Isla Fisher, Andy Serkis and Tom Wilkinson have joined Simon Pegg in “Burke and Hare,” a horror comedy that marks John Landis’ return to feature directing after more than 10 years.
Written by Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft, "Hare" is based on the true story a pair of the U.K.’s earliest serial killers, William Burke and William Hare, gravediggers who lucratively sold the corpses of their victims to a medical college for dissection.
Serkis, fresh off a leading actor BAFTA nomination for “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” will play Hare opposite Pegg’s Burke. (David Tennant was tipped for the role but bowed out when he joined the NBC pilot “Rex Is Not My Lawyer.")
Fisher will play Pegg’s girlfriend, an actress looking for a patron who might or might not be an accomplice to the murders.
Wilkinson will play Dr. Robert Knox, an anatomy lecturer looking for fresh corpses.
The movie begins shooting Jan. 31 in Edinburgh and London, bringing Landis back to the scene of his 1981 hit “An American Werewolf in London.”
Barnaby Thompson is producing; Ealing Studios’ James Spring is executive producing.
Fisher, repped by CAA and Mosaic, most recently appeared in Disney’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
Serkis, repped by Lou Coulson Associates and Principal Entertainment, is best known for his work as Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” movies and in “King Kong.” He is portrays Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.”
Wilkinson next appears in Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” and recently wrapped shooting Michel Gondry’s “The Green Hornet” for Sony.
This is really great news of information.I only say Burke and Hare sounds great, excellent period in history regarding medical science. Be interesting to see Landis take on a period piece.
Posted by: buy r4 ds | January 21, 2010 at 08:19 PM
Did David Tennant actually bow out when he signed up for the NBC pilot?
As recently as televised interviews he gave on December 31st, he indicated that acting in the movie was still a possibility, depending on what NBC's decision was about the pilot and that he had hoped to have a better idea in the next few days at that time as to whether the pilot was going anywhere...
He typically tends to be cryptic until agreements are finalized or very close to it for his comfort, but this time did not deny it, and confirmed it was a genuine possibility at the time a few weeks ago.
Posted by: ecg | January 21, 2010 at 08:58 PM
As I come from Edinburgh, I was brought up on Burke and Hare stories and visited the areas in which they plied their trade. There have been many versions of B & H stories. I hope John Landis will do a good job. I'm sure he will. Everything he does is great so this should be no exception. Pity David Tennant isn't in it though.
Posted by: janicebyrne | January 22, 2010 at 04:44 AM
What an excellent cast!
Posted by: Mr Factor | January 22, 2010 at 05:04 AM
There was a Burke and Hare movie in 1972. With the director and casts i think this version will be quite interesting.
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Posted by: craig grey | January 22, 2010 at 08:35 PM
I would have loved to see David Tennant opposite Simon Pegg in "Burke and Hare". Having said that, Andy Serkis is a great choice. BTW Pegg and Serkis worked together on "Tintin". I enjoy Tom Wilkinson in anything he does. He was great "The Full Monty" and "In the Bedroom". This will be a fantastic film.
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He typically tends to be cryptic until agreements are finalized or very close to it for his comfort, but this time did not deny it, and confirmed it was a genuine possibility at the time a few weeks ago.
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I would have loved to see David Tennant opposite Simon Pegg in "Burke and Hare". Having said that, Andy Serkis is a great choice. BTW Pegg and Serkis worked together on "Tintin". I enjoy Tom Wilkinson in anything he does. He was great "The Full Monty" and "In the Bedroom". This will be a fantastic film.
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