EXCLUSIVE: Bill Nighy has joined the starry cast of Morten Tyldum’s Ibelin, re-telling the inspirational true story of late disabled Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, as production gets underway in Norway.
The Oscar-nominated actor (Living) joins previously announced cast members Charlie Plummer, Stephen Graham, Toni Collette, Isabela Merced, and Maisy Stella.
Further cast additions include Ekow Quartey (The Arbiter), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Barry), Ivanna Sakhno (M3gan 2.0, John Bradley (Game of Thrones) Jax James (Grantchester), and newcomer Clodagh Bhalla.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste, John Bradley, Ekow Quartey, Jax James, Ivanna Sakhno
Born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which gradually saw him lose control of his limbs, Steen connected with the outside world through the gaming world where he lived another life under the name of his heroic alter ego ‘Ibelin’ in the World of Warcraft game.
The film recounts Steen’s inspirational story with his popular online persona belying his increasingly restricted physical reality, as the degenerative muscular disease took away his body, but never his spirit.
Ilaria Bernardini wrote the screenplay with current revisions by Hossein Amini, from Steen’s blog “Musings of Life”.
Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are producing alongside Jérôme Seydoux at Pathé and Tyldum and Guri Neby for Neby-Tyldum AS. Vendôme and Pathé, which previously partnered on Best Picture Oscar winner Coda, are co-financing the film.
As well as his Oscar nominated performance in Living, Nighy is also known of his roles in Love, Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, About Time, Emma, and Chalet Girl.
First hitting the big screen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Quartey’s more recent credits include the BAFTA-nominated series Amandaland, Becoming Elizabeth and This Way Up.
Howell-Baptiste is most known for her roles in the feature films Cruella, Queenpins and We Strangers as well as series credits Sugar and Barry. Sakhno’a credits include Ahsoka, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and M3GAN 2.0
Bradley is best known for his performances as Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones and Jack Rooney in 3 Body Problem, with more recent credits including Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint and Deadpoint.
Nighy is represented by Independent Talent Group, UTA, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein.
Quartey is represented by Link Entertainment, Buchwald and InterTalent Rights Group. Howell-Baptiste by CAA, B-Side, Mosaic and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Sakhno is represented by MJ Management, Gersh, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Bradley by The Artists Partnership, UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Be Heard Voices. James by Creative Artists Management.
