News: Robert Carlyle

Carlyle’s been fairly anonymous of late, hardly taking any high-profile film roles since 2001’s rather shoddy The 51st State. This week’s Eragon may not quite see a return to his former starring form, but there is some promise on the horizon. First, after British disaster flick The Flood – with Carlyle as a marine biologist desperately racing to save London from a massive tidal surge – will come 28 Weeks Later, a sequel to 2002’s cult horror hit 28 Days Later, and therefore likely to strike box office gold.

But potentially most interesting in terms of Carlyle’s career revival, is The Meat Trade. Taken from a screenplay by Irving Welsh, the man responsible for Trainspotting, which kick-started Carlyle’s film career, the Scotsman will star alongside Colin Firth in a tale of body-snatching and mayhem on the streets of contemporary Edinburgh. It could be bonkers, by the Welsh brand is still just about strong enough to sell…