I love that, lately, Danny Boyle news items seem to come in pairs. And today, we not only know his probable next project, we’ve got slightly stronger indications that one of his long-desired gigs is a step closer to reality: Porno.
Irvine Welsh’s sequel to Trainspotting has been on Boyle’s mind for a long time, the idea being to reunite the primary cast when the actors are all in their ’40s. While the book takes place only ten years after the first novel/film’s story, Boyle wants the cast to look ‘ravaged by time’, something every actor dreams of.
That aside, there’s been a major stumbling block: Ewan McGregor, who was famously (and justifiably) very pissed when Boyle sat back as Fox cast DiCaprio in The Beach. McGregor has said repeatedly that Porno isn’t worth doing because it doesn’t contain anything new, which is certainly a valid criticism of the book. (The novel is more heist thriller than social commentary, inverting the charm of Trainspotting.) But that’s always sounded like a nice excuse for the press; did Eye of the Beholder have anything new, besides the production company’s name on the check?
But today Scotsman.com, a website I really should be reading more often, is reporting that at the opening of Sunshine, Boyle claimed that not only has Welsh given him the option for Porno, but that McGregor was finally on board. There’s been no confirmation or denyal from McGregor yet, so hopefully his silence is indicative of his acceptance, and not of an angry, protracted Easter egg/chocolate bunny hangover.