This is a blog about the books, film and world of British thriller and spy novel author Len Deighton, writer of The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, SS-GB, Bomber, Berlin Game and many other books. This blog also covers the spy thriller genre and the Cold War more widely. It is a companion website to the main Deighton Dossier archive (link on the right). It is the only website + blog endorsed by the author himself! Content (c) Rob Mallows 2008-22 unless otherwise stated.
Sunday 12 April 2009
Is Harry Palmer coming back?
I've just found this news item popped up on MTV's website. Sir Michael Caine has indicated that he thinks young(ish) British actor Jude Law should be playing Harry Palmer in any future remake of the classic Deighton films from the sixties. He seems to think the timing is right for remakes, but there's no evidence that this is anything more than wishful thinking - I've certainly not heard anything from Deighton's publishers or seen anything else about this suggestion elsewhere. Caine also wants to see Yesterday's Spy made into a film as part of any move to getting remakes off the blocks. It is one of Deighton's more stylish stories, set in Paris, and is ripe for filming.
If not Jude Law, then who else do people think could play the 'new' Harry Palmer? I think Jude Law is a good actor, and he does have form as a 'cockney Caine', having reprised Caine's role as Alfie a few years ago. The big question is, Palmer is so obviously linked to the sixties Britain - would you get the sense sense of class tension and blokey humour between Palmer and his colleagues in a modern setting; and would any producer rewrite the stories for a modern age, or go back to the Cold War setting? Interesting idea, though.
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Aaaaaaahhh,
ReplyDeleteWhere has this blog been all my life? I'm going for a swin in all things Deighton for a while...I may be some time.
I'll be back though.
..like right now. Sorry about that. Got a bit excited there and forget to do a proper link.
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