It has been, unbelievably, twenty years since Danny Boyle’s cult Scottish classic Trainspotting was first unleashed on an unsuspecting world. To mark the occasion, Empire Live – a really rather exciting weekend of filmy events at London’s O2 – is putting on a one-off live script-reading of the film, entirely recast with fresh young talent.
The live cast is still to be announced, but they’re sure to put a unique new spin on the work that Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle et al made famous back in 1996. It’s especially timely, given the film’s sequel is not far away; Andrew Macdonald – producer on both the original film and the sequel, titled T2 – was thrilled at the prospect of our event.“We’ve just wrapped on T2," he told us, "and what a fun way to remember the original before audiences can see the sequel.”
Today we can also confirm a special early screening of Louis Theroux’s first feature documentary, My Scientology Movie – a delve into the mysterious Church of Scientology from the BBC’s award-winning documentarian. We’re also hosting a pre-release screening of The Greasy Strangler, a gleefully bizarre comedy-horror, which will include a Q&A with director Jim Hosking. There's also new family-friendly fare on the bill, with a double bill of The Gruffalo and Stick Man to keep the ankle-biters happy.
This is in addition to a huge and ever-growing programme, which includes screenings of Stand By Me, Labyrinth and The Raid (the latter of which will include a live director’s commentary with director Gareth Evans), and a live recording of the Empire Podcast.
Empire Live takes place at the O2 in Greenwich, London, between September 23-25. Individual tickets for each screenings will go on sale at the end of August, when we will announce the complete programme, but ticket packages for the whole weekend are on sale now – and selling fast. Diamond Package and Opening Night Packages are already sold out! Get ‘em while they’re hot.
More information can be found at www.empirelive.com.