Shooting is just now getting underway on Legend, a gangster movie which Brian Helgeland scripted and is directing for Working Title, and our first look at Locke actor Tom Hardy, who is playing the infamous Kray twins Ronnie and Reggie in the movie, has landed online (above).
Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, Tara Fitzgerald and Taron Egerton are also starring in the film, which focuses on the rise and fall of the Kray twins in London through the 1950s and ’60s. It’s based on John Pearson’s book The Profession Of Violence.
We’re expecting to see Legend hit theaters sometime next year. It’s probable that Working Title will hand it a fall release date and make an Oscar push for Hardy, a star who has been rapidly gaining the admiration of the Academy thanks to his roles in films like Bronson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Inception and Locke.
In fact, the actor seems primed to have many shots at Oscar attention in the coming years – he is appearing in a host of buzzy projects, including James Gandolfini crime drama The Drop, book adaptation Child 44, Rufus Norris’ musical London Road, dystopian franchise reboot Mad Max: Fury Road and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s historical thriller The Revenant.
However, Legend may be his best shot at a nomination, given the story and Helgeland’s influence. The writer-director won an Oscar for scripting the classic film noir L.A. Confidential, and he has since directed some very well-received films, including A Knight’s Tale and 42. Helgeland has also written a handful of great movies, including Mystic River, Man on Fire and Green Zone. The Academy certainly respects Helgeland, and its members love period pieces and respected actors doing risky things, so Legend should stand a pretty strong chance at picking up some awards buzz when it lands in 2015.
