Irish Film News: Farrell and Weisz join Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster

Element Pictures has announced that Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz have come on board to play the lead roles in The Lobster, the first film in the English language by Oscar-nominated Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos (DogtoothAlps).  The Lobster is set to start shooting on March 24th in Ireland and is backed by the Irish Film Board.

Farrell and Weisz join the previously announced Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, Ariane Labed and Angeliki Papoulia in the all-star film.  Several other roles in the ensemble are currently being finalized.

Co-written by Lanthimos and his long-time collaborator, award-winning Efthimis Filippou, the film is an unconventional love story set in a dystopian future where finding a partner is a matter of life or death.

Lanthimos says, “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to work with such great actors. Their contribution to our film will enrich and expand the world we are trying to create and explore. Furthermore our team of old and new collaborators makes me very confident and excited to start making this film.”

The Lobster is being produced by Element Pictures, Limp, and Scarlet Films. Producers on the film are Lanthimos, Lee Magiday, Ed Guiney and Ceci Dempsey, with Element’s Andrew Lowe acting as executive producer.

Farrell, a Golden Globe winner for In Bruges, was recently seen in Disney’s hit drama Saving Mr Banksand is the star of Akiva Goldsman’s upcomingWinter’s Tale for Warner Bros. In post-production are Miss Julie in which he co-stars with Jessica Chastain for director Liv Ullman, and Solace, Afonso Poyart’s supernatural thriller in which he stars with Anthony Hopkins.

Weisz, who won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for The Constant Gardener, has a dazzling list of credits including box office blockbusters The MummyThe Bourne Legacy and Oz The Great And Powerful, as well as Alejandro Amenabar’s Agoraand Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea for which she was named best actress of 2011 by the New York Film Critics Circle.

Partnering on the project are Christos V. Konstantakopoulos of Faliro House in Greece, Carole Scotta of Haut et Court (who will be both the French co-producer and distributor of the film), and Derk-Jan Warrink, Joost de Vries and Leontine Petit of Lemming Films in Holland. Protagonist Pictures is handling worldwide sales on the film at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin. In addition to the Irish Film Board, backing for the project comes from Eurimages, Greek Film Centre, CNC and the Dutch Film Fund.The Lobster is set to be the first project to be backed by the BFI Film Fund through its minority co-production strand.