Danny Boyle's Heist Thriller TRANCE To get Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson?

Danny Boyle’s hands are bit full these days with 127 Hours now on dvd/bluRay, a recent stage adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and of course the small task of creating the music and opening/closing ceremonies for next summer’s London Olympic Games. You think having so much going on one would not have time for anything else, but as it’s been known for a little while now Boyle is already thinking about his next movie, TRANCE and recently its been having a few casting problems.

TRANCE  (based on a UK  tv movie from 2001) is a heist job gone wrong thriller, set in an auction house; an employee from that house recruits a gang to rob the place, only to wake up the following day with amnesia and no idea where a stolen painting is located, leading the suspicious thieves to bring in a hypnotist. Believe or not Danny Boyle plans to start shooting this already,  and looking at the cast the director is attempting to assemble it is mighty impressive. Originally it was due to re-unite the X-Men duo Michael Fassbender (to play the leader of the gang,  Aiden) and James McAvoy (the amnesiac), but sadly due to scheduling conflicts Michael Fassbender had to pull out. So who has The Slumdog Millionaire got lined up as a replacement?

We don’t actually know who will replace Fassbender, but Twitch are reporting Colin Firth is been lined up as a possible Aiden. Reading the Twitch article it seems that Michael Fassbender wasn’t even in contention, though at this stage nothing is clear. As the for the main female lead character, Elizabeth (probably the Hypnotist), the article says Scarlett Johansson is at top of the  shortlist which apparently also includes Zoe Saldana and ‘The Princess of Montpensier’, Melanie Thierry. Johansson is currently shooting The Avengers movie for Joss Whedon, which will take up a lot of her time and with Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin after that it could scupper her chances.

No one has been confirmed at this stage but Boyle been an Oscar winning filmmaker and recent success of 127 Hours should make the theory “who Boyle wants, Boyle Gets”, but how will he find the time to do everything, as well as start the filming this September finishing it in time for The Olypmics? What actors can actually afford to work with this type of schedule? Only time will tell fingers crossed everything will go well and we’ll have another exciting Boyle project to look forward too!