50 Shades of Grey Jamie Dornan in Car - H 2014
Focus Features/FacebookLONDON – Just days after the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer became the most watched trailer of all time, its S&M-loving lead Christian Grey, otherwise known as Irish actor Jamie Dornan, is already adding another notch on his cinematic bedpost.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Dornan will star in Parallel Films’ upcoming geopolitical action thriller The Siege of Jadotville from writer Kevin Brodbin and first-time director Richie Smyth.
The film recounts the 1961 siege of 150 Irish U.N. troops in the Congo, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, after pro-Western warlord Moise Tshombe took control of the Katanga region, killing the democratically elected Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lamumba. Belfast-born Dornan will play Commandant Pat Quinlan, the Irishman who led the U.N. battalion against a force of 3,000 local troops fighting alongside French and Belgian mercenaries.
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“I can’t wait to get stuck into Jadotville,” said Dornan in a statement. “It’s an unbelievable story and Commandant Pat Quinlan is going to be a treat of a character to tackle. I’m a big fan of both Richie Smyth and [producer] Alan Moloney and I’m very much looking forward to working with them both.”
Smyth, known for his commercial and music work, including videos for U2, The Verve and Bon Jovi, recently picked up several best director awards across the globe for an advert highlighting the issue of child abuse in Ireland.
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“I’m really excited to be working with Jamie on The Siege of Jadotville,” Smyth added in the statement. “I thought his performance in The Fall was sublime. He is perfectly cast in the lead role as Commandant Quinlan and has been instrumental in bringing this epic story to life.”
The film, which has been developed with the Irish Film Board and will be an official Ireland-South Africa co-production, is set to shoot in spring 2015 in Ireland and South Africa after Dornan finishes promoting Fifty Shades of Grey.
