Ben Kingsley – sorry, Sir Ben Kingsley – is shaping up to be a very busy man.
The actor has lined up no fewer than five films through his production company, SBK Films (wonder what that stands for?), with firm commitments to star in at least three.
First up is naval drama Jutland 1916, about an epic sea battle that took place during World War I. Sir Ben will play Admiral John Jellicoe, while Nick Willing will adapt the screenplay from the book by Peter Hart.
Then there’s Duncan, a romantic fantasy written by Barton Randall about a woman who – swear to God – reconnects with her childhood elephant toy. Kingsley will voice the toy.
The 64 year old actor/producer will also star as Charles Curtis, the only part-Native American to serve as US Vice-President in Whispers Like Thunder, a tale about three Native-American sisters and their 65-year legal battle to protect a sacred Indian burial ground in Kansas. Fuller ‘Trip’ Brooks and Luis Moro will write that.
Then there’s I Know A Place, a Britcom written and directed by Barton Randall, who’s going to be just as busy as Sir Ben. And last, but not least, is Quixote, which focuses on the relationship between author Miguel Cervantes and his most famous creation, Don Quixote. The wonderfully-named Rusty Lemorande wrote the screenplay.
So there you go – Sir Ben’s got a lot on his plate, but he’s keen to make a start, with reports indicating that the Oscar-winning actor recently travelled to Abu Dhabi to try to raise money for the slate. Sure beats going to Vegas and putting the house on black.
We’ll bring you more on these movies as we get it.