Gael, I Am Your Father

It's been a good year for Gael Garcia Bernal. He may have gained his "Mexican James Dean" credentials in Amores Perros and Y Tu Mama Tambien a couple of years back, but they've paid off in spades in the last twelve months. After a stunning turn in Bad Education he is about to hit our screens as the young Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries. Next up is American drama The King, where he will star opposite William Hurt, fresh from his role in The Village. No, it's not an Elvis biopic, but a family drama from British documentary director James Marsh. Hurt will play a Baptist pastor, happily married (to Mulholland Drive's Laura Harring) with two teenage children and a respected member of his Texas community. His life is thrown into turmoil, however, when his long lost son (Bernal) reappears after being discharged from the Navy. The troubled young man hopes to reunite with his father, but his new family is rather less than thrilled to see him. Hurt's part was originally set for Sam Shepard, who had to leave the project when it was delayed for budget reasons a week before shooting was due to start in April, but it shouldn't prove too much of a stretch for Hurt after his not-dissimilar role as a community leader in M. Night Shyamalan's latest.