Actor Colin Farrell is photographed during TIFF at the Intercontinental Hotel In Toronto Sep 7, 2012Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail
PLUCK OF THE IRISH
Colin Farrell will play one of the lead cops on the next season of True Detective – or at least that's what Colin Farrell says.
The Irish actor jumped the gun on HBO releasing any casting announcements for the upcoming sophomore campaign of the much-lauded crime drama, which has a tentative premiere date of summer 2015.
Created for HBO by Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective was one of last season's most talked-about TV programs and earned Emmy nominations for stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
In recent months, HBO has steadfastly denied a steady stream of giddy casting rumours that had everyone from Brad Pitt to Jessica Chastain starring in the second season.
But Farrell effectively scotched such scuttlebutt in the course of a recent interview with the Irish media outlet The Sunday World by claiming that he's already got the gig.
"I'm doing the second series," said Farrell in the interview. "I'm so excited. I know it will be eight episodes and take around four or five months to shoot. I know very little about it, but we're shooting in the environs of Los Angeles, which is great. It means I get to stay at home and see the kids."
So far, that makes Farrell the first actor to officially confirm his involvement in True Detective.
Still rumoured to be in the second season but not confirmed: Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), who will reportedly play another detective (likely partnered with Farrell) investigating "the bloody murder of a corrupt city businessman found dead the night before a major transportation deal."
Also rumoured to be in the mix: Vince Vaughn, who will reportedly play a dodgy businessman at the centre of the investigation.
But of course the more burning question is which female actress will show up on True Detective next season?
Last week, The Wrap reported that no fewer than seven female A-listers were currently vying for the already-written True Detective role of "A Monterey sheriff with a troubled past that has led her to a gambling and alcohol addiction."
The lucky seven: Jessica Biel, Oona Chaplin, Brit Marling, Kelly Reilly, Jaime Alexander, Malin Ackerman and Rosario Dawson.
Regardless of how much validity is there is to that report, you have to give the edge to Dawson, if only because she and Farrell previously shared the screen in the 2004 big-screen historical epic Alexander.
ABBEY FADING?
Has Downton Abbey lost its luster with British viewers? The recent fifth-season premiere of the period-piece series drew an average of 8.4-million viewers – the show's lowest-rated debut since its first-season launch in 2010. Last year's fourth-season return garnered 9.6-million viewers. In the United States, Downton Abbey routinely earns an audience in the eight-million viewer range on PBS.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED
Idris Elba would gladly welcome the chance to become the next James Bond. The Pacific Rim star recently took part in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session when one fan asked if he would be willing to take over the super-spy role created by Ian Fleming and previously played by the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and, currently, Daniel Craig. Elba's response: "Yes, if it were offered to me, absolutely."
Source: People
BIG SPLIT
The parents of reality star Honey Boo Boo have split. CNN reports that June Shannon and Mike Thompson – better known to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo viewers as Mama June and Sugar Bear – have officially broken up. Shannon and Thompson were never legally married but became reality stars in their own right as the parents of child beauty pageant competitor Alana Thompson, a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo. The breakup is expected to be featured in the closing episodes of the current season of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on TLC.
Source: CNN
GAME OFF
HBO has suspended production on the planned movie about disgraced football coach Joe Paterno starring Al Pacino. The film was planned to chronicle the fall of the former Penn State football icon, whose public profile was tainted by the revelation that he and others in the football program were aware of the activities by convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky. Pacino was booked to play Paterno in the film, which was to be directed by Brian De Palma.
Source: Deadline