Latest news with #PaisleyBookFestival
The Herald Scotland
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Irvine Welsh on Trainspotting 3: 'A new cast is the answer'
The author was in full voice at the recent Paisley Book Festival where he opened up about everything from social media and artificial intelligence (AI) to his mooted disco album and the BBC's disastrous decision to can River City. On Trainspotting, he was particularly interesting: it's not like an author to do down a potential film adaptation of a novel which hasn't even been published yet, but he has cast doubt in the viability of a third Trainspotting film featuring the same cast as the first two, the 1996 original and T2, which caught up with the characters in the late 2010s. (Image: Iona Shepherd) That's because Men In Love, the latest in what's increasingly looking like a twisted sort of Marvel Universe franchise, is set in the late 1980s and follows on closely from the original novel. So you can see the problem. Or, if you can't, Mr Welsh can see it for you: the original actors, among them Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner and Jonny Lee Miller, will be too old for this gig. It's a common problem in movie-land as Mr McGregor knows all too well, having stepped into the Jedi sandals of Alec Guinness to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Later instalments in the franchise did feature cameos from Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, stars of the original films, but they were playing their characters as older men. In a similar vein, Ford also reprised his role as Rick Deckard in 2017 Blade Runner sequel Blade Runner 2049. McGregor, Carlyle, Bremner and Co. could be de-aged using AI but Mr Welsh is against that too. I can't imagine the actors would be happy about it, either. No, the author thinks, better to let somebody else have a go. Choose from Scotland's deep and rich pool of younger actors. All of which leaves a question waiting to be asked and another Trainspotting-related headline waiting to be written – which of the new school does Mr Welsh think best able to fill the shoes of Renton, Begbie, Sick Boy and Spud? For that, we may have to wait until the next book festival. Men In Love is published on July 24. Prize exhibits The five finalists for the Museum of the Year award have just been announced and nestled among them is Perth Museum, which opened in March 2024 following a £27 million development of the former Perth City Hall. Here you'll find the Stone of Destiny among other attractions in a venue whose mission is to tell the story of 10,000 years of Scottish and world history. If you know your Scone from your carrot cake you'll know that Perth and Kinross is often right at the heart of that story. To give a flavour of the place, a new exhibition exploring the history and legacy of Macbeth has just opened there and runs until the end of August. Overseen by the Art Fund, the UK's national charity for museums and galleries, the annual award is the world's largest prize for museums and will deliver a cool £120,000 cheque into the hands of the winner when the recipient is announced at a ceremony in Liverpool on June 26. Also on the shortlist are Belfast's Golden Thread Gallery, the leading contemporary art gallery in Northern Ireland; County Durham's open air attraction The Living Museum Of The North; the well-established Chapter arts centre in Cardiff; and Compton Verney in Warwickshire, an art gallery housed in a Grade I-listed 18th century mansion with 120 acres of Capability Brown-designed parkland. 'This year's finalists are inspiring examples of museums at their best – deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas,' said Art Fund director Jenny Waldman. 'Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone.' And finally Perth Theatre's much-anticipated stage adaptation of cult 1980s film Restless Natives has finally reached opening night so The Herald's theatre critic Neil Cooper was duly dispatched to the Fair City to run his eye over it. This stage version is now a musical with songs by Tim Sutton and choreography by Chris Stuart Wilson, but it has been created and mounted by the trio responsible for the original film – director Michael Hoffman, producer Andy Paterson and writer Ninian Dunnett, who has also written the song lyrics. 'The whimsy is still intact, but there is a whole lot more going on besides as the trio reposition their film as a feel-good musical with a higher purpose,' Neil writes. And of course the Big Country soundtrack has not been neglected, with the four-piece live band opening proceedings with a rousing, sing-a-long rendition of the band's anthemic 1983 hit In A Big Country. Neil also visited Dundee Rep to take in Doubt: A Parable, a revival of John Patrick Shanley's 2004 play set in a Catholic school in New York's Bronx district in 1964. Plots are hatched, personalities clash and ideologies tested in an intense production from the Tron Theatre's Associate Director Joanna Bowman. Elsewhere dance critic Mary Brennan watched Bodies Of Water in Cumbernauld Theatre's Lanternhouse space, performed by Aya Kobayashi and Simone Kenyon of the touring Bow Collective and functioning as a meditation on the stuff which falls from the sky and pours out of our taps. Finally, music critic Keith Bruce was at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for a performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra of works by Mozart, Beethoven and 20th century Austrian composer, Alban Berg. An odd programme on paper, but under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Hahn it came together. Keith was also at the City Halls in Glasgow to hear the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra perform a varied programme which included Mozart's piano concerto No. 17 under the baton of Anja Bihlmaier, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester.
Glasgow Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Irvine Welsh warning over possible new Trainspotting movie
The Edinburgh-born author has suggested stars like Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald will be too old to revive their roles. Welsh said he wanted to see a new generation of stars given the chance to take on his characters if Men in Love is turned into a film. However Welsh said he was still hopeful that Robert Carlyle would still be appearing in a TV adaptation of The Blade Artist, his 2017 novel focuses on the seemingly reformed Begbie, his most ultra-violent character. READ NEXT: I saw Anastacia live in Glasgow - and she revealed her Scottish 'addiction' READ NEXT: Irvine Welsh calls for saving of 'big training ground' River City McGregor, Macdonald, Carlyle, Ewen Bremer and Jonny Lee Miller revived their roles in the original 1996 film for director Danny Boyle's 2017 sequel, T2 Trainspotting, which was set two decades on from the first film. However Welsh said the new book would be set shortly after his debut novel, which ended with McGregor's character, Renton, fleeing for Amsterdam after stealing money he and his friends had made from a heroin deal in London. Irvine Welsh was speaking at Paisley Book Festival. (Image: Iona Shepherd) Speaking at the Paisley Book Festival, Welsh said he was firmly against using the latest cinematic technology to 'de-age' the actors to take them back to their mid-twenties. He also railed against the impact of social media, mobile phones and artificial intelligence in his appearance at Paisley Town Hall. Men in Love, which starts in the late 1980s, sees Welsh's characters leave behind heroin addiction and try to focus on serious relationships for the first time. Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner starred in the first two Trainspotting films. Welsh revealed that his songwriting efforts on a planned Trainspotting musical had inspired the creation of a Men in Love soul disco album which will be released to coincide with the book's publication in July. Men in London, which was announced in December, will reunite Welsh's main characters from Trainspotting, including Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie, for the first time since Dead Men's Trousers, the 2018 novel which featured the characters as middle-aged men. They are said to leave heroin behind in favour of 'the search for love' in the new book, which is set against the backdrop of the growing rave culture scene in the UK, which has been described as 'The Second Summer of Love.' Welsh, who was interviewed at the book festival by fellow author Ewan Morrison, who told Welsh that he was convinced that Men in Love would be turned into a feature film, but asked the writer whether he thought the original cast would be 'de-aged' for the new film. Welsh said: 'Why would you want to do that? If you're going to go back, get a bunch of young actors and give them the opportunities. 'Give them the chance to become the next Ewan McGregors and Kelly Macdonalds.' Welsh has suggested that the new book will show his characters becoming 'serious about the quest for romance' and would offer a rare portrayal of working-class characters with 'big emotional lives.' He told the audience in Paisley: 'It starts off with Renton going to Amsterdam. The other three characters are picking up the pieces. Begbie and Spud are back in Leith. Sick Boy is still in London. 'It culminates in Sick Boy's wedding. He gets married to this posh bird that he has been pursuing for ages to try to get himself upwardly mobile. It's quite a funny book in a lot of ways, but it's also quite desperate. 'It's about that time in life for guys when they get into their mid-twenties and they start taking their girlfriends seriously. 'When you're young, your mum and dad are the big influences in your life. When you are older and puberty kicks in it's your mates that are the big influences in your life. Then eventually your girlfriend starts to wear you down and take over. She becomes the big influence in your life. 'These characters are in that position, but they have all the wrong tools for it. 'When you think about it, people are supposed to get serious about life, work, careers, children in their twenties. When you look back, you think: 'How did anybody do anything successful back then?' The book is about people having good intentions, but completely '*******' it up.' Key themes from the novel will be explored in the Men in Love album, which Welsh worked on with musician, songwriter and producer Steve Mac, a long-time collaborator with the author. It will draw on influences as varied as Chic, Shirley Bassey, Luther Vandross and Barry White. Welsh said: 'We wrote lots of songs for the forthcoming Trainspotting musical and decided to carry on with a seventies-style soul and disco album, which is very optimistic and full of love. 'There is so much despondency and gloom around. Instead of adding to that, we wanted to make the album very upbeat. We used every influence we possibly could.' Welsh suggested at the festival that new technology was the modern-equivalent of nicotine because of the mental health problems that were being caused around the world. He added: 'We're not in the same physical danger now because nobody goes out, basically. 'But we are in psychological danger from all the stuff on the internet that is raising people to the ground in terms of their mental health. The internet and the iPhone are just absolutely destroying the mental health of people. 'We don't talk about that at all because we are told 'it is big tech, it is cool, it is our lives and you can't stand in the way of progress.' 'But as sure as nicotine and cigarettes caused cancer, mobile phones are basically set up for addiction. 'When you look at all these old films of people smoking all the time it looks strange and ridiculous. If we survive 50 years, hopefully people will look back. see us walking around looking into our phones and think we were weird. We are, but we are also killing ourselves with this ****.'
The Herald Scotland
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Irvine Welsh's warning over possible new Trainspotting film
Welsh said he wanted to see a new generation of stars given the chance to take on his characters if Men in Love is turned into a film. However Welsh said he was still hopeful that Robert Carlyle would still be appearing in a TV adaptation of The Blade Artist, his 2017 novel focuses on the seemingly reformed Begbie, his most ultra-violent character. Read more: McGregor, Macdonald, Carlyle, Ewen Bremer and Jonny Lee Miller revived their roles in the original 1996 film for director Danny Boyle's 2017 sequel, T2 Trainspotting, which was set two decades on from the first film. However Welsh said the new book would be set shortly after his debut novel, which ended with McGregor's character, Renton, fleeing for Amsterdam after stealing money he and his friends had made from a heroin deal in London. Irvine Welsh was speaking at Paisley Book Festival. (Image: Iona Shepherd) Speaking at the Paisley Book Festival, Welsh said he was firmly against using the latest cinematic technology to 'de-age' the actors to take them back to their mid-twenties. He also railed against the impact of social media, mobile phones and artificial intelligence in his appearance at Paisley Town Hall. Men in Love, which starts in the late 1980s, sees Welsh's characters leave behind heroin addiction and try to focus on serious relationships for the first time. Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner starred in the first two Trainspotting films. Welsh revealed that his songwriting efforts on a planned Trainspotting musical had inspired the creation of a Men in Love soul disco album which will be released to coincide with the book's publication in July. Men in London, which was announced in December, will reunite Welsh's main characters from Trainspotting, including Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie, for the first time since Dead Men's Trousers, the 2018 novel which featured the characters as middle-aged men. They are said to leave heroin behind in favour of 'the search for love' in the new book, which is set against the backdrop of the growing rave culture scene in the UK, which has been described as 'The Second Summer of Love.' Welsh, who was interviewed at the book festival by fellow author Ewan Morrison, who told Welsh that he was convinced that Men in Love would be turned into a feature film, but asked the writer whether he thought the original cast would be 'de-aged' for the new film. Welsh said: 'Why would you want to do that? If you're going to go back, get a bunch of young actors and give them the opportunities. 'Give them the chance to become the next Ewan McGregors and Kelly Macdonalds.' Welsh has suggested that the new book will show his characters becoming 'serious about the quest for romance' and would offer a rare portrayal of working-class characters with 'big emotional lives.' He told the audience in Paisley: 'It starts off with Renton going to Amsterdam. The other three characters are picking up the pieces. Begbie and Spud are back in Leith. Sick Boy is still in London. 'It culminates in Sick Boy's wedding. He gets married to this posh bird that he has been pursuing for ages to try to get himself upwardly mobile. It's quite a funny book in a lot of ways, but it's also quite desperate. 'It's about that time in life for guys when they get into their mid-twenties and they start taking their girlfriends seriously. 'When you're young, your mum and dad are the big influences in your life. When you are older and puberty kicks in it's your mates that are the big influences in your life. Then eventually your girlfriend starts to wear you down and take over. She becomes the big influence in your life. 'These characters are in that position, but they have all the wrong tools for it. 'When you think about it, people are supposed to get serious about life, work, careers, children in their twenties. When you look back, you think: 'How did anybody do anything successful back then?' The book is about people having good intentions, but completely '*******' it up.' Key themes from the novel will be explored in the Men in Love album, which Welsh worked on with musician, songwriter and producer Steve Mac, a long-time collaborator with the author. It will draw on influences as varied as Chic, Shirley Bassey, Luther Vandross and Barry White. Welsh said: 'We wrote lots of songs for the forthcoming Trainspotting musical and decided to carry on with a seventies-style soul and disco album, which is very optimistic and full of love. 'There is so much despondency and gloom around. Instead of adding to that, we wanted to make the album very upbeat. We used every influence we possibly could.' Welsh suggested at the festival that new technology was the modern-equivalent of nicotine because of the mental health problems that were being caused around the world. He added: 'We're not in the same physical danger now because nobody goes out, basically. 'But we are in psychological danger from all the stuff on the internet that is raising people to the ground in terms of their mental health. The internet and the iPhone are just absolutely destroying the mental health of people. 'We don't talk about that at all because we are told 'it is big tech, it is cool, it is our lives and you can't stand in the way of progress.' 'But as sure as nicotine and cigarettes caused cancer, mobile phones are basically set up for addiction. 'When you look at all these old films of people smoking all the time it looks strange and ridiculous. If we survive 50 years, hopefully people will look back. see us walking around looking into our phones and think we were weird. We are, but we are also killing ourselves with this ****.'
