Colin Farrell to Star in New Gambling-Themed Film

Colin Farrell is set for another big role in a gambling-themed film. (Image: NurPhoto SRL / Alamy)

 Irish actor Colin Farrell is set for his next big role in a film centering on gambling, set in Macau. The new project in the pipeline is titled Ballad of a Small Player. 

The film is set to be released on Netflix under the direction of Eduard Berger, who directed the award-winning remake of the World War I film All Quiet on the Western Front.

The film follows a man who relocates to Macau, a destination well known for its casinos and the world of the baccarat tables, in order to escape the endless cycle of debt. His luck begins to turn when someone appears to help him overcome his long-term problem.

Farrell, who is well known for his roles in Seven Psychopaths and, most recently, The Banshees of Inisherin, was confirmed recently to star in this exciting new role, based off a 2014 novel by the British author Lawrence Osborne and adapted as a screenplay by Rowan Joffe. 

The book has been described as being part psychological thriller and part ghost story. 

Shooting of the film will commence in the summer of 2024. Martin McDonagh, who has also directed other critically acclaimed films like In Bruges and The Guard, nominated Farrell for an Oscar for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, which also starred Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan.

The novel Ballad of a Small Player, which was shortlisted as one of the New York Times Top 100 in 2014, has been praised for having the same literary prose as English writer Graham Greene and Russian author Dostoievsky. 

It is unconfirmed if the film will be wholly adapted from the novel.

Farrell, the Dublin-born actor, who has been silent since his last role, has a number of other upcoming projects. He is poised to star as the villainous Penguin in an upcoming Batman movie. He is also set to star alongside Margot Robbie in another project titled A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. 

Mr. Farrell is currently starring in the detective drama series Sugar.