Ian McShane is starring in The Dark Is Rising for 20th Century Fox and Walden Media, reports Variety. The fantasy film is being directed by David Cunningham and produced by Marc Platt.
Frances Conroy (The Wicker Man, Shopgirl) and Alexander Ludwig (Lifetime’s “A Little Thing Called Murder”) also star. Production begins this month in Romania.
The first film adaptation of Susan Cooper’s acclaimed “The Dark Is Rising Sequence” tells the story of Will Stanton, a boy whose everyday life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of the “Old Ones,” a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the Dark. As he uncovers a series of mysterious clues, some dating back to the founding of Britain and others going all the way back to biblical times, Will discovers that with the Dark once again rising, the future of the world rests in his hands.
McShane will play Merriman Lyon, one of the Old Ones who serves as Stanton’s mentor and shield.
John Hodge (Trainspotting) is adapting the project for the bigscreen.
