Tom Hardy is Kray Kray – literally. For Brian Helgeland’s upcoming crime drama Legend, the Mad Max: Fury Road star will play twins Ronald and Reginald Kray, two illustrious London mobsters who ruled the underbelly of 60s London from the top-down.
Based on John Pearson’s acclaimed novel The Progression Of Violence, the film will chart the rise and fall of the sharp-suited pair, who operated out of their nightclub in the city’s West End, gaining access to the capital’s richest denizens and plush hotel rooms. From their seedy ivory tower, the Kray twins were able to pull the strings on their own tight-knit gang of criminals. Known as The Firm, the crooks were essentially employed to carry out the siblings’ dirty work, be it arson, theft or out-and-out murder. Eventually, Ronald and Reginald Kray were sentenced to prison in 1969.
Given that Helgeland has dabbled in the historical crime genre in the past following his scripting work on the seminal L.A. Confidential, not to mention directing the acclaimed 42 and A Knight’s Tale, Legend is perhaps the perfect fit for the filmmaker.
In fact, could the director’s upcoming flick be the one to bag Hardy an Oscar nomination for his performance? It’s certainly possible. Helgeland is held highly in Hollywood circles with a résumé that speaks for itself, plus, the fact that Hardy plays two personas for the one feature is remarkable in and of itself.
While Hardy will no doubt garner a lot of pre-release buzz for his dual role, Helgeland’s Legend will also star Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Taron Egerton, Tara Fitzgerald and Chazz Palminteri. The crime drama will come knocking on September 11 when the film releases in the UK. No word yet on when the hard-boiled drama will head Stateside, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
