The Ballad of a Small Player is a 2014 novel by British writer Lawrence Osborne. Set in the gambling casinos of Macau, it follows the fortunes of an English con man who passes himself off as a runaway Lord. Part ghost story, part psychological thriller, it earned Osborne comparisons with Graham Greene and Dostoevsky.
The novel was selected for numerous year's best novel lists, including the 100 Notable Books of 2014 in The New York Times , [1] by Neal Mukarjee in New Statesman , and by Ian Crouch in The New Yorker . It was admiringly reviewed by Tom Shone in The New York Times. [2] China scholar Paul French in the Los Angeles Review of Books wrote: "I'll come right out and say it... Osborne's novel is the best on contemporary China since Malraux's." [3]
A film adaptation for Netflix is currently in production directed by Edward Berger ( All Quiet on the Western Front ) and starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter in April 2024. [4] Shooting began on June 27, 2024, in Macau and Hong Kong. [5] [6]
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor. A leading man in blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various awards and nominations, including two Golden Globe Awards and a nomination for an Academy Award. The Irish Times named him Ireland's fifth-greatest film actor in 2020, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
Robert Dennis Harris is a British novelist and former journalist. Although he began his career in journalism and non-fiction, his fame rests upon his works of historical fiction. Beginning with the best-seller Fatherland, Harris focused on events surrounding the Second World War, followed by works set in ancient Rome. His most recent works are varied in settings, but are mostly set after 1870.
Katherine Matilda Swinton is a British actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.
Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for the feature films Ratcatcher (1999), Morvern Callar (2002), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), and You Were Never Really Here (2017). As of 2024, Ramsay is working on numerous feature films that have yet to be released.
Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thriller Constantine (2005) and has since directed the post-apocalyptic horror film I Am Legend (2007), the romantic drama Water for Elephants (2011), four of the five films in The Hunger Games film series, and the spy thriller Red Sparrow (2018).
Lawrence Osborne is a British novelist and journalist who is currently residing in Bangkok. Osborne was educated at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and at Harvard University, and has since led a nomadic life, residing for years in Poland, France, Italy, Morocco, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and Istanbul.
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Gwendoline Christie is an English actress. She is known for portraying Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series Game of Thrones (2012–2019), and the First Order stormtrooper Captain Phasma in the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). For the former, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019. Christie has since appeared in the Netflix fantasy series The Sandman and Wednesday.
Snowpiercer is a 2013 post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by Bong and Kelly Masterson. A South Korean/American/French/Czech co-production, the film marks Bong's English-language debut; almost 85% of the film's dialogue is in English.
Trainwreck is a 2015 American romantic sex comedy film directed and co-produced by Judd Apatow and written by and starring Amy Schumer along with an ensemble supporting cast that includes Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, Mike Birbiglia, Norman Lloyd, and NBA player LeBron James. The film is about a hard-drinking, promiscuous, free-spirited young magazine writer named Amy Townsend (Schumer) who has her first serious relationship with a prominent orthopedic surgeon named Aaron Conners (Hader). The film received positive reviews from critics, praising the performances of Schumer, Hader, James, and the screenplay.
Okja is a 2017 science-fantasy action-adventure film directed by Bong Joon-ho with a screenplay by Bong and Jon Ronson from a story by Bong. The film is about a young girl who raised a genetically modified "super pig", and, after she is taken to the United States, goes on a mission to rescue her from mistreatment at the hands of the meat industry. An international co-production of South Korea and the United States, it stars an ensemble cast headed by child actor Ahn Seo-hyun, along with Byun Hee-bong, Yoon Je-moon, Choi Woo-shik, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Hunters in the Dark is a 2015 psychological thriller written by Lawrence Osborne and set in Cambodia. Lee Child wrote in the New York Times Book Review that, "If the purpose of a novel is to take you away from the everyday and show you something different, then Osborne is succeeding, and handsomely. “Hunters in the Dark” is a novel of immersion, not suspense, shaped like a quiet dream. The reader can do nothing but float as if in a muddy river, going where it takes him, which will be back to a version of the beginning."
The Eternal Daughter is a 2022 Gothic mystery drama film produced, written and directed by Joanna Hogg. It stars Tilda Swinton in a double role, as both a middle-aged filmmaker and her elderly mother who are guests at a mysterious hotel. Joseph Mydell and Carly-Sophia Davies are featured in supporting roles.
The Killer is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. It is based on the French graphic novel series The Killer written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender alongside Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton in supporting roles. Fassbender plays an assassin who embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong.
Tilda Swinton is a British actress known for her performances on film and television. She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Michael Clayton (2007).
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is an upcoming American romantic fantasy film directed by Kogonada from a screenplay by Seth Reiss. It stars Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell.
The Ballad of a Small Player is an upcoming American psychological thriller drama film directed by Edward Berger, written by Rowan Joffé, and starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton for Netflix. It is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne.
Bound in Heaven is an upcoming Chinese romantic crime drama film written and directed by Huo Xin in her directorial debut, starring Ni Ni, Zhou You and Liao Fan. It was adapted from 2003 novel of the same name by Li Xiuwen. The film will have its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024. It was also selected to compete for the Golden Shell at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2024.
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