James Purefoy returns as The Saint
A new generation is about to meet the famous Simon Templar. James Purefoy, best known for playing Mark Antony in Rome and getting let go from palying V in V For Vendetta, is set to play Simon Templar in the forthcoming TV series of The Saint.
No fewer than 10 actors have portrayed the character, including the legendary George Sanders and former Maverick / future James Bond Roger Moore. Another nine actors played him on radio, including Vincent Price.
William J. Macdonald (Witchblade, Rome) is prepping a two-hour pilot for a European shoot. Shooting in Berlin and Australia begins in April.
Burl Barer, Edgar Award winning author of The Saint: A Complete History, is also on board. Barer, authorized by the Estate of Leslie Charteris to write new Saint novels and short stories, will novelize the movie length pilot and future episodes for a new generation of Saint fans.
I think that all Saint fans are keeping their fingers crossed on this. I'm not familiar with Purefoy, but with the other folks involved I'm sure this effort will help us forget the dreadful things done to Simon by Val Kilmer & company.
James Purefoy has also been cast as Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane in an upcoming film version of the Puritan adventurer. He doesn't exactly match my image of Kane, who has always been a gaunt and stern-faced man, but I think he's got the talent to at least give it a try.
Get ready to be impressed with my darling, James Purefoy. He is a brilliant actor and I cannot get enough of seeing him in action!