Colm Meaney has told the Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 that he has fulfilled one of his lifelong ambitions by starring opposite Jessica Lange in Neil Jordan's new film Marlowe.
The detective thriller is based on Benjamin Black/John Banville's Philip Marlowe book The Black-Eyed Blonde and reunites Liam Neeson with Michael Collins and Breakfast on Pluto director Jordan.
Meaney spoke excitedly about the film when he joined D'Arcy on RTÉ Radio 1 this week.
"I was actually in Dublin there before Christmas finishing up this thing called Marlowe with Liam Neeson," he said. "Liam Neeson plays Marlowe. Great cast - Danny Huston, Ian Hart.
"I got to meet Jessica Lange, which was one of the ambitions of my life. What a wonderful woman and a wonderful actress. Just amazing."
"We shot the exteriors in Barcelona and the interiors in Dublin," Meaney continued.
"It was great to work with Liam. I mean, we've known each other for close to 50 years - 40 years anyway - [since] the old days in the Abbey. This was the first time we'd worked together since then, since our days in the Peacock [Theatre]. It was great, it was a lot of fun."
US entertainment trade publication Deadline reports that the screenplay for Marlowe has been written by William Monahan, an Oscar winner for his work on The Departed.
It says that the latest film centring on the iconic detective created by Raymond Chandler has "a great premise, one that Neeson could excel in".
"Based on the novel The Black-Eyed Blonde, the 1950s-set film will see private detective Marlowe (Neeson) hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress," Deadline continues.
"Initially, it looks an open and shut case, but Marlowe soon finds himself in the underbelly of Hollywood's film industry and unwittingly drawn into the crossfire of a legendary Hollywood actress and her subversive, ambitious daughter."
Marlowe has been developed for the screen with the help of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. The project has been taking shape since 2017.
In portraying Philip Marlowe, Neeson joins an honour roll that includes Humphrey Bogart, James Caan, James Garner, Danny Glover and Robert Mitchum.
Meaney's new film, the thriller Confession, is out now on digital platforms.
