Already part of the Phantom alumni having previously played Phantom in a school show, Paul Mescal has set his sights on yet another musical – confirming that he’ll take over from Jamie Dornan as the male lead in the upcoming movie adaptation of Carmen.Â
Presumably, Dornan already has his hands full with Wild Mountain Thyme – a movie which has caused such online furore that even the Gardaà have said that “an aul investigation is to be carried out” into the film’s “offensive accents”. Fair.
Back to the matter at hand though – that of Paul Mescal starring in the upcoming reimagining of the musical Carmen. Taking over the male lead from Jamie Dornan, Mescal will star alongside Melissa Barrera who steps up to the plate as the titular role.
Originally set in southern Spain, the opera tells the story of a naive young soldier who is seduced by Carmen – a wiley Spanish gypsy.
Already impressing with his vocal talents (on more than one occasion), Mescal even grabbed the attention of musical legend Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber back in May who said that he’d love to duet with the Irish star.
Commenting that he is “very excited” about the project, Mescal told Variety:
“I’m honoured to have been cast alongside Melissa, an actor I greatly admire and it’s an incredible privilege to be working with Benjamin on his first feature, who has put together such an impressive creative team.”
Directed by French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, he commended the Kildare actor for his “nuance and consideration in his work”. A modern-day take on the 19th-century drama, filming is due to begin early next year over in Australia.
