While he only just earned his first Oscar in 2023 for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Colin Farrell has been spending a decent amount of time on the small screen. Between his new Apple TV+ show “Sugar” (read our review right here) and the upcoming Max series “The Penguin” (a crime series spinoff of “The Batman”), Farrell seems to have found a new niche. That said, the actor is not leaving film behind and has lined up an impressive gambling thriller, “The Ballad of A Small Player,” with Oscar-winning filmmaker Edward Berger (“All Quiet On The Western Front”) set to direct for Netflix (via Deadline).
Farrell’s character, Lord Doyle, is a card player navigating the legendary casinos of Macau, a stunning location previously seen in the James Bond film “Skyfall” and known as the Las Vegas of Asia. This feature adaptation of the Lawrence Osborne novel, with a script by Rowan Joffe, promises to transport audiences to the thrilling backdrop of high-stakes gambling in Macau.
Below is the official synopsis of the Osborne novel via Amazon:
As night falls on Macau and the neon signs that line the rain-slick streets come alive, Doyle – “Lord Doyle” to his fellow players – descends into his casino of choice to try his luck at the baccarat tables that are the anchor of his current existence. A corrupt English lawyer who has escaped prosecution by fleeing to the East, Doyle spends his nights drinking and gambling and his days sleeping off his excesses, continually haunted by his past. Taking refuge in a series of louche and dimly lit hotels, he watches his fortune rise and fall as the cards decide his fate. In a moment of crisis, Doyle meets Dao-Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman who appears to be a denizen of the casinos just like himself and seems to offer him salvation in the form of both money and love. However, as Doyle attempts to make a rare and true connection, all that he accepts as reality seems to be slipping from his grasp.
Berger is also attached to direct the fifth installment of the “Bourne” franchise with the expectation that Matt Damon will reprise the titular role of the bad-ass rogue assassin. Earlier in the year, Farrell joined Kogonada’s (“After Yang”) next film, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” alongside Margot Robbie (“Barbie”), which he’s currently filming and will release from Sony.
When exactly “The Ballad of A Small Player” is going in front of cameras is unknown, but in the report, the thriller is going to be shot later in the year without mentioning a specific production date or window. That should give us an idea that “Bourne 5” won’t be happening anytime soon, as Berger is now busy with this new Netflix movie for the foreseeable future.