Gary Oldman to team up with Colin Firth for a 'anti-Bourne, anti-Bond' film remake

danslittlefinger

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2032483/Gary-Oldman-anti-Hollywood-star-I-dont-publicist-EastEnders-actress-sister-gets-recognised-me.html

'I don't have a publicist… and my sister gets recognised more than me,' reveals Gary Oldman the anti-Hollywood star

Gary Oldman is one of the best and most respected actors of his generation.

But despite starring in the biggest film franchise of all time- Harry Potter- as Sirius Black, and sundry other iconic roles, he shuns celebrity.

Guess who? Gary Oldman is one of the finest actors of his generation, yet in his latest interview with Esquire magazine he explains why he thinks his sister is recognised more in the street (photos by David Titlow)

The 53-year-old stars alongside Colin Firth in the new film adaptation of John Le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson.

Talking to Esquire magazine, he described his work style.

'I know the scene, I know the lines and I turn up on time. I show up having done the work. That’s who I am anyway.'

In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Gary plays Smiley, a taciturn intelligence expert forced out of retirement to tack down a Soviet mole in the Secret Service.

On the role first made famous by Sir Alec Guinness, Gary said: 'We’re as different as chalk and cheese, but I’m still playing Smiley, same text, pretty much. That was in the back of my head a bit, the ghost of Sir Alec, knowing that you’re not going to completely reinterpret.'

On the subject of his celebrity status, Gary revealed: 'I’ve never really courted it. I still don’t have a publicist. If I’m in a film, you have an obligation to promote it, I’ll do as much as I can.'

Asked whether his sister Maureen (now known as Laila Morse) who plays Big Mo in EastEnders would get more attention in the street, Gary confessed: 'I would think Maureen would. It’s weird it comes in waves.'

'Overall I enjoy a certain anonymity. I live a very normal, very ordinary life.'

His retiring attitude carries through to his work. 'On set I keep myself to myself; I’d rather the director speak up. I’m not gonna direct a younger actor. I think the power of example works best, actually,' he explained.

This displays some considerable modesty, considering Gary directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning 1997 Nil By Mouth about his own childhood.

Nevertheless, the actor has retained his desire to direct, and having met Colin Firth for the first time on the set of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy plans to make a new film with the Oscar winner.

'I think I’m gonna do something with Colin Firth. It was something I’d been thinking about for a while, I can’t say what it is, but it’s a remake, and when I worked with Colin I thought: here’s the guy to do it with,' Gary revealed.

'We take it back: there’s no gizmos, no gadgets. It’s anti-Bourne, anti-Bond.'

Gary seems to relish in the more organic nature of acting in a film without spceial effects.

'It’s just you in a room, and that was the canvas. Tomas [Alfredson] would come in with a camera, and you would decide: is it a scene about a man in a room or is it a scene about a room with a man in? So you feel exposed,' he mused.

Virage

"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

Adrian

He's Gary Frickin' Oldman. Respect.

On that note, I'm looking forward to 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.

Shark

Virage said:
"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

Er, no.

It's Anti-Bourne/Anti-Bond because it's relaying on intellect, intrigue, and slow burning suspense. The complete opposite to Bourne and NuBond.

sinclair

Shark said:

Virage said:
"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

Er, no.

It's Anti-Bourne/Anti-Bond because it's relaying on intellect, intrigue, and slow burning suspense. The complete opposite to Bourne and NuBond.

Very much so, it's completely different in structure, pace and emphasis. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is working the theme form a different angle and is as down-to-earth and cerebral as can be. It's like King Lear compared to a day at the Circus Maximus, with chariot race, gladiators, lions and Christians all included.

chuck007

Virage said:
"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

It's Anti-Bourne/Anti-Bond because it's relaying on intellect, intrigue, and slow burning suspense. The complete opposite to Bourne and OLD RUBBISH BOND ERA (BROSNAN N MOORE)

danslittlefinger

Adrian said:
He's Gary Frickin' Oldman. Respect.

On that note, I'm looking forward to 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.

^:)^ Ditto.

'Tinker' is something I can't wait for...

M_Balje

A litle bit disapointed, no Anti Dark Knight [-(

DarthDimi

Looking forward to this film. I love Gary Oldman in everything he does, from Dracula over Batman to Léon, where he outshines everyone but the young Natalie Portman. Oldman's presence is a good enough incentive for me to watch this film upon release but I think it'll offer even more than that. Saw the trailer, loved it. Yes, I'm looking forward to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, even if LeCarre isn't exactly my favourite writer.

JWESTBROOK

Considering the average age of that movie is like 55+, they can't exactly create a Bourne/Bond flick :P

DaltonCraig007

JWESTBROOK said:
Considering the average age of that movie is like 55+, they can't exactly create a Bourne/Bond flick :P

Have you forgotten the little movie called AVTAK ? ;-)

JWESTBROOK

HAHAHA if it weren't for Christopher Walken I would absolutely hate that movie.

Shark

chuck007 said:

Virage said:
"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

It's Anti-Bourne/Anti-Bond because it's relaying on intellect, intrigue, and slow burning suspense. The complete opposite to Bourne and every Bond film since 1997

Corrected.

chuck007

Shark said:

chuck007 said:

Virage said:
"Ant-Borne and Anti-Bond" BECUSE ITS GOT NO GISMOS!!!!

Really?! Really?! :L

It's Anti-Bourne/Anti-Bond because it's relaying on intellect, intrigue, and slow burning suspense. The complete opposite to Bourne and every Bond film Starring ROGER MOORE and PIERCE BROSNAN

ReCorrected.

Agree

DarthDimi

Okay boys and girls, we don't serve any spamming in this hotel. No one-word posts, please.

danslittlefinger

small snippet:

Wrong specs: Gary Oldman in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

"I'm looking forward to the new film of John le Carre's classic novel Tinker Tailor. It premieres in Venice this week (opening in the UK on September 16) with Gary Oldman as the downtrodden ex-spy George Smiley - a part immortalised by Alec Guinness in the wonderful BBC drama series 30 years ago.

I watched it again on DVD recently - at nearly seven hours long the plot is so complicated it's hard to see how it can be condensed into two hours in the cinema.

Gary Oldman is a brilliant actor and I have high hopes for his performance, but I'm worried about his glasses.

Alec Guinness was a mousy, henpecked man from suburbia - his drab specs were his trademark.

Oldman says he tried on hundreds of pairs before finding just the right ones - and says (in an allusion to Bond) 'they are the Aston Martin'. Sorry Gary, but these frames are more Tom Ford than Civil Service.

You've subliminally chosen a pair that wouldn't look out of place on the Paris catwalk. George Smiley would never have been seen dead in anything so chic in the early Seventies."

- looks flipping brilliant to me

CommanderRoss

Looks very good, indeed. Never saw the BBC series, so I'm very interested in this film. TTSS is one of Le Carre's best books, and far more interesting then the rubbish he's been coming up with of late.

AgentJM7

Apparently, it's a very good and stimulating film. But certainly the one for "thinkers", with layers etc. I don't think I would be able to enjoy it - just sounds a bit too deep for me!

danslittlefinger

Mark Strong's in this too, fantastic line-up, re-reading the novel now.

doubleoego

This film is my most anticipated of the year. I want EON and the guys working on Bond 23 to observe and learn. Bond 23 needs to not only be an action movie but I want an emphasis on character drama and a real suspenseful thriller to boot ala FRWL.

DarthDimi

@danslittlefinger Is the novel any good, sir? Would love to read it but only when recommended. I value your opinion. :)

danslittlefinger

DarthDimi said:
@danslittlefinger Is the novel any good, sir? Would love to read it but only when recommended. I value your opinion. :)

Hello DD,
A must read. I suggest reading a chapter at a time then take time to digest it, then onto another one.
I also suggest a TV version that came out with Sir Alec Guiness as Smiley. Many regard that as prime viewing. I rememeber it but will order it online soon. Made in 1979 for British TV. I'm sure Amazon would have it in any format or I think maybe it's on You Tube? Haven't looked yet.
Superbly written, lots of tangents to follow but well worth, part of a trilogy.
The other two books in the series are "The Honourable Schoolboy," and "Smiley's People."

I also recommend highly "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", again crafted like a fine piece of intricate lace but when I first read it (after I saw the Richard Burton film which does it a lot of justice), I was hooked. What a life to have led being part of that whole time, glorified in many cases but Le Carre shows the bare bones as well as the fancy meat. TBH, there are so many others I recommend as well, Call for the Dead, A Murder of Quality, The Tailor of Panama, The Constant Gardener etc.
Call for the Dead was adapted into one of my fav films "A Deadly Affair" with James Mason playing Smiley.

Edit:
Just found this review, and this sums it up way better than I:

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" has been called the best espionage novel ever written. John Le Carre's cynical and spellbinding spy thrillers are so unique because they are based on a wide knowledge of international espionage. Le Carre, (pen name for David John Moore Cornwell), acquired this knowledge firsthand during his years as an operations agent for the British M15. Kim Philby, the infamous mole, actually gave Le Carre's name to the Soviets long before he defected. The author's professional experience and his tremendous talent as a master storyteller and superb writer make this book one of the best novels I have read in the genre.

"Tinker, Tailor..." is the first in what has come to be called LeCarré's "Karla (or Smiley) Trilogy", in which English spy George Smiley is pitted against the Soviet spymaster Karla. Written during the Cold War, it is a portrait of that time, with its paranoid and morally ambiguous view of global politics.

A botched espionage operation in Czechoslovakia causes "Control," (Head of British Intelligence), and his associates to be discredited. "Control," already ill and aging quickly, dies soon after this debacle. George Smiley, his able lieutenant, is retired in disgrace. The two are succeeded by four "young turks," all highly ambitious men from Intelligence who had been trained by "Control" and Smiley. Months later, a maverick Far Eastern agent turns up in London with a story suggesting there is a mole (a deeply concealed double agent) in the Circus (Intelligence HQ). Smiley is called out of retirement to investigate the possibility that a Soviet mole has penetrated the very top levels of the British Secret Service. The "Tinker, Tailor..." nursery rhyme of the title refers to the codewords for the four prime suspects - the four men now running the Service. Smiley's job is to find the double agent. However the entire Intelligence network is so suspect that he must operate entirely without its resources, for fear of alerting the mole. Therefore he must operate undercover from his own people. This novel has more in common with the guessing-game puzzle of a great whodunit than with the typical action-packed spy thriller. Smiley gradually pieces together the story by analyzing files, interrogating witnesses and scouring his own memory and those of other retired Intelligence personnel, until he finally unmasks the traitor at the heart of the Circus.

There is personal and public betrayal along with the treason of an unknown colleague. Smiley's beautiful, upperclass wife has been unfaithful with at least one of his associates, adding stress to his urgent, high-pressured assignment. Although Le Carre's novels are well-written and convincing, they can be very complicated - and this book is an example of one of his more complex endeavors. The storyline is not linear, and contains many subplots. Much is left for the reader to puzzle out, at least until the end. Just like the spies, themselves, the reader only observes the outward actions of the characters, and must piece together the facts without the assistance of an omniscient narrator. Some may find that it is difficult to get started with this novel, and once started, even harder to see where one is going. The effort to stay with Le Carre is well worth it though. A big part of the fun is working out the puzzle along with George Smiley.

- Hope this helps DD. :-D

DarthDimi

It sure does, sir. Thank you. :)

Now, I understand we're talking an entire book series here, not merely one novel. Therefore I take it the proper way at this is to marathon myself through the complete series, right?

I just finished a 15 book Isaac Asimov marathon and I'm now working my way through his stand-alone novels. I suppose it'll keep me occupied for another year or so. Might be then that I won't have read TTSS before watching the film, which I intend to do in the theatre by the way. ;;)

shadowonthesun

CommanderRoss

DarthDimi said:
It sure does, sir. Thank you. :)

Now, I understand we're talking an entire book series here, not merely one novel. Therefore I take it the proper way at this is to marathon myself through the complete series, right?

I just finished a 15 book Isaac Asimov marathon and I'm now working my way through his stand-alone novels. I suppose it'll keep me occupied for another year or so. Might be then that I won't have read TTSS before watching the film, which I intend to do in the theatre by the way. ;;)

I've got a lot of Le Carre's books on my shelves, I must say TTSS and the following books , and especially The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, are more then worth reading! After those, I think Le Carre's books aren't that good any more, but I never read The Constant Gardener norThe Tailor Of Panama, whoch movie i do love.
So, DD, it indeed is worth reading the lot!
Also interesting, but non-fiction, is 'The Man Without a Face' , the autobiography of Markus Wolf ( German title: Man Ohne Gesicht, but I believe he wrote the original in English). It is thought by some that Markus was the living example of Kara in Le Carre's novels. (except for the fact that he was East German, not Russian, and never ' controlled' Philby and the others from Cambridge).

danslittlefinger

Official Trailer for TTSS

Brilliant stuff, make my hair stand on end as did the CR trailer.
Istanbul again, always the spies legendary hotspot and I like how it's a period piece in keeping obviously with mid Cold War. Oscars and Bafta's all around for this one.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3806426/Benedict-Im-Tailor-made-for-James-Bond-job.html

SHERLOCK star Benedict Cumberbatch is desperate to be the next James Bond.

Benedict, 35, got the bug for playing suave secret agents after starring in new movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Speaking during filming for tonight's The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV1, Benedict said he was envious of the super spy roles of Bond star Daniel Craig and Bourne Identity actor Matt Damon.

He said: "I would absolutely jump at the chance to play that kind of role. I think it would be so much fun. Technically what Matt Damon and Daniel Craig, and all the others before them, do is incredibly hard work.

"I've been lucky enough to do some quite interesting and diverse characters and roles, but I'd love to try something like that."

- taking the mick no doubt.