A Whole Lotta Bean Slated for 2010!

Sean Bean has always had the mettle to show us what he’s got in terms of acting chops. The versatile actor has played many different parts over the years from the dirtiest low down villains to the most heroic of men… From the venomous rage of an Irish terrorist in Patriot Games to the heroic Boromir in Lord of the Rings, he can take us from the depths of hatred to the most courageous moments in a leader’s heart.

With several new projects set for release this year, Sean Bean is coming to the cinema with a vengeance in a variety of roles. Of course we have our own highly anticipated psychological thriller CASH which we expect to be released in the next several weeks. We will be treated to two versions of Bean in this suspenseful story of man who wants payback in the most sinister of ways.

IFC Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the dark and gritty The Red Riding Trilogy, starring Sean Bean in his critically acclaimed role as shady real estate developer John Dawson. Paddy Considine and Steven Morrissey also star in the British noir series of three fictionalized accounts of the investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper, a brutal serial killer that stalked the Yorkshire area of England in the 1970s and 1980s. IFC Films will roll out in American theaters and on VOD in early February.

Then on February 10^th, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief will be released theatrically in the United States. Based on the hugely successful series of Fantasy Adventure books by Richard Riordan, Sean has the plummy role of Zeus, alongside such acting stalwarts as Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman. Someone has stolen Zeus’ thunderbolt and Percy sets out to find out whom. I don’t know about you, but one thing I’ve learned about Bean in his films; Don’t make him angry.

Also set for release in May is the film Black Death, starring Bean as Ulric, a fearsome knight who with his group of mercenaries is led by a young monk (Eddie Remayne) to a remote marsh where their quest is to hunt down a necromancer - someone able to bring the dead back to life. Once again, Bean will don the chain mail to bring down evil and we all know how menacing he can be when faced with a worthy nemesis.

And lastly, Sean Bean has just finished filming a pilot for Game of Thrones for HBO based on the massively successful medieval fantasy television series based on author George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The project is in the process of being greenlit and rumor has it that it will very likely get the nod from the heads at HBO to film a further 11 episodes that could start as soon as March 2011. This series has all the hallmarks of a hugely successful series with Bean in the lead as Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell. Jennifer Ehle Mark Addy and Peter Dinklage also star. Nearly everyone involved with the series agrees that Bean is perfectly cast as Ned Stark, the noble and just leader of the Stark Family who leads them through confrontations involving intrigue, politics and traitors galore. This is a role where Sean will get to show off his considerable ability to portray a strong, heroic leader; a man to root for, to believe in, to champion.

Which brings us back to our personal excitement for the impending release of CASH since Bean is playing the roles of twins for the first time in his career and gets to run the psychological gamut in Steven Milburn Anderson’s newest film. The trailers have shown we will be treated to several sides of Bean as he slips seamlessly from being friendly, generous and helpful to a man driven to manipulating and controlling a decent suburban couple, (Chris Hemsworth and Victoria Profeta) all in the almighty name of Money.

Love or hate the characters Bean plays, chances are you always believe him. CASH promises to be an exciting opportunity for both!