James Corden has conquered the telly, what with Gavin & Stacey and his appearances on Doctor Who. And he’s also been doing stormingly well on the stage, between The History Boys and his recent Tony win for smash hit One Man, Two Guvnors. But his film career has been a patchier affair. He’s had a few decent roles, in the adaptation of The History Boys and Starter For 10. But he’s also appeared in the likes of Lesbian Vampire Killers and Three Musketeers. We imagine he’ll be hoping for better things from his next couple of roles, in Can A Song Save Your Life and One Chance.
The first of the pair is Once director John Carney’s new film, which finds Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld and Adam Levine starring in the tale of a singer (Knightley) who moves to New York with her boyfriend to take a shot at a proper music career, only for him to dump her once he lands some success. Corden will be Knightley’s best friend, who tries to help her through the split.
He’s also locked in a role-playing real-life singing sensation Paul Potts in One Chance, which The Weinstein Company has been developing. The Devil Wears Prada’s David Frankel is directing the film, which finds Potts walking on stage as part of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007 and flooring the judges, including Simon Cowell, with his operatic abilities. Corden has been rumoured for the role for a while now, but he’s now officially signed on. There’s no word on when that one will start filming, but we'd guess that it won't be until after September 2, when his Broadway run in One Man, Two Guvnors finishes.