Not only did Danny Boyle do the country proud with a dazzling Olympic opening ceremony this year, he’s also found the time to work on another film, psychological heist thriller Trance. Some new pictures from the film have arrived at USA Today and can be seen in the gallery further down the page. 

Trance finds James McAvoy as a fine art auctioneer dragooned into helping with a major theft of artwork at his gallery. The gang pulling off the job is led by Vincent Cassel, who is none too pleased when McAvoy is struck with amnesia and can’t recall where one of the priceless paintings has been stashed.

So they turn to a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson), who forms more than a doctor-patient bond with McAvoy. And then things get even more dangerous…

"I wanted to do an updated noir, give it a contemporary spin in terms of emotion," Boyle tells the paper. "Noir is usually cold. I wanted it to be more emotionally charged. It's the first time I put a woman at the heart of a movie." He began shooting the film before this summer’s sporting festivities and has returned to knock the raw footage into shape during the autumn and winter months. 

With Shallow Grave/Trainspotting writer John Hodge crafting the script based on the original TV movie written by Apparitions veteran Joe Ahearne, Trance will hit UK screens on March 27.

For lots more on the film check out the latest issue of Empire, which is in all good and some devious newsagents from today, and has been out for several days on the iPad.