and 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,” said writer Kevin Fitzpatrick.
Pierce Brosnan is represented by CAA, Curtis Brown, Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman and Viewpoint.
