It’s not exactly a sequel to In the Name of the Father, but Emma Thompson appears ready to reprise the role of attorney Gareth Peirce, who defended Daniel Day-Lewis’ imprisoned character in Jim Sheridan’s IRA drama.
Screen Daily says Thompson is attached to play Peirce in The Secret Evidence, a courtroom thriller that will be produced by J. Todd Harris (The Kids are All Right). The script finds Peirce approached by a young British couple for help after one of them ends up behind bars as part of England's fight against international terrorism. The report says that as the young girl fights for her boyfriend’s freedom, she finds herself under attack from her own country’s secret service agents.
As of right now, Nicholas Racz (The Burial Society) is attached to direct the picture, which is scheduled to begin shooting in Fall 2012 so long as financing can come together. Racz reportedly will draw on his own experiences in helming the picture, as he once was detained under house arrest for two years by the UK secret service in conjunction with the war on terror, even though nothing ever was proven.
The big story is Thompson returning to a role that once earned her an Oscar nomination (she lost he Best Supporting Actress trophy that year to Anna Paquin for The Piano). I can think of Anthony Hopkins returning to Hannibal Lecter after winning an Oscar for the role, but can you think of very many other actors who had great success in a particular part and returned to play the character under vastly different circumstances years later? It seems rare.
