James McAvoy is in line to star in Welcome to the Punch, the Eran Creevy thriller (the writer-director deems it “an epic crime thriller in the mould of Heat or Internal Affairs”) set to start shooting in July [Deadline].
In 2008, Creevy wrote and directed Shifty, a London-based crime tale that operated on a budget of $150,000. BAFTA noticed, nominating the young filmmaker for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. In fact, Creevy’s experience with British gangster flicks goes back even further. He was a P.A. on Matthew Vaughn‘s Layer Cake.
Speaking of Vaughn, McAvoy’s got X-Men:First Class right around the corner, which will make those last remaining film fans aware of his on-screen presence and most likely earn him a permanent spot on the studio A-list. That said, this is a performer who’s always succeeded most at a smaller scale (see The Last King of Scotland and Starter For 10), much like his X-Men frenemy Michael Fassbender, who’s also stepping out into the spotlight this year.
McAvoy’s never really played in a crime thriller, so this will be something new from him and hopefully announce the presence of a new British crime director who can take the reigns from the likes of Guy Ritchie and Vaughn, who’re both busy with big Hollywood projects.
What do you think of McAvoy? Can he carry a crime saga?