„I always look for the character that gets into your guts and tells you, ‚You have to play this‘. You have to be brave enough to let everything else go and let the character guide you. When I read a script, I look for that kind of pull.“
Colin Morgan
Much to the chagrin of his fans, as much as we would love to see him in a rom-com or a comedy, Colin stays true to his word and plays an extremely conflicted role in his new project: a convicted murderer.
Based on Colin Bateman’s stage play Bag For Life, the audience is involved in a perfidious game of cat and mouse that often leaves you wondering who the victim is and who the perpetrator is.
Divided into three acts, the play is about the accidental but fateful meeting of Cathy (Annabel Scholey) and Michael (Colin Morgan). After all, the two have a history that goes back 20 years in the play. Back then, Michael brutally murdered Cathy’s brother and was sentenced to life in prison. But as you know, justice is not always served, and Michael gets pardoned and gets out. But nobody told Cathy about this. And so she suddenly finds herself confronted with her brother’s killer, who obviously doesn’t recognize her. Driven by disappointment and a desire for revenge, coupled with psychotic episodes, Cathy makes a decision: If the law has failed her, she may have to take matters into her own hands and ensure that Michael’s quiet life with his wife and children is turned upside down. And Cathy will do whatever it takes, even if it means destroying her own life. Whether she will achieve her goal is something you have to discover yourself. Bag For Life is a short read but definitely a bloody brilliant page-turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Three River Fiction and Vico Films produce the series with support from Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, and Coimisiún na Meán. Set on the border, the series will film in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland over the coming months.
Written and directed by Colin Bateman (@ColinBateman), a Northern Irish novelist and screenwriter whose credits include The Journey and Driven, the series will be directed by Laura Way, who worked with Scholey on last year’s Paramount Plus drama The Serial Killer’s Wife.
Bateman, who is justifiably proud of the film adaptation, says, „I’m very excited that Dead and Buried is coming to television. It’s been a fascinating journey from the original short story, to the one-woman stage show, and now expanded into an exciting four-part drama. Although it has changed greatly, the real conundrum at the heart of the story is universal and timeless – what do you do when you meet someone who has prospered after murdering one of your loved ones? Do you say something? Do you do something? How would you react?“
Colin Morgan, who loves to delve into the depths of his characters, says of his role as Michael: „I’m delighted to be working on Colin Bateman’s dark, funny and obsessive new drama Dead And Buried. There’s a brilliant team working on it, and it already feels incredibly exciting; I can’t wait for it to hit the screens and for viewers to be drawn along its twisted path.
Even Annabel Scholey (@AnnabelScholey) doesn’t have it easy in her role as the psychotic, still grieving sister. It’s a constant balancing act between reality and insanity. Annabel, who starred in the BBC dramas The Split and The Salisbury Poisonings before starring in the Paramount Plus drama The Serial Killer’s Wife, plays Cathy.
„Cathy is a wonderfully complex character and I’m thrilled to bring her to life and take her to dark places with this brilliant team,“ Annabel explains. „Laura Way is a director I’ve worked with before and we have a wonderful shorthand, so it’s very exciting to be working together again on such a compelling story.“
Source: x
After playing an IRA terrorist in Dead Shot, a stalker in The Killing Kind, and now a convicted murderer, we fans are hoping that Colin will surprise us with a role that is not necessarily less conflictual but less dark.
Speaking of surprises, in addition to making movies and TV shows, Colin also showed off his musical talents by backing the incredible PJ Harvey on her latest album. Together with the musical extraordinaire, Colin performed three of PJ Harvey’s songs at one of her tour dates at the Roundhouse in London last September. The two met through a shared interest in Seamus Heaney. They decided to meet and read his work together.
There is currently no broadcast date for Dead and Buried and no trailer, as filming is still in full swing. As always, we will keep you posted.
(Set pics 07.03.2024) source: x