ACTING FORCE: GEORGE MACKAY
From 1917 to True History of the Kelly Gang and Wolf
George MacKay, with the chiseled features of an Adonis, is a sight for sore eyes. This British actor and heartthrob is no newbie to the stage and screen. He has been working steadily since 2003 when he landed his first film role as one of the Lost Boys in P.J. Hogan’s adaptation of Peter Pan. However, it’s only over the last couple of years that he has started to gain recognition not just in his home country, but worldwide. In 2019 MacKay landed a starring role in Sam Mendes’ Academy Award-nominated, World War I drama, 1917. His role as Lance Corporal Schofield officially put him on the path to stardom. So now we want to take a look at MacKay’s next two films, for which we here at PROVOKR are super excited.
Up first is the joint British-Australian picture, True History of the Kelly Gang. This western set in the 1870s follows the story of Australian bushranger (or outlaw), Ned Kelly (MacKay) and his gang as they try to flee from the authorities. The movie was directed by Justin Kurzel, with a script written by Shaun Grant. It was adapted from Peter Carey’s biographical novel of the same name. True History of the Kelly Gang had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2019. And now, it’s being released in the states. While it initially was slated for a joint theatrical and VOD release on April 24, 2020, because of the coronavirus, it is now going straight to VOD.
Next is the art-house picture, Wolf. Not much information is out about this Nathalie Biancheri (Nocturnal) written and directed movie, but what information we do have sounds exciting. It centers on a boy who believes he is a wolf. MacKay will star in this movie alongside Lily-Rose Depp (The King). Whether he will play the boy who thinks he is a wolf or some other character isn’t known yet. The movie is currently listed as being in pre-production. And given the current state of affairs, it is clear that we’ll have to wait a while.
