For an actor who likely gets the cream of the crop, Tom Hardy is not wasting any time. After leading the villainous charge in The Dark Knight Rises last summer, he completed another major tentpole with Mad Max: Fury Road and has already lined up two films alongside Noomi Rapace. Now, word of out Berlin has him leading his own action thriller, one with an interesting structure.
According to a press release, Anthem has put forth the cash to front the next film from writer-director Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, the upcoming Hummingbird). Titled Locke, Hardy will star as a man whose life unravels in a “tension-fuelled ninety minute race against time. Ivan Locke has the perfect family, his dream job, and tomorrow should be the crowning moment of his career. But one phone call will force him to make a decision that will put it all on the line.”
As cryptic as that sounds, I’m quite intrigued at the idea of this real-time countdown. With Hardy taking part in so many bombastic projects, hopefully this one provides more of a stripped-down style. Anna Karenina‘s Joe Wright is also involved, producing for his Shoebox Films company, and with production kicking off in a few weeks in London, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this by year’s end, at least on the festival circuit.