Our favourite actor will be appearing in theatre, on TV and on the big screen in 2015 and we are looking forward to his many new and exciting upcoming projects.
Here is our guide to all the Damien goodness coming this year.
Suspects Series 3
13, 14, 20, 21 January 2015, Channel 5
Jack is back in the new year when Suspects Series 3 returns to UK TV screens 13 January, with four brand new episodes. The end of series 2 saw tensions within the team and Jack sent to the naughty corner, will the dust have settled when he returns? In Episode 1 of the new series we will find out, when DS Jack Weston (Damien), DI Martha Bellamy (Fay Ripley) and DC Charlie Steele (Clare-Hope Ashitey) investigate an attack on an art teacher at a college. The new series also stars Emmett Scanlan, Chris Coghill, Jody Latham, Ben Peel, Lucy Gaskell, Ray Fearon, James McConville and Kathryn Drysdale. You can catch the return of Suspects on Channel 5, 10 pm Tuesday 13 January, with episode 2 Wednesday 14 January.
The Hard Problem
21 January – 16 April 2015, National Theatre
Damien is back on the stage 21 January, when The Hard Problem opens at the National Theatre until 16 April. Written by Sir Tom Stoppard and directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner, the production is already being hailed one of the unmissable art events of 2015.
(1) The play explores 'the hard problem' of consciousness (full synopsis here) and also stars Olivia Vinall, Jonathan Coy, Anthony Calf, Vera Chok, Lucy Robinson, Rosie Hilal and Parth Thakera. With a long 3 month run at the National’s Dorfman Theatre, fans have a wonderful opportunity to see Damien perform live in a theatre production. If you missed out on the first released tickets (which sold out in three days) keep your eye on the National Theatre website and our forum topic for further released seats. It is also good news for international audiences, The Hard Problem will be broadcast to cinemas across the world with NT Live 16 April. Check the NT Live website for showings in your area, we recommend booking well in advance.
Kill Your Friends
March(?) 2015
We’re thrilled that 2015 will see Damien in his first roles on the big screen. Kill Your Friends, based on the novel by John Niven (who also penned the screenplay), is an unadulterated, no-holds-barred fictional exposé dark satirical comedy based on the music industry at the height of the Britpop era in 1997, centred around an offensive, psychopathic A&R agent Stephen Stelfox and his crew. Damien will appear as the character Ross, alongside a stellar cast including Nicholas Hoult, James Corden, Craig Roberts, Tom Riley, Joseph Mawle, Georgia King, Edward Hogg, Ella Smith, Jim Piddock, Ed Skrein and there will even be a cameo from Roseanna Arquette. From what we know about the film, We have a feeling it is going to be one of the most talked about movies of the year. There is no official release date yet, but John Niven suggested a March release on Twitter.
Clean Break
2015, RTÉ
Damien and Simone Kirby behind the scenes of ‘Clean Break’
Damien is bringing a new TV character to the screen in 2015, in RTÉ’s upcoming original drama Clean Break. The series was filmed and is set in Wexford, Ireland, and “tells the tale of a community driven by love, greed, status and revenge.” Damien will appear as the character Danny Dempsey alongside Adam Fergus, Aidan McArdle, Simone Kirby, Kelly Thornton, Amybeth McNulty, Ned Dennehy, and Dermot Murphy. Written by Billy Roche (The Eclipse), with two BAFTA-nominated/winning directors, Gillies McKinnon (Behind the Lines) and Damien O’Donnell (East is East), Clean Break promises to be a high quality, powerful drama. Filming completed December 2014, the drama had no airdate yet, but will premiere in 2015.
Tiger Raid
2015
Damien, Brian Gleeson, Arifa Bseiso behind the scenes of ‘Tiger Raid’. Photo credit Arifa bseiso
We cannot wait to find out more about this one and are super excited about Damien’s second feature film of 2015: Tiger Raid. The movie has a military theme, is based in Iraq and described as “a thriller; fast paced, tense, exciting and punchy. It’s positioned to connect to broad international audiences. The film tells the story of two Irish mercenaries attempting a kidnapping in Iraq.“(2) Writer Mick Donnellan, who based the script on his play Radio Luxembourg, said the screenplay could be compared to black comedies such as In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. (3) Damien plays Paddy, alongside Brian Gleeson and Sofia Boutella. The film was shot in Jordan, where he received specialist training from military experts MissonX and national boxing champion Arifa Bseiso. Filming completed September 2014 and the movie is set for a 2015 release.
We are in for an amazing Damien talent-filled year, an exciting variety of new characters, in a stunning array of new projects. Furthermore, Damien has already completed filming these projects (with the exception of The Hard Problem which is live performance) and if 2014 is anything to go by, our hard-working favourite actor may well have others lined up for 2015!
We will be reporting on all of these projects and bringing you the latest news as it happens.
Check back in soon!
Which of the above are you looking forward to the most?
At the moment I'm most looking forward to Suspects because it's so soon! I'm really looking forward to seeing Damien in The Hard Problem but that's not until March so I don't want to get too overexcited too soon!
Most of the things we are waiting for and excited about are things we already knew about last year which makes me wonder how many exciting projects Damien has got lined up this year that we don't yet know about!
We are so lucky because we can spread our excitement right out across the year!
Exactly right, Damien has completed filming on all of the projects I mentioned, apart from THP obs because that is live performance. He'll be pretty busy until that is over.. we know Damien is a hard worker but the amount of performances for the play over over 4 months is phenomenal, so fitting anything else in might be impossible time and energy wise..but then the rest of the year....!?!?!?
Voted for Tiger Raid. That's the one that sounds the most intriguing to me.
I wouldn't think there would be time and/or energy for more work during play rehearsals & run! Don't want the man to kill himself with work! But if he doesn't have more lined up already I'm sure he'll be doing some auditions around that time. I eagerly await to hear about every project.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Voted for the Hard Problem. First time seeing Damo on stage? Huuuge thing for me. Around all these DaMo goodies its hard to pick a favorite but I'm very excited about all of these, I can't believe its so little time left before when can enjoy all of these!
The way the vote is currently split perfectly represents how I feel about this poll!
Clean Break still feels very much like an unknown quantity and I've not given it a lot of thought because there is just so much else going on! I'm sure I'll get more excited about it once we know when it's going to air.......
I saw the trailer for Suspects on Channel 5 earlier today and my excitement levels rocketed! As Rosie said, it's so close now......and I'm really looking forward to seeing Jack on my tv again.
Kill your Friends is likely to be the first appearence Damien makes on the big screen this year - that's pretty exciting! The prospect of seeing him at the cinema - let alone alongside such a fantastic cast - is totally awesome! And I did love the book....I reckon its gonna be a cracker of a film!
And then there's Tiger Raid. Damien as a lead character in a feature film!!!!! It sounds more and more fantastic the more I hear about it.....
But, if I'm honest, The Hard Problem is gonna get my vote. I doubt the prospect of seeing Damien on stage again will ever not fill me with great joy! With the added bonus of to a trip to London and the chance to meet up with friends..... And then I'll still be able to look forward to seeing it at the cinema - that's pretty hard to beat!
Thanks for voting and posting whimsy, Jozie and fifi
Your rationale is very similar to mine fifi, The Hard Problem on the stage and on the screen with NT live and over such a large chuck of the year! but still cannot commit to a vote because I am so excited for the others!
Suspects is something I feel quite connected to in terms of the interactions with cast and creators over filming and I cannot wait to see the results of all that filming come to life on the screen! It is such a gem of a drama, it will always get my vote... but in this poll the other projects are also treasures!
Agree with you whimsy about Tiger Raid being Damien in a lead role.. and the film concept sounds incredible too. But then Kill Your Friends is going to be one of the most talked about films of the year (I predict!).
Well.....despite the fact that Suspects s3 and The Hard Problem can now be ticked off the list - and the fact that Damien has been working in The Hard Problem for the last 4 months - there are already 3 more things to add! We know he's going to be on Poetry Please again very soon....and S4 of Suspects will air this summer. And he's also managed to fit in filming a pilot in America!!
I think we all kind of expected to have seen more of Damo in the first half of the year (projects I mean.....honestly - I know how your minds work! ) but I'm quite happy that we've still got so much to look forward to - and lets just take a moment to consider that inbetween performing live on stage he's been recording for radio (potentially for more than one programme!) and filmed a pilot for HBO! - makes you wonder what he's got coming up next....it's hard to imagine that he doesn't have something lined up!
So... June - Poetry Please / August (probably) - Suspects S4 / September - Kill Your Friends. That still leaves Clean Break, Tiger Raid and The Devil You Know.....that we know about!
We always knew there would be more to add this year, but perhaps a surprise to us all that Damien managed to fit in filming a TV pilot during the THP run. I honestly did not expect much more in the first half of the year... but am besides myself with anticipation for the release of the other projects we have known about for a while - 'Tiger Raid', 'Kill Your Friends' and 'Clean Break'.
If the 'The Devil You Know' pilot gets picked up by HBO, filming for the full series was mentioned for the end of this year / beginning of next, so it seems likely that is a 2016 project.
What I am totally intrigued to know is what is next for Damien, I hope a good rest after the long THP run, but there is a whole half of the year left for new projects!
Will there be more 'Suspects' filming this summer, I wonder! (in which case a fifth series would be coming, as the fourth already filmed).
And think of the potential new projects we've not even heard about yet!
This is the exciting bit where we try to piece together any new projects Damien is working on from his randomly cryptic tweets! Do you remember the water bottles and garlic shampoo?
Not to mention the ice-cream and chocolate tweets that related to KYF & Clean Break! He does like to keep it cryptic.
I am still most excited about Tiger Raid and hoping hoping hoping it gets released in the US. Still no official confirmation on that, and if they are taking it to some sort of Film festival this summer it could be that it wont come out till next year (at least over here) which makes me grumpy... And lately I've been thinking about Clean Break.
I do hope he's getting a bit of a break, the break from THP ended up being a work break, and in such horrible weather too! I imagine it's hard for him to plan out too far ahead while waiting to hear from HBO. *crossing fingers* Speaking of, I've been watching Turn, which has Jamie Bell and is about the first American Revolution spies. This doesn't relate at all to TDYK, the time period is off by 100 years, but every time I watch it, I get my hopes up that HBO will order the series and my mind starts wandering to what TDYK will be like, what their costumes will be like, what Robert Putnam will be like.
One thing I'm selfishly hoping for, and I have a better chance at winning the lottery than this happening, is that he does another Word Theatre reading (or any other appearance) in August. I have a small window when I'll be in London. In Hilary's words, "I need a miracle." And I'm a bit miffed that KYF will be out in Sept. Had it been Aug I could have watched it in the theatre in England!
TBH, I seriously doubt there will be more Suspects. The way Ch 5 have scheduled and de-scheduled and parceled it out makes it almost guaranteed that viewer interest will wane.
Well, I'm all doomsday today aren't I?!
On a more positive note, bring on those cryptic tweets! It's always exciting to know there's more to look forward to and to play the spy game.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
So... June - Poetry Please / August (probably) - Suspects S4 / September - Kill Your Friends. That still leaves Clean Break, Tiger Raid and The Devil You Know.....that we know about!
Just wanted to add that Clean Break is for October (unless something changes). As per Adam Fergus's tweet (posted here).
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
So... June - Poetry Please / August (probably) - Suspects S4 / September - Kill Your Friends. That still leaves Clean Break, Tiger Raid and The Devil You Know.....that we know about!
Just wanted to add that Clean Break is for October (unless something changes). As per Adam Fergus's tweet (posted here).
Oh yes! I'd forgotten that we had a month....I was still thinking that it was just sometime in the autumn.
Perhaps we need to change the poll now, the original one was for January!
How about a new one including 'Tiger Raid', 'Clean Break', 'Suspects 4', 'Kill Your Friends', more radio projects... anything else?
(We can't really add 'The Devil You Know, if it's picked up, it will be 2016).
I actually feel pretty confident that I know what would come out top of a new poll! But that's no reason not to do it! I'm always happy to be proved wrong! And I totally think you can include The Devil You Know......we don't know for certain when it's going to air (if at all!!!!!!) so it could be this year.......and it's still something we can look foward to!
There's no way The Devil You Know will air this year based on HBO's schedule and show comissioning patterns, but the announcement of the series being picked up for certain would be something to look forward to. That will hopefully happen before the year is out.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass