Dunno how I missed this one. Looks like a film is being made of Magnus Mills' brilliant debut novel THE RESTRAINT OF BEASTS. Must be nearly ten years now since that book appeared. Some may know that Mills is one of my favourite authors. His humour is dry as rough scrumpy yet as restrained as, well, a beast. He is also quintessially English, in a way that your average Newsnight Review talking author can only ever dream of being. He also (still, I hear) drives buses. How can you top that?
If they can pull it off on the screen, fair play to them. Looks like Rhys Ifans is on board so there's a head start.
Hey, did you see that? I just did a proper blog post! Not a Capri in sight (unless you scroll down).
3 comments:
I had heard about this but I'm immediately full of misgivings. He's such a subtle writer, which is what makes "Restraint" so funny when things do go wrong, and I just wonder if they'll get that.
In a way, "Explorers of the New Century" would be better to film because it's so extraordinary.
I can see a good film coming out of TRoB if done right. All depends, dunnit? I think all the Mills books have a certain unique flavour that needs to make the transition.
I always pictured Brian Glover as one of the Hall brothers (but with a Gloucs accent).
But what do they do with the narrator? He doesn't really do much, just tells what everyone else gets up to and plays the victim, in classic Mills style.
Ah, but it's co-written by Graham Linehan. If anyone's going to get the very special Mills touch, it'll be him. Or at least he'll get close.
I remain optimistic.
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