Magnolia Pictures has acquired the rights to the Filth adaptation, the award winning British black comedy based on the book by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). Filth, directed by Jon S. Baird and starring James McAvoy, follows the story of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, a sadistic, dirty cop, with a penchant for going on drug fueled benders,who loses his grip on reality while investigating the murder of a Japanese student.
James McAvoy has proven himself diverse, playing in romantic comedies as the leading man, in children’s films such as the 2005 movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and edgier roles like that of his recent portrayal of dangerously unstable Simon, in Danny Boyle’s Trance.
Filth finished as the second highest grossing R-rated movie in the UK, and the red band trailer alone garners a strong NSFW tag, so whether it will come in rating the dreaded X on U.S. soil, or go unrated will remain to be seen. No matter what the rating, based upon the small sample of the film, full of sex, gratuitous violence, and hedonistic humor, I have no doubt that the movie will gain equal popularity here in the states, though it is doubtful that it will rake in the awards it has on its home turf, due to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ long history of turning their heads from anything that could offend their delicate sensibilities, but myself being a lover of twisted, lowbrow laughs, will gladly buy a ticket.
The Filth adaptation also stars Imogen Poots and Jamie Bell, and is set for an early 2014 release.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
