Scott Speedman Will Weather An October Gale With Patricia Clarkson

Writer/director Ruba Nadda has found her mysterious stranger to star opposite Patricia Clarkson in their upcoming project, October Gale. Scott Speedman will take the role, in what is shaping up to be a potentially nail-biting drama.

Speedman – perhaps best known for his supporting turns in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution – will play William, who washes up on the shore of a remote island cottage owned by Helen Matthews (Clarkson), during a heavy storm. He is unconscious and bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound but, lucky for him, Matthews is a doctor. She takes him in to tend his injuries, but they soon realize the would-be assassin – possibly Tim Roth – is returning to finish what he started. To make matters worse, the inclement weather has cut them off from the mainland, and they must face the threat alone.

While elements of the plot may sound somewhat contrived – if you’re going to wash up on someone’s isolated shore while suffering a gunshot wound, make it a doctor’s isolated shore – there is much to be excited about with this movie. First of all, the legendary Patricia Clarkson has proven herself to be a skilled performer time and again, but here we will see her in a role that is very different from those she usually occupies. Not only is she the lead here, she is also playing what will hopefully be a strong, layered character – being a medical professional, while having her own emotional baggage to deal with under pressure, having been recently widowed.

Secondly, there is the writer and director, Ruba Nadda. Here is a filmmaker striving for great things, having previously made Cairo Time (also starring Patricia Clarkson), and the thriller Inescapable – giving her some grounding in directing action-filled scenes. With Nadda, we are watching a creator gradually progress and evolve as she achieves more with each, very different movie she helms.

Finally, there’s the concept – a cast of three playing cat, mouse and mouse round an isolated island, while being battered by a storm. This is a set-up bursting with potential for edge-of-the-seat tension, punctuated by swift action, and the gradual discovery of motives and agendas. Though that’s not exactly original, the cast – along with the writer and director – will hopefully elevate October Gale to something edgy and worthwhile, steering clear of the more predictable aspects that could be employed here, and instead adding some twists in the tale.