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Last Updated September 4, 2009 
Earlier: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 September Royal Court's Seagull Flies to the Big Screen From The Guardian The Royal Court's sell-out 2007 production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, which transferred to Broadway last year, is heading for the big screen. Kristin Scott Thomas, Mackenzie Crook and Carey Mulligan will reprise their stage roles in the movie version, while former Royal Court artistic director Ian Rickson � the production was his last in the job � will direct. According to producers Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits of Ruby Films � also behind the upcoming Stephen Frears version of Tamara Drewe � the idea is to follow the examples of The History Boys and The Madness of King George, where successful stage shows were filmed with the same creative team and cast. Scott Thomas won an Olivier for the central role of Arkadina, an ageing theatrical diva who scorns the avant garde playwriting efforts of her son, played by Crook. Mulligan earned rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic for her role as Nina, a neurotic young actress. The part of Trigorin, a famous writer and Arkadina's lover, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in London and Peter Sarsgaard on Broadway, has yet to be cast; Ejiofor is unavailable because of other commitments. Shooting is scheduled to begin next May. 'Jerusalem' heads to West End Butterworth play has eye on Broadway as well From Variety LONDON -- Producer Sonia Friedman has confirmed that Jez Butterworth's hit play "Jerusalem," which starred Mark Rylance in its Royal Court debut earlier this summer, will transfer to London's West End in January with an eye toward Broadway. The ambitious three-act play has been the subject of transfer talk since Ian Rickson's production bowed in July to superlative reviews. Centering on a morally dubious spinner of tall tales, played by Rylance, the rural tragicomedy is an oblique state-of-the-nation assessment set on the day of a Wiltshire county fair. While no theater or dates have been announced, Friedman said the entire cast and creative team are onboard for the West End engagement. The Royal Court cast also included Mackenzie Crook, Tom Brooke, Alan David and Lucy Montgomery. Friedman picked up consecutive Tonys for play revival this year for "The Norman Conquests" and in 2008 for "Boeing-Boeing," which also landed Rylance the award for lead actor in a play. She also was lead producer on the Broadway transfer of Rickson's staging for the Royal Court of "The Seagull," starring Kristin Scott Thomas. August Q&A: Mackenzie Crook From The Guardian What is your earliest memory? I have a recurring dream that I'm sure is a birth memory. Which living person do you most admire, and why? Sir David Attenborough everything he says makes sense to me, especially his views on the environment. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Intolerance. is the trait you most deplore in others? Rudeness. What was your most embarrassing moment? A disastrous audition for Cameron Mackintosh. I was like one of the freaks they put on Britain's Got Talent for you to laugh at. Aside from a property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought? Eight acres of woodland. What is your most treasured possession? My bonsai oak tree. Where would you like to live? Underground.* What would your super power be? Shooting lava out of my hands. Oh yeah, and super speed.* What makes you unhappy? Hurting my knee.* What do you most dislike about your appearance? My head. What is your guiltiest pleasure? Numismatics. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? Concorde. Who would play you in the film of your life? Peter Crouch. What is your most unappealing habit? Eating hard-boiled eggs. Apparently. What is the worst thing anyone's said to you? "You should audition for Mr Muscle." Cat or dog? It depends whether you're giving or receiving. Is it better to give or to receive? It's better to give a cat and receive a dog. Which living person do you most despise, and why? Robert Mugabe ' he ruined my favourite country. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? "I'm not an octopus." What is the worst job you've done? Serving up cauliflower cheese on a conveyor belt in a hospital kitchen. If you could edit your past, what would you change? I'd go to a Nirvana gig. What is the closest you've come to death? Once, when swimming in the Red Sea, I was caught in a current. My wife got a burly lifeguard to save me. The humiliation I experienced, as he delivered me back to shore in his arms, is the closest I've felt to death. How would you like to be remembered? With a pyramid. Tell us a joke A termite walks into a pub and says, "Is the bar tender here?" Tell us a secret I think Picasso is a bit rubbish. Yeah, you heard me. A bit rubbish. *My son, Jude, helped with these. Pirates 4 Updates* Empire: Pirates 4 Shooting Next Spring Variety: Marshall Steering Disney's Pirate Ship? *As of yet it's unknown who of the first three films, besides Johnny Depp, will be returning to the series, but unless I hear otherwise, I'll keep these updates as I find them. July "A Wood teeming with life" By Mackenzie Crook for The Times The celandines have been and gone, the white anemones and the bluebells' all-too-brief carpet of lapis, daring me to write a poem. They've all had their day in the sun and now the trees are flushed with leaves and the woodland floor is once again cool and shady. Where winter in the woods is a lonely place and spring is sparkling and refreshing, summer becomes a heady and potent cocktail with countless species jostling for space. The vast majority of these life forms are insects and it is they that are the true owners of the wood. This becomes obvious as soon as you step into the place. The air is insect soup, so thick with life that one feels like wearing a face mask for fear of inhaling a lungful of invertebrates. Lime-green caterpillars abseil down from the canopy on gossamer threads. Their mission: to land on your head, hide in your hair until you are driving home on the A12 and then to crawl out on to your neck. Those caterpillars that make it to the ground are swiftly abducted by the wood ants that carry them, writhing, back to the huge, swarming colony. I have at least three wood ant colonies in my eight-acre woodland at up to half a million per colony. I own a lot of ants. This insect harvest is taken full advantage of by the woodland birds whose fat fledgelings are hiding in every bush and bramble. There is no shortage of food; they are limited only by the size of their beaks. Life would be simpler with a ladle. But, just as they are thriving, so are the apex predators. Patches of scattered feathers on the ground mark where one of these fledgelings met their violent end at the talons of an owl or a sparrow hawk, a badger or a fox. Summer is a time of precious gluttony in an English woodland. My coppice is present on the oldest maps of the area and so has probably never been anything but natural woodland. There is, however, a well-worn bridle path running through it and I was interested to research its human history. To this end I purchased a cheap metal detector and took it up to the woods last month. Sitting in a clearing I unpacked the machine from its box and skimmed through the instructions. Feeling a little foolish, I began to sweep the woodland floor. Within five minutes I had unearthed an ornate silver buckle. It was as if a rogue detectorist had planted it just to get me hooked on the hobby. I pocketed the buckle and moved on. Three minutes later the detector beeped again and I found a beautiful Victorian silver sixpence. The initial excitement was then tempered by four hours of turning up old shotgun cartridges, but I'm not really bothered. Even if I don't discover the next Sutton Hoo in my woodland, at least I'm rich when it comes to ants. Glowing reviews for The Royal Court's Jerusalem Bromley Times: "...single most enjoyable and moving piece of theatre I have had the good fortune to see." Full review here ...Mackenzie Crook is perfectly cast as Byron's faithful friend. His commonsense and disbelief at some of Byron's more 'imaginative' stories are an amusing tonic to the wild extravagance of the play... The Guardian Full review here Jez Butterworth's gorgeous, expansive new play keeps coming at its audience in unpredictable gusts, rolling from comic to furious, from winsome to bawdy... ...Mackenzie Crook, lean and loping, out-of-his-head but on everyone's case, looks effortlessly interesting as the hanger-on who kids himself, but sees through some of his leader's guff... Financial Times: **** Full review here ...This is an exuberant, ambitious play and the cast, directed superbly by Ian Rickson, is hard to fault. Mackenzie Crook and Tom Brooke, as two of Rooster's acolytes, are outstanding, and the whole play is carried along by Rylance's excellent, enigmatic Rooster. Daily Mail: *****, "Thank God for the Wild West" Full review here Jerusalem is not about the green and pleasant land of lazyminded, armchair nationalists. It is flavoured instead by West Country madness and has, at its very core, a performance of rare virtuosity by Mark Rylance. He plays a gipsy drug dealer, Johnny 'Rooster' Byron, who has long inhabited a woodland somewhere in Wiltshire. Year after year he introduces the local youths to his heady stories and mind-altering substances... Mackenzie Crook is excellent as Byron's sidekick Ginger and there is good support from a cast which includes Alan David, Tom Brooke and Gerard Horan. Fantastic, shocking and fresh. Verdict: Visceral English verve - amid all the swearing The Times: **** Full Review here ...[Jez Butterworth's] Jerusalem is a bold, ebullient and often hilarious State-of-England or (almost) State-of-Olde-England play. At the stage's centre is an American-style trailer, surrounded by discarded furniture and trees, and at the evening's centre is its inhabitant. Mark Rylance's Rooster Byron is an anarchic maverick, a Wiltshire lord of misrule, mythologised by his shambolic retinue of underage girls and male layabouts, among them Mackenzie Crook as a forlorn, gangling loser called Ginger. Daily Telegraph: **** Full review here In a play blessed with what I suspect will prove an award-winning performance by the great Mark Rylance, the dramatist [Jez Butterworth] shows that matters can turn every bit as nasty in the countryside... [Mark Rylance's] relations with the locals ' most notably Mackenzie Crook as a sad and creepy hanger-on; Tom Brooke as a delightfully gormless child heading for Australia; and Alan David as an elderly local eccentric ' are full of laugh-out-loud humour... Evening Standard: **** Full review here ...Rylance has first-rate support. Mackenzie Crook excels as Johnny Byron's almost wifely sidekick Ginger, and Tom Brooke as a young man whose faraway stare betrays a life given over to late nights and contraband substances. Director Ian Rickson has skilfully marshalled the play's chaos; the production feels careful even in its occasional flights of carelessness... The London Paper: Rating 5/5 Full Review here ...Office star Mackenzie Crook's loyal Ginger and Tom Brooke's dreamer Lee are particularly impressive as Byron's comrades, larger-than-life but carrying an authentic ring of druggie boredom and deprivation amid the grot of this brilliantly-realized glade... The Stage: "a theatrical treat" Full review here John 'Hannibal' Smith loved it when a plan came together. 'Plans', 'plays', there's only one letter difference - and this premiere production of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem has come together very much indeed. This is in no small part due to the casting. What is it about Britain's white, dance culture youth that gives them that gaunt, bag-eyed look? Probably the vast amounts of illegal drugs they take. But it is a look and a look that is captured perfectly by Mackenzie Crook and Tom Brooke. When Crook shambles on stage - Ultz's beautifully rendered woodland grove complete with trees, grass, mud, caravan and party detritus - his holey hoodie pulled up over his starvation features, the audience is in no doubt that here is a serious caner. The mention of his dream to be a DJ seals the deal... Official London Theatre Guide Full Review Here ...Opening with an entertaining first scene which sets the tone for this three-act piece, Jerusalem is a highly imaginative play which sucks every iota of humour out of the mundane routines of small town England. Whats On Stage: **** Full Review here ...Jez Butterworth's new play Jerusalem, superbly directed by Ian Rickson, atmospherically designed by Ultz in a great forest of beech trees, is a wonderfully vivid three-act alternative state-of-the-nation play ' running at well over three hours with two intervals ' that plugs into urban myths and rural legends with an epic sense of the mystery of life in dull times... First Night Photos: Crook & Rylance in Jerusalem Ian Rickson directs a cast led by former Globe artistic director Mark Rylance and comedy star Mackenzie Crook, making his first return to the venue since his appearance in The Seagull in 2007 (also directed by Rickson). Crook plays Ginger, friend and partner-in-crime of Johnny Byron (Rylance), who is a wheelchair-bound, caravan-dwelling ex-stuntman and all-round village rogue and modern-day Pied Piper. It's St George's Day, the morning of the local county fair, and Johnny is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his children want their dad to take them to the fair, Troy Whitworth wants to give him a serious kicking and a motley crew of mates want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol... Visit WhatsOnStage.com for full article and gallery An Afternoon Less Ordinary From ANightLessOrdinary.com Fans of The Office, cult hit BBC3 series Being Human and the Richard Curtis classic Notting Hill are in for An Afternoon Less Ordinary at the Royal Court on Tuesday 21 July at 4pm. Host Mackenzie Crook, star of The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean, joins Russell Tovey (BBC Three's Being Human, The History Boys) and Gina McKee (who played the lovely Bella in Notting Hill) for this special event to celebrate A Night Less Ordinary, Arts Council England's free theatre ticket scheme for under 26 year olds. There will be a 20-minute rehearsed reading of part of a new play, Spur of the Moment, by Anya Reiss, following which members of the audience will have the chance to mingle with the stars at an informal gathering in the theatre bar. All tickets for this special event are available free to anyone under 26 and are sure to go fast! To reserve your ticket call 0845 300 6200 ' booking opens Monday 13 July at 9am. Proof of age is required on collection and drinks are not included. "Mackenzie Crook talks new play Jerusalem" From The London Paper Mackenzie Crook and I are having lunch in a south London restaurant. He's just ordered a burger. Something is clearly wrong. I'm sure I've read somewhere he's an organic vegan ' whatever that is. But no, he tucks into his fat beef burger with glee. I ask him to explain. 'Not true,' he says, shaking his head between bites. 'Somebody else said that to me. I think it's from my Wikipedia page ' someone has been in and put loads of random stuff on it. There's loads ' that I'm into basketball, obscure things. None of it's true.' It seems appropriate that, while other stars get stung with fake drugs or sex scandals, the worst anyone trying to spread stories about Crook can come up with is an 'aversion to meat and an obsession with tall blokes popping balls through hoops. Despite being well known to millions through The Office, as Gareth, and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, as the one with the dodgy eyeball, he is the least starry of stars. Crook's on a break from 'rehearsals for his latest project, Jerusalem, a new play by Jez Butterworth set in an archetypal 'middle England' on St George's Day. It's his second stab at the Royal Court Theatre after his hit 2007 debut in Chekhov's The Seagull, which transferred to Broadway. That, says Crook, was the 'most fulfilled' he has ever felt artistically. 'I hadn't done much theatre. But [director] Ian [Rickson] saw something in my acting from The Office and Pirates and thought I could do it. I wasn't even 'convinced I could do it. It was very brave of him.' In person, Crook is slight, gently spoken and self-'effacing. He seems to hide 'behind his baseball cap, pulled down over his hair ' dyed for his part as Ginger in Jerusalem ' and his eyes dart to the floor, as if he's embarrassed to talk about himself. 'The play is hilarious ' that's what made me want to do it. Though it's not a rip-roaring comedy all the way; it has very poignant and sad bits. It's sort of a celebration of Englishness and English rural life.' He pauses, clearly not satisfied with his answer. 'That's not very eloquent, but then, you know, neither am I.' It's no surprise he was 'attracted to the project ' he is, himself, very quirkily English and fascinated by the countryside. He loves 18th century history (he's writing a screenplay about highwayman Dick Turpin), breeding tortoises (he has had a pair since the 70s) and wildlife conservation (he owns a piece of Essex woodland). 'It's been a life-long passion for me ' the natural world and conservation. More than 'acting. From an early age, I imagined I'd be working with animals or nature.' As for the future, he's just happy to be a jobbing actor ' and carry on his stellar reinvention after Gareth ('I pinch myself to think that's actually happened'). Next on screen are two films ' English flick Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and the Steven Spielberg-directed version of Tintin. He's hoping for the call to be in a fourth 'Pirates sequel: 'Johnny [Depp] said he's going to do one, the director has said he's not 'going to direct it. Nobody has been in touch with me, this is all stuff I've learnt off the 'internet. The idea of them doing another without me would be horrible, because I did enjoy them so much.' Aside from his acting 'career, though, he has one more surprising ambition. 'I've been going for the last four years to the Chelsea Flower Show. It's wonderful. I'd love to enter a garden. If a sponsor wanted to approach me, I'd love to do that. I mean, I'm an amateur gardener but I know what I like.' Mackenzie Crook's London: North or South? "North every time. I live in Muswell Hill in north London [with wife Lindsay and two young children, Jude and Scout]. It's really hard to put your finger on but there is a real difference between north and south and people's attitudes. My dad was from Highgate, my grandparents used to live there and I used to visit a lot as a child, so it seems like home to me." Favourite day out "I like taking the kids to the museums. Specifically the British Museum and the Natural History Museum. Those are my favourites. Or the Chelsea Flower show." Favourite restaurant "There's a tapas restaurant in Crouch End called La Bota, which is great. I love The Ivy as well, although that's not very imaginative." Favourite landmark "The Tower of London. I'm very interested in the history of London. Since researching the Dick Turpin story, I've really become fascinated. Before the sewers were built and before there was a police force, it was a pretty wild place and, with the gin craze, everyone was pissed the whole time - even children - and the place was just awash with filth. And, there were these huge red kites, the birds of prey, which would scavenge on corpses in the streets. It's just amazing to imagine this gothic place." London or LA? "I work over in America as much as I want to. It's been great, the last few years I've spent a few months in America and the majority of the time here. I don't think you have to live in the States to work in the States occasionally. Altough I love California and Los Angeles and love the time I spend in Los Angeles, I wouldn't want to up sticks and move over there. England and London is my home." Jerusalem Opens Tonight July 10th - The Royal Court's production of Jerusalem begins performances tonight at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. The play was written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Ian Rickson (who previously directed Mackenzie in The Seagull). Mackenzie co-stars as Ginger alongside Mark Rylance's Johnny. A summary of the show and ticket information can be found at the Royal Court's official site. "Theatre is harder than a day at The Office, Says Mackenzie Crook" From The Guardian's theatre blog In an interview by the Times this week, Mackenzie Crook, goggle-eyed Gareth from The Office, came out and declared what we've always secretly thought. On acting in theatre, compared with acting in film or TV, Crook claimed: "You feel as if you are actually working for a living, not just mucking about." He makes a good point. Is the physicality and spontaneity of stage acting a more noble pursuit than acting for the screen? Well, yes it is. Of course. But perhaps the more important question is this: who'd want to actually work for a living? Mucking about sounds brilliant. Mackenzie Crook seems to be one of those rare, established screen actors who actively makes time for the stage. He has, in recent years, built up quite an impressive stage portfolio. He's played Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, he was internationally acclaimed following his Broadway run of The Seagull, and he's now appearing in Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem at the Royal Court... "Mackenzie Crook: From The Office to Jersulem" If I learnt one thing from my interview with Mackenzie Crook it is to take Wikipedia with a pinch of salt. The unassuming 37-year-old's page claims that he is a vegan, yet the first thing he does at our lunch is order a beefburger. Maybe the cyber rumour comes from a pallor that erroneously suggests he has not had a decent fry-up in years... Full Article at The Times Online June "Being a Dad: Thoughts for Father's Day" From The Times Online The changing rules of fatherhood are a challenge to the modern man. Our panel of notable dads discuss the highs and lows... Mackenzie Crook Actor and father of Jude, 6, and Scout, 18 months Being a father means having to know everything. My dad knew everything and now, according to my son, Jude, so do I. Here are ten questions I have had to answer in the past 18 months: Daddy, can you unmake a cake? Do some people have fat legs? What's the messiest place on Earth? Can I throw my sock at the television? Can a goldfish breathe in a cup? What are lemons made of? Do caterpillars have bodies? Who invented shampoo? When's next week? How do threadworms get oxygen from your bum? Are people edible? Did the Elephant Man ever get any post? "Mackenzie Crook on an illusive hobby" Whenever I remember a dream it will almost always feature fish. Not brightly coloured, tropical fish but huge muddy-green specimens viewed from above in a river or lake. I'm excited to see them but frustrated because I don't have a fishing rod with me. My wife calls fishing my 'imaginary hobby'. I understand what she means. I have all the tackle and the know-how, I've kept my rod licence current for years, but I never actually go. How can I? I have two young children. Fishing is not something you can do when you have a couple of spare hours. It takes a whole day, otherwise it's pointless. But my memories of fishing as a kid are some of my most precious. To this day I can't pass a river without stopping to gaze into the water to assess its angling potential... Full article at The Times Online May The Adventures of Tintin Gets a 2011 Release Date From Variety.com Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will hit U.S. theaters in December 2011 -- long after bowing internationally. Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled plans to release the motion capture pic Stateside on Dec. 23, 2011. But in an unusual move, film will launch internationally in late October and early November 2011, with Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. handling Continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America and India, and Paramount distributing the film in Asia, Australia, the U.K. and all other English-speaking territories. The two studios also revealed that they will release "Tintin" in 3-D, a move that had been mulled for several months. Insiders said the dailies convinced them that 3-D would offer the best rendition... The decision signals the two studios' belief that the property, which has been translated into 70 languages, shows stronger potential overseas than domestically. Not surprisingly, the film's cast skews international with Brit Jamie Bell starring as the intrepid young reporter. Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook round out the cast. Barry Sloane Joins the Cast of Jerusalem From Digital Spy Former Hollyoaks actor Barry Sloane has landed a theatre role alongside The Office and Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Mackenzie Crook. The 28-year-old, who played psychotic Niall Rafferty in Channel 4's teen soap, has been signed to appear in a Jez Butterworth's play Jerusalem, taking on the role of bearded country hardman Troy Whitworth. Crook, meanwhile, will play Johnny Byron's friend and partner in crime, Ginger. "Crook locked in for spell with 'Merlin'" From Variety LONDON -- The second run of hit global skein, "The Adventures of Merlin," aired by NBC in the U.S., will bow June 21 and feature a number of guest stars including Mackenzie Crook, veteran of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. .. Crook will play Cedric, a creepy character determined to become Arthur's right-hand man. Also guesting is Adrian Lester, star of Brit TV series "Hustle," and seasoned thesp Charles Dance, who plays Aredian. Colin Morgan reprises his role as Merlin. Abraham's Point to be shown at Cannes Film Festival From Wales Online's "Welsh film stars at Cannes" ...Among the other Welsh projects to be given an airing at the festival are I Know You Know, which is the latest film from Human Traffic director Justin Kerrigan. Starring Robert Carlyle, it's about a young boy, Charlie, who is fascinated by his father's espionage work, until he slowly begins to understand that his father is occupying a quite different reality. The Faye Dunaway zombie movie Flick and Abraham's Point, starring Mackenzie Crook, will also be aired at Cannes. Pauline Burt, chief executive of the Film Agency for Wales, said it was hugely important to be 'seen' in Cannes. She said: 'While the business of film is conducted around the year, there is an incredible energy during a film festival generated by the fact there's such a large number and array of professionals from all over the world gathered in one place. 'It's also a very productive time for discovering new information, as the trade press are all abundantly present and in overdrive with large swathes of companies eager to provide the latest information about their business and the benefits of working in or with their country. Mackenzie Returns to Royal Court in Jerusalem From BroadwayWorld.Com Jerusalem, a new play by Jez Butterworth, will open in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court on 15 July (previews from 10 July), with a cast including Mackenzie Crook, Gerard Horan and Mark Rylance. The production will be directed by Ian Rickson and designed by Ultz, with sound by Ian Dickinson and music composed by Stephen Warbeck. On St George's Day, the morning of the local county fair, Johnny Byron, local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his children want their dad to take them to the fair, Troy Whitworth wants to give him a serious kicking and a motley crew of mates want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. Jez Butterworth's new play is a comic, contemporary vision of life in our green and pleasant land... Update: From WhatsOnStage.Com Crook plays Ginger, friend and partner-in-crime of Johnny Byron (Rylance), who is a wheelchair-bound, caravan-dwelling ex-stuntman and all-round village rogue and modern-day Pied Piper. It's St George's Day, the morning of the local county fair, and Johnny is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his children want their dad to take them to the fair, Troy Whitworth wants to give him a serious kicking and a motley crew of mates want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. Vote in the Fans' Choice Awards One of the internet's largest Broadway websites, Broadway World has opened up voting for their Fans' Choice Awards. You can vote for Mackenzie's performance in The Seagull on this page: BroadwayWorld's Theater Fans' Choice Awards (Nominated in the Featured Actor in a play category) "Adult Swim Acquires Original, Better The Office" From Wired.Com Adult Swim plans to air both seasons of the sublime, destabilizing original series ' created, written and directed by Gervais and his smart-ass sidekick, Stephen Merchant ' starting this summer. The late-night channel also plans to air The Office's Christmas special, which closed the bipolar series on a rare high note. The acquisition is the latest in Adult Swim's panty raid of BBC America. Last month, it premiered unhinged U.K. laugher The Mighty Boosh, a mash of rock, surrealism and jokes that should catch steam once America watches it long enough. There will be no such lag time with Gervais and Merchant's Office, which is one of the funniest television shows of the 21st century. It's only grown in stature since the much-less-funny U.S. version premiered in 2005. New Release from the Kickers' Team: HILARIOUS RANDOM BANDITS FILMS FROM KICKERS AND MODERN TOSS: FEATURING MACKENZIE CROOK! Kickers have teamed up with the writers of Modern Toss to launch a new series of animated comedy films. Continuing the brand's rebellious tradition, Kickers are partnering with writers Mick Bunnage and Jon Link, to create a suite of cartoons, all in the pair's crude and utterly hilarious style. Modern Toss have developed 3 strands of film themes which will appear as short skits in each of the 3 episodes that make up the Kickers presents Random Bandits series. The series' 3 strands include Shoe Horn ' a footwear obsessed shopper, Dave Beeline ' a rowdy driver who pointblank refuses to accept the existence of any places not recognised by his sat nav, and Flytalk ' the celebrity-gossiping insects. The latter features brilliantly funny voiceovers from Mackenzie Crook! The first two films in the Random Bandits series are now launched and ready for your viewing pleasure! Head to http://www.myspace.com/kickersuk for video clips and more info! April "Out of Africa - BBC Reveals New War Sitcom" From Chortle.co.uk BBC Two is to air the first British sitcom to be filmed in Africa. Taking The Flak, an 'acerbic comedy-drama' about journalists in war zones, has been shot on location in Tanzania and Kenya over the past two years. Filming originally began in the Kenyan city of Nakuru, but the location had to be moved when real violence erupted following elections late in 2007. Shooting involved a crew of 50, of which a third were Kenyans, on some days up to 100 extras were eomploted. The seven-part series stars Martin Jarvis as a veteran foreign correspondent, Smack The Pony's Doon Mackichan as a BBC producer and Bruce Mackinnon ' who used to be in a double-act with Mathew Horne ' as a local stringer. Guest stars include Mackenzie Crook and Ruby Wax, who plays an obnoxious American reporter; while newsreaders George Alagiah, Sophie Raworth and Dermot Murnaghan also have cameos. The series was written by journalist Tira Shubart and based on her own experiences as a foreign correspondent covering more than 40 countries over 40 years. The programme was unveiled as part of BBC Two's new spring/summer schedule today "UK Talent Drawn to 'Sex & Drugs'" From Variety.com LONDON There's nothing like a little sex, drugs and rock and roll to sell a movie. A host of Brit acting talent has boarded helmer Mat Whitecross' biopic of punk legend Ian Dury. Naomie Harris, Ray Winstone, Olivia Williams, Noel Clarke, Toby Jones, MacKenzie Crook and Bill Milner have all signed on to star in "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" opposite Andy Serkis, who plays the polio-afflicted frontman. Arthur Darvill, James Jagger, Tom Hughes, Shakraj Soornack, Clifford Samuel and Joe Kennedy are also on board to play Dury's band members the Blockheads. Damian Jones is producing and Paul Viragh has written the script. Principal photography begins May 3 in London. "Michel Gondry Makes More Movies" From ComingSoon.net It's been over five years since then and Gondry has numerous feature films under his belt, as well as a second DVD collection called "More Videos: Before & After DVD 1" and it's an even more eclectic batch than the original. Besides containing new collaborations with Bjork and Beck and the White Stripes, it also features his video for Sir Paul McCartney's "Dance Tonight"... "Dance Tonight" featured Mackenzie as a postman delivering a mandolin to Sir Paul McCartney and was originally released on YouTube in 2007. The Gondry DVD is being sold exclusively on his official website "Office star Mackenzie Crook wants to be Bond!" From DeanPiper.com Mackenzie Crook doesn't see why he can't be the next Bond despite always playing the geek! "Why do people always ask if I want to be a bond villain?," he droned on at the Empire Awards last week. "Why can't I be Bond? No, I would rather be a villain. Absolutely, if I got a phone call I would definitely do Bond! I haven't watched Bond my whole life for nothing. I've just been working with Daniel Craig so I watched the last two. I'm a bit baffled by it all but it's incredible stuff."' He also revealed that even though Johnny Depp has reportedly signed up for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie he has yet to be asked. He added: “I don't know how far along it is. I'm up for it if I'm asked. I couldn't imagine them going off and doing another one without being involved in it so if it came about I would do it."' Good luck Macca! "My perfect Weekend: Actor Mackenzie Crook" FromThe Times Online I can't get through the weekend without... The Antiques Roadshow. BBC Four or reality TV? Reality TV. David Brent or Captain Jack Sparrow? David Brent. Fish and chips or chicken tikka? Fish and chips, please DVD boxed set or book? Book: I'm reading Abraham Lincoln: a Biography. Film or theatre? Both, but I don't go to the theatre half as much as I should. The last film I saw was Religulous, which was very amusing. Lads' night out or family evening in? Family evening in. Real ale or fine wine? Fine wine. Hippy chic or urban cool? Hippy chic. Converse or wellies? Converse. DisneyWorld or Devon? Devon. Train or plane? Plane. Owl or lark? Lark. "How The Office led to Hollywood" ...Now rich and fêted, starring alongside Johnny Depp - who personally recommended him for the part of the one-eyed pirate Ragetti - in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and opposite Kristin Scott Thomas as Konstantin in The Seagull on Broadway, he has had a real-life fairytale ending after an excruciating ten years on the stand-up circuit. Much of it was on the dole, some of it working at Pizza Hut, and you can still trace the quiet determination that kept him lugging a backbreaking wheel of cheese, a prop for one of his stand-up characters, Charlie Cheese, to venues on public transport, and surviving on little or no money before landing the part of the skeletal Territorial Army creep Gareth.... Full Article at The Times Online March "Office Stars Enjoy Reunion" FromThe Press Association Stars of The Office were reunited at the Jameson Empire Awards and the actors got a chance to swap child-rearing tips. Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman, who played Gareth and Tim in the hit series starring Ricky Gervais, were excited to be reunited and got a chance to comment on how much life has changed. Mackenzie, who has since had roles in Pirates Of The Caribbean and Three And Out said: "I'm sitting next to Martin on a table and we haven't seen each other for a long time so it's great to catch up." He added that the pair are far more interested in chatting about family than their old days on the BBC programme. "The subject of The Office hasn't even come up, we're talking about our babies and showing each other photos." Mackenzie also said that he's starting to feel like a bit of an old hand, having been in the industry for ten years: "It's a bit of a weird feeling, I arrived here today and I know so many people in the audience. "It's a great feeling but at the same time I've realised I've been doing this now for a decade. I suppose I'm one of the old-timers." A video of this interview can be found here. 2009 Empire Awards From theEmpire Online's Awards Blog [host] Dara: "Our first award tonight is for best newcomer, which recognises those shiny, hungry and immensely talented new actors who've made a huge impact and who will definitely turn up because they're still new. Hello to the nominees! Here to present is a very talented actor who for me was the real eye-candy in Pirates of the Caribbean: Mackenzie Crook." Mackenzie Crook: "I was once nominated for this award. Didn't win: I lost out to Martine McCutcheon. And here I am triumphantly back again to present the nominees." AND THE WINNER IS...Gemma Arterton. Who dances her way to the stage, pausing only to hug Kurylenko again. Arterton: "I'm completely winging this. I never prepare for anything. Watching that I realise how wonderful all the nominees are, really and truly, especially Toby [Kebbell] who's a good friend of mine. But thank you all very much, it does mean a lot. Have a great night everyone!" Video of this award is here. "Spielberg, Jackson dig into 'Tintin'" Steven Spielberg this week will quietly wrap 32 days of performance-capture lensing on "Tintin," then hand the project to producer Peter Jackson, who will focus on the film's special effects for the next 18 months... Full article at Variety "Don't Tell Captain Haddock, But..." From The Daily Mail Daniel Mays and Mackenzie Crook play Alan and Ernie, the 'classic comic' sidekicks to Daniel Craig's main bad guy in The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn, which has been shooting in Los Angeles, with Steven Spielberg overseeing a mammoth production that Mays likens to a Shuttle launch. 'You've got the actors wearing funny tight bodysuits fitted with hundreds of motion-capturing devices and as you act, you can see yourself on a big screen with costumes superimposed on this character that looks like you. . . but isn't. 'In front of you there's a camera that picks up every aspect of your face. 'Five people with hand-held cameras are filming you. And Steven Spielberg is sitting there with a camera device manipulating all the images. 'With all the people on the set and backstage, it's like a Shuttle launch - just fantastic!' Mays enthused when we met for drinks at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard. Early on during the production Spielberg, sick with a cold, had to go to see a doctor. 'We came in and there was Peter Jackson directing us via satellite from New Zealand,' Mays laughed... "A Comet, a thriller and a trailer for ABRAHAM'S POINT" From Quiet Earth (Quiet Earth has the same trailer that's been previously posted on this site, but adds this summary as well as a new poster for the film) For something that looks like it contains some beautifully shot dream sequences, Abraham's point seems to play out as a tale of healing for a man who starts out as ineffectual. Comet Snape (Mackenzie Crook), a sullen and withdrawn furniture restorer who lives on his own in a claustrophobic city tower block, is plagued by waking nightmares. After a mishap at an auction house, Comet steals a grandfather clock and sets off on a road trip to take the clock across country to his dying father in the little coastal village where his parents still live. Sometimes poignant, often very funny, Abraham's Point takes Comet on a journey of redemption from the dark streets of a harsh and clattering London back to the beautiful open landscapes of Wales. Here in a shattering climax, we discover the dark secret that has haunted Comet for so long. February "My Comfort Food: Mackenzie Crook" From The Times Online When cooking for just me and my son, Jude, I often prepare a simple seafood dish I call fishfingers, chips and peas. Raj (who runs the deli at the end of my road) keeps a good supply of the ingredients just for me. I say deli, but it's more of a petrol station really. Twenty minutes at a medium heat and the dish is ready. The breaded cod fingers are brought to life with a sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce that Raj also stocks in convenient squeezy bottles. "Modern Toss" to air in the US on IFC From Animation World Network: MODERN TOSS, a partially-animated, distinctly adult British comedy complete with gross-out moments, profanity and inappropriate cartoon characters was created by former journalists Mick Bunnage and Jon Link based on their comic and website also dubbed MODERN TOSS. This hilarious mutant television offspring that grew out of UK Channel 4's famed comedy lab anthology series will soon run rampant across the world of pop culture on IFC. Beginning March 17 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, 30-minute episodes of this six-part series will air as part of IFC's Tuesday night AUTOMAT programming block... This series features the voice talent of Simon Greenall, Paul Kaye, Doon Mackichan, Mackenzie Crook and David Schaal, amongst others... January Paramount and Sony Pictures Announce Start of Principal Photography on The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn From ComingSoon.Net Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced the start of principal production in Los Angeles on the 3D Motion Capture Film "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot," "Defiance") as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig ("Quantum of Solace," "Defiance") as the nefarious Red Rackham. Bell and Craig are joined by an international cast that includes Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook. "Thrip Makes Surprise Return to Demons" From STV.TV Mackenzie Crook is to make a surprise reappearance in the stv show Demons. The 37-year-old star played camp vampire Gladiolus Thrip, who viewers saw being `smited' by Luke (Christian Cooke) in the opening episode. In a dramatic plot twist, which will be aired on February 7, Thrip will return to haunt the young hero. Christian Cooke told Digital Spy: "There's a really interesting storyline in episode six where he tries to turn Luke against Galvin, and bring him over to the dark side. "We find out that that is what happened to his father." Mackenzie Crook recently revealed his delight at being offered the part of Thrip and getting the chance to play a character that was different from his usual comedy roles.... "Crook's Locked" From The Sun HERES a kinky scene that would shock even David Brent as Gareth from The Office is left looking a right t*t hooked up to nipple clamps. Mackenzie Crook, who played Brents gormless sidekick, in the hit comedy, ends up shackled in the new series of Skins back on E4 this week. Since The Office, Crook has starred with Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean. Depp fan Kaya Scodelario who plays Effy in Skins revealed: I just had to touch his hand because hes touched Johnny. Update: This article now features video interviews with the cast. "Skins" Preview From Skins Media, a summary of the upcoming episode of E4's "Skins" which will feature Mackenzie (minor spoilers): The third series of E4s home-grown drama continues. Its Cooks (Jack OConnell) 17th birthday, and half the college are invited to his uncles pub for a night Cook believes will go down in history. But the girls get bored quickly and are about to leave when Freddie (Luke Pasqualino) gets a phone call from his sister Karen (Klariza Clayton). Shes at her best friend Kayleighs (Amy Burnett) engagement party and they want to liven up the evening and get the party going. The gang head off and Cook eventually gets them into the rparty by flirting with Kayleigh. But Cooks actions attract the attention of Kayleighs dad, notorious local gangster Johnny White (Mackenzie Crook), whos not happy with their arrival. Cook decides to up the tempo of the surprisingly quiet party, ignoring Freddies warnings about upsetting Johnny White. Johnny is furious and it looks like hell run them out of town, until Cook discovers that Johnnys got a very big and rather seedy secret of his own Writer: Jamie Brittain; Exec Prod: Bryan Elsley; Series Prod: Chris Clough; Dir: Simon Massey; Prod: Chris Clough; Prod Co: Company Pictures My hols: Mackenzie Crook From The Times Online I was chuffed when The Seagull came to New York. I love the city. Lindsay and I came on our first holiday together; we had dinner in the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center and even did an extortionately expensive helicopter flight over Manhattan, buzzing the Twin Towers. Its weird: I paid for that break with earnings from my first television job playing Osama Bin Laden in a sketch for The 11 OClock Show. The Towers dominated our trip, somehow, the way they used to dominate the city. Then 9/11 happened. For a while, I expected the FBI to come knocking on my door. Election night here in New York was mental: people hanging off lampposts, car horns going all night, like it was VE Day utter jubilation. I dont think there was a single McCain supporter in town... Continue to complete article here. *Demons Tonight* The first episode of Demons, which features Mackenzie as the vampire Gladiolus Thrip, airs tonight on ITV1 (UK) at 7:20pm More Demons press: The Sun lists Demons as it's TV drama pick of the day saying: "The Office funnyman MacKenzie Crook shows his dark side as a vampire in this spooky horror drama." The Radio Times writes: "...There's a crazily good turn from Mackenzie Crook as an excitable demon who's dressed like a very, very old member of Showaddywaddy." Crook Savours Evil 'Demons' Role From Digital Spy Mackenzie Crook has revealed his delight at playing evil vampire Gladiolus Thrip in new ITV show Demons. "I don't often get offered these sorts of parts," Crook told the Radio Times. "I've played a pirate, but I've never played evil - I'm always quirky, stupid or bumbling." Crook, who described Thrip as a "camp, '50s throwback vampire", revealed: "I've been looking to play someone vicious and spiteful for years. It's something to get my teeth into." The former Office star added: "This part will surprise people, I think. There's something quite unsettling about Thrip." Making Demons From The Daily Mail Key to the success of the scary creatures in Demons is the use of state-of-the-art prosthetics. Make-up artists Shaune Harrison, Mark Coulier and their team came up with almost 1,000 different prosthetic creations, from small, facial pieces to full-on mechanical creature suits. 'The most important part of our job was delivering prosthetics that the actors felt comfortable within,' says Mark. 'Mackenzie Crook's character, Gladiolus Thrip, for example, has no eyebrows - so rather than Mackenzie having to shave his own off, we gave him little, plastic prosthetics that hid his brows. Newsday names The Seagull among its top 10 Broadway productions of 2008 From here "THE SEAGULL." Kristin Scott Thomas made her glorious Broadway debut in Ian Rickson's emotionally rich, visually haunting London production, which just closed its limited run. This was the theater to send anyone who wondered why we love Anton Chekhov. 
The accompanying image caption reads: The Seagull soared thanks to the performances of Kristin Scott Thomas and Mackenzie Crook |
