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Taylor Kitsch and Brendan Gleeson Team for 'The Grand Seduction'

by Ben Pearson
July 30, 2012
Source: Variety

It goes without saying that Taylor Kitsch has had a pretty terrible year at the movies. John Carter was a disappointing flop, Battleship was a giant mess, and even working with renowned director Oliver Stone in Savages wasn't enough to salvage his public perception. But it looks like Kitsch may have found a redemption project, and it's not an action tentpole or drug-fueled revenge story. Variety reports that Kitsch and Brendan Gleeson are co-starring in The Grand Seduction, a remake of a French film about a down-and-out fishing town that schemes to convince a visiting doctor (Kitsch) to live there permanently.

The town needs a factory built there to restore it to its former glory, but the catch is that it can only be built if a doctor lives in the town full time. Gleeson plays a village resident who organizes the townsfolk to pretend to like the same foods, sports, and music that the young doctor does in an effort to convince him to stay. Don McKellar is directing from a screenplay by Michael Dowse and Ken Scott (who also wrote the original movie), and filming began in Newfoundland today.

The original French film won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2004, and this sort of small remake might be just what the doctor ordered (get it?) for Kitsch, who hasn't been given the best material to work with in the blockbuster realm. Plus, Gleeson is at his best when he's scheming, and he was able to bring out a career-best performance from Colin Farrell during In Bruges, so maybe some of that luck will rub off on Kitsch so he can start his recovery and quickly put 2012 in his rear view mirror. Thoughts?

Filed under Casting, Development, Movie News

From around the web:

HazedMind

I would argue it has been his best year so far, three primary roles in one that's pretty good for an actor who can't act and who's barely done anything
http://www.facebook.com/lessard.marc Marc Lessard

Correction: It's not a French film but a French-Canadian film from Quebec, written by Montreal-native Ken Scott...
- http://www.critiqueinfo.ca/ Jroyy
  
  It's still in the french language.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lessard.marc Marc Lessard
    
    Yes. But would you call an American film an English film because it's in english?
Duane

You know... it's just Hollywood and their ability to effect the masses with their lure. Sure his films didn't make any bank.... but that by no means should hinder the boys career. If I were him, i'd just keep pressing. George Clooney was an essential nobody until he came back to TV, and Dreamworks took a chance on him with 'The Peacemaker'. He survived The Batman debacle. I actually liked John Carter, and I think Kitsch has more screen presence than let's say Channing Tatum. That's my opinion. I think he's going to have a proverbial last laugh pretty soon. And I wish him luck.
- http://twitter.com/Vanessaperez791 Vanessa Perez
  
  Thank you for your comment, I totally agree & furthermore, John Carter was a really good film but the arrogant critics ripped it up, & with a title that made no sense to people today & terrible promotion by Disney is why I think it didn't make it anyway.
meh

so it's a remake of Doc Hollywood?
- http://www.firstshowing.net/ Ethan Anderton
  
  I too thought of Doc Hollywood, but in this film the town actively tries to keep him there, whereas circumstances out of Michael J. Fox's control kept him trapped in the town longer than he would have liked.
Sal Featherstone CPA

So basically, this is guaranteed to tank at the box office?
Hattrori Hanzo

I've seen the orginal version and it's a great story, I think Brendan Gleeson is one of the most underrated actors out there and I've visted beautful Newfoundland a couple of times which in itself is amazing (Put it this way, Russell Crowe spends enough time there for him build to a huge house in St. John's for him and his family). If these three pieces cannot turn Kitsch's career around, nothing can.