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First ook At Dark Comedy ‘The Legend of Barney Thomson’
Myriad Pictures announced Tuesday that principal photography has begun in the UK on the darkly humorous The Legend of Barney Thomson (formerly titled The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson), which marks the directorial debut of actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty, 28 Weeks Later).
The film will star two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks, Nanny McPhee series, Harry Potter franchise, Sense and Sensibility), Ray Winstone (Noah, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Departed, Hugo), and Carlyle, who will play the title role. The script is based on a widely popular series of novels by Douglas Lindsay, and was adapted for the screen by BAFTA award-winner Colin McLaren (Donkeys) and Richard Cowan. Myriad Pictures is handling worldwide sales on the film.
In The Legend of Barney Thomson, Carlyle plays the title character, a downtrodden Glaswegian barber who inadvertently stumbles into serial murder, with both absurd and macabre consequences. Complicating matters further, Barney’s formidable mother Cemolina (Thompson) cheerfully emasculates him at every turn, causing a bloody and comedic chain of events. While Barney clumsily tries to cover his tracks, Glasgow police inspector Holdall (Winstone) fights his own battles within his inept homicide department as he tries to solve the crime of the century. A black comedy of errors unfolds as the police try to capture the murderer at large.
New additions to the Barney Thomson cast are Brian Pettifer (Vanity Fair, Donkeys, Amadeus), Sir Tom Courtney (Quartet, The Golden Compass) Martin Compston (Filth, the Disappearance of Alice Creed), James Cosmo (Braveheart, The Chronicles of Narnia, Trainspotting), Ashley Jensen (The Lobster, How to Train Your Dragon), as well as Kevin Guthrie (Sunshine on Leith) and Stephen McCole (Rushmore, The Acid House).
Also joining the production in a key role is Academy Award winning prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier (Harry Potter franchise, The Iron Lady, X Men First Class). He will provide the prosthetic makeup for the cast. Fabian Wagner (TV’s “Sherlock,” “Game of Thrones,” Frankenstein) will serve as the director of photography on the film, and Ross Dempster (art director of Godzilla, 50/50, and 2012) will serve as production designer.
The Legend of Barney Thomson is currently shooting in and around the Glasgow area.
Photo Credit: Graeme Hunter
We have an exclusive first look at A Man in the Woods With an Axe, a blood-soaked, genre-twisting homage to 1980s slasher films.
Spanning four decades, A Man in the Woods With an Axe begins in the summer of 1987 before pushing into the modern era, weaving together timelines and perspectives in a way that builds both dread and intrigue.
Drawing inspiration from genre standouts like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Hatchet, and The Cabin in the Woods, the film blends visceral horror with moments of dark humor, creating a uniquely balanced experience that honors tradition while carving its own identity.
Writer-director Dillon Brown (Primal Darkness) aims to deliver everything fans crave from a slasher while boldly subverting expectations with a mid-film twist that redefines the story.
“This is an unapologetic love letter to the films that made me fall in love with horror,” Brown tells Bloody Disgusting. “But I didn’t just want to recreate that feeling; I wanted to challenge it. About halfway through, the film takes a turn that completely changes how you view not only this story, but the genre itself.”
Brown describes the vintage-inspired production as “far and away the bloodiest film I’ve ever made,” with practical effects helmed by Cody Ruch (The Mill, Pig Hill), an instructor at Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program.
From Horror Dadz Productions, A Man in the Woods With an Axe is currently in production and targeting an early 2027 release.
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