Jonathan in Match Point |
Fresh from his Golden Globe winning success playing The King in 'Elvis', Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is set to star as a young Henry VIII in the new Showtime drama series 'The Tudors', which will shoot in Ireland during 2006.
In an announcment from Robert Greenblatt,
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President of Entertainment for US television network Showtime, Emmy®-winning television director Charles McDougall (Desperate Housewives, Queer as Folk) has also been confrimed to direct at least the first two episodes of the series, which is likely to air on the network in early 2007.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is currently filming 'Mission Impossible 3' with Tom Cruise and is appearing in Irish cinemas in Woody Allen’s 'Match Point'. His other credits include 'Bend It Like Beckham', 'Velvet Goldmine' and the US drama series 'The Lion In Winter'.
Rhys-Meyers also worked with Greenblatt on the 'Elvis' mini-series and the network exec heaps praise upon the 28 year old actor: “"As a producer of 'Elivs', I had the chance to get to know Jonathan and see him craft a performance of a character that many doubted could be honestly or sensitively portrayed,” he says. “He is one of the most talented rising film stars working today and his desire to do this series in the midst of his movie career catching fire is indicative of that great U.K. tradition where actors sign on to projects that they fall in love with.”
With a script penned by award winning Michael Hirst (Elizabeth), 'The Tudors' looks set to sidestep the stereotypes associated with a typical costume drama depicting a more “scandalous” take on the times. The series will focus on the early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40-year reign (1509-1547) of England.
Morgan O’Sullivan’s Irish production company, World 2000, is developing the project with Showtime and UK’s Working Title. World 2000 has previously helped produce large budget Irish filmed outings such as 'King Arthur', 'Reign of Fire' and the forthcoming feature 'Tristan & Isolde'. The 10 x 60 minute series ‘The Tudors’ will be filmed over 20 weeks in Ardmore studios and carries a budget in the range of €20 million.
