Written by Jamie Hannigan and notably supported by Bord na Scannán hÉireann / the Irish Film Board (IFB), the feature follows the pilgrimage of a small group of monks across an island torn apart by centuries of tribal warfare, and the rising power of the Norman invaders. The year is 1209 and Ireland is a wild island on the edge of the world. A very green island.
But here we are… Nine centuries later, the local vegetation has undergone a strong mutation and in order to find the lushness of yesteryear, the producers decided to come and film many epic scenes… in Wallonia where the large wooded areas have been rather well preserved.
In other good news, the cast has grown considerably since the project was presented to us: Jon Bernthal(Walking Dead), Richard Armitage(The Hobbit) and Tom Holland(The Impossible) have joined the film by Irish director Brendan Muldowney(Eternal Love, Savage).
A mainstay of the famous series The Walking Dead, Bernthal has played a number of leading roles in recent years, notably in David Ayer’s Fury and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. He is also one of the main actors in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which won several major awards at the Sundance Film Festival.
A classically trained English actor, Richard Armitage is best known to moviegoers for his role as Thorin in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. In the UK, he is also highly regarded for his recurring television appearances in the series Robin Hood or MI-5. All thrill seekers will be delighted to see him again in season 3 of the electro-shock Hannibal.
Tom Holland, finally, is an English actor known for his presence alongside Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in the drama The Impossible. He will soon be seen in Heart of the Sea by Ron Howard.
Solid casting, attractive script, confirmed director: Pilgrimage has many assets to become one of the films of 2016. Many pre-purchases have been made recently: Universal has even acquired the exploitation rights for the Benelux. We can’t wait to see our forests invaded by monks and warriors armed to the teeth. Ze Wallimage effect !
