Having cast the 'Widows' actor for the role of Henry Drax on the TV series, filmmaker Andrew Haigh expresses his belief that he has brought in the right man to portray the vicious character.
- February 20, 2019
AceShowbiz - Colin Farrell is returning to TV to play a brutish killer in a new BBC drama about an 1850s whaling expedition set in the Arctic.
The Irish actor, who starred in British TV series "Ballykissangel" and HBO drama "True Detective", will play harpooner Henry Drax in the adaptation of Ian McGuire's bestselling novel "The North Water".
Andrew Haigh has adapted the period thriller, which begins shooting later this year, and will direct.
In McGuire's Booker Prize-considered novel, Farrell's character is a vicious man, whose killing is not limited to the whales he hunts - he has also murdered a man and beat up and raped a young boy - and Haigh is convinced he has the right man to play the complex Henry Drax.
"Casting the right leads is the most important part of any project and I'm thrilled to have Colin Farrell on board," the filmmaker tells Deadline. "I am a huge admirer of his work and can't wait to see him bring Drax vividly to life."
The plot surrounds a disgraced former army surgeon who signs up as a ship's doctor on the expedition, led by Drax.
The role of the surgeon, Patrick Sumner, has yet to be announced, but insiders claim producers and Haigh are hoping to cast another A-list star to join Farrell in the mini-series.
