Rachel Weisz Joins Colin Firth In POW Drama 'The Railway Man'

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by Oliver Lyttelton
November 25, 2011 9:22 AM
2 Comments

After a year of fairly tough work, dealing with infidelity and depression in "The Deep Blue Sea", U.N. corruption in "The Whistleblower," and forgetting to turn down roles in "360" and "Dream House," the next year or so sees Rachel Weisz heading to tentpole territory for the first time since 2005's "Constantine." She's got a key role alongside Jeremy Renner, Edward Norton and co. in Tony Gilroy's "The Bourne Legacy" arriving in the summer, while early 2013 sees her join Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams as one of a triumvirate of witches in Sam Raimi's "Oz The Great and Powerful."

But she's not abandoning the serious stuff either; she'll crop up in Terrence Malick's untitled romance (aka "The Burial") and the actress has just signed on to join a recent Oscar-winner in a film that could well be headed for awards success down the line. Baz Bamigboye reports that Weisz has come on board "The Railway Man," a post-World War II drama that has Colin Firth already in the lead role.

The film by "Burning Man" director Jonathan Teplitzky, from a script by Frank Cottrell Boyce ("Millions," 24 Hour Party People"), will star Firth as Eric Lomax, a Scottish second lieutenant who was captured by the Japanese in Singapore during the war, and shipped off to a camp in Thailand, where he suffered terrible tortures, and was forced to help build the infamous bridge over the River Kwai, as seen in David Lean's epic. Years later, he still suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, until his second wife, Patricia Wallace, helped him to seek out closure by writing to his former captor.

Firth will play the older Lomax, with Jeremy Irvine, the young star of "War Horse," taking on the role during his captivity, and Weisz will play Wallace, who married Lomax in 1983. Filming starts in February, and given the prestigious cast and stirring subject matter, this sounds like it could be a big awards contender down the line.

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More: The Railway Man, Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, Jeremy Irvine

2 Comments

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Travis Hopson | November 25, 2011 2:52 PMReply

Have they locked down a definite US release date for The Deep Blue Sea? Doesn't seem like it.
Miller | November 25, 2011 10:55 AMReply

Rachel Weisz is really gorgeous and very talented. Itâll be an exceptional performance, just wonderful.