Brendan Gleeson as a frustrated crime lord? Yes, that sounds like something he's perfect for. The actor has signed on to star in crime comedy Mr. Cranky.
With The Railway Man's Jonathan Teplitzky on board to direct Chris Nyst's script, Mr. Cranky will find Gleeson as Kevin Darcy, a crime boss who specialises in threatening people who can't pay their debts. A man with a furious temper, his short fuse sparks a massive gang war and that, in turn, sees his ex-girlfriend killed by a car bomb that targeted him.
Which means that Darcy is now responsible for looking after his seven-year-old daughter, more used to bedtime stories and tea parties than a life of crime. But though Kevin eventually adapts to the role of doting dad, his criminal life is never far behind, and even fleeing to Australia's Gold Coast is no protection against drug dealing circus clowns, Lebanese hitmen and a gang of Hells Angels...
Teplizky will roll the cameras this coming September in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast itself, which sounds like nice work if you can get it.
Gleeson has recently worked on Adam Smith's Trespass Against Us and Assassin's Creed. He'll also be seen in Alone In Berlin and Ben Affleck's Live By Night.