Michael Fassbender Diving Into Brendan Gleeson's “At Swim-Two-Birds”

Brendan Gleeson appears to have finally found the perfect solution to the financing problems that have been holding up his directorial debut.

Michael Fassbender has joined the cast of Gleeson's long-planned adaptation of Flann O'Brien's 1939 novel "At Swim-Two-Birds," reported Screen Daily (via Playlist). Fassbender joins a high-octane cast that already includes Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy.

"At Swim-Two-Birds" tells the story of a writer whose fictional characters rebel against him. Here's the synopsis from Dalkey Archive Press, who recently re-issued the novel:

At Swim-Two-Birds is the story of a young, lazy, and frequently drunk Irish college student who lives with his curmudgeonly uncle in Dublin. When not in bed (where he seems to spend most of his time) or reading he is composing a mischief-filled novel about Dermot Trellis, a second-rate author whose characters ultimately rebel against him and seek vengeance. From drugging him as he sleeps to dropping the ceiling on his head, these figures of Irish myth make Trellis pay dearly for his bad writing.

Gleeson has been giving brilliant performances for years now, and has assembled a wildly talented cast, and with new support from Luxembourg producer Jani Thiltes and the Film Fund Luxembourg, this could be happening very soon. Can't wait.

Gleeson can next be seen July 29 opposite Don Cheadle in the hilarious Irish cop drama "The Guard," while Fassbender can soon be seen "A Dangerous Method," and COlin Farrell's "Fright Night" is right around the corner.

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