St. Columba, the movie — a brief update

Three months ago, in a post on films with early-medieval Celtic themes (including The Secret of Kells, which surprised many people last week when it became one of five nominees for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature), I mentioned that Norman Stone was developing a movie about St. Columba, the Irish monk who brought Christianity to Scotland in the 6th century.

At the time, Stone had revealed that Jeremy Irons would be playing Columba himself — but it was also said that producers were “in talks with another A-list Hollywood star said to be interested in the project”.

Now, it looks like the identity of this A-list star may have been revealed — and he won’t be in the movie. A few weeks ago, Stone told WENN (or one of WENN’s sources) that Liam Neeson had been offered the part of King Aidan, “who has fiery clashes with Columba” — but after mulling it over for some time, Neeson turned the role down. Stone speculates the decision may have been connected somehow to the grief that Neeson experienced after the death of his wife Natasha Richardson early last year, though Neeson has shot a few other movies since then, including the upcoming remakes of Clash of the Titans and The A-Team.

Says Stone: “The script was with him for several months and I understand he loved it. He has decided not to go ahead, which is a pity, but the decision was made after what has been a difficult time for him and I respect the circumstances. He is a truly great actor.”