In early July, the news arrived that Timothy Spall was in talks to play late politician Sir Ian Paisley in The Journey. It appears he’s gone against Paisley’s traditional “no” stance and said yes to the part, and now Colm Meaney has joined the drama as Paisley’s stalwart enemy-turned-true friend Martin McGuinness.
Nick Hamm’s film chronicles the story of how two seemingly implacable enemies – Paisley, the fiery, vocal leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein’s McGuinness – had to find common ground and make history. The pair became such good friends that they were nicknamed The Chuckle Brothers.
Director Nick Hamm is writing the script with Divorcing Jack’s Colin Bateman and aims to kick off filming in Northern Ireland and Scotland in the middle of next month.
Meaney, who has been spending most of his time recently in Western-flavoured US TV drama Hell On Wheels, is part of the cast for a new miniseries based on Arthur C. Clarke’s tome Childhood’s End. He’ll also be seen in a new film biopic of legendary footballer Pelé and heard as a voice in Norm Of The North.