AIDAN GILLEN has joined the cast of an upcoming Samuel Beckett biopic, which already includes Irish actors Gabriel Byrne and Fionn O'Shea.
Gillen, known for playing Little Finger in Game of Thrones and his appearances in Love/Hate and Kin, will also be joined by French actress Sandrine Bonnaire, Deadline reports.
Dance First will be directed by James Marsh and written by Neil Forsyth, with O'Shea set to play the young Beckett. O'Shea has recently appeared in Handsome Devil, Dating Amber and Normal People.
Inspired by Beckett’s maxim “dance first, think later,” the film explores the many parts of the literary giant’s life: Parisian bon vivant, World War II Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband and recluse.
Marsh, best-known for The Theory of Everything, for which Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar, will start shooting the film on May 30 in Budapest.
He said:
“Samuel Beckett had such a radical influence on modern culture, yet despite all the adulation that came his way was acutely aware of his own failings. The film is a playful and often poignant exploration of the life of the literature icon, delving deep into the key relationships in Beckett’s life — mainly the two women he was close to.”
