By James McAvoy is a name back on casting agents’ lips after his turn as a pre-bald Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class. His next project will have him starring alongside the never-not-serious Mark Strong in Welcome To The Punch, a British thriller directed by Eran Creevy. For those of you unfamiliar with Creevy’s work, he’s a former music video director who helmed the under-appreciated Shifty in 2008, a very low budget drama following 24 hours in the life of a drug dealer.
Welcome To The Punch has just started shooting according to EMPIRE, and has been described to Deadline by the director earlier this year as a crime thriller in the mould of Heat or Infernal Affairs. Its plot revolves around the return to London of super-criminal Jacob Sternwood (Strong) and the attempts of detective Max Lewinsky (McAvoy) to finally take him down. There’s an outstanding supporting cast in place, including the outstanding Andrea Riseborough (by far the best thing in this year’s remake of Brighton Rock), David Morrissey, Peter Mullan and Shifty‘s Daniel Mays. The movie will be out in 2012 and with what appears to be a high pedigree across all aspects of the production, could be the next British film to keep an eye on – be sure to go and see Attack The Block in the meantime.
[via EMPIRE and Deadline]