I’m getting more excited by the prospect of Burke and Hare by the day. In August it was revealed that John Landis, he of The Blues Brothers, Animal House, and American Werewolf In London fame, was working on a film based on the Burke and Hare killings, otherwise known as the West Port murders.
At the time, Simon Pegg was rumored to have secured one of the two leading roles. Which is fantastic. And now, according to Bloody Disgusting, David Tennant has signed on to be the other one of the murderous duo. Which is double fantastic.
For those who aren’t yet aware of him, David Tennant has played Doctor Who for the last few years for the BBC but is preparing to leave the role in order to broaden his horizons. And that’s exactly what a starring role in Burke and Hare represents.
Landis hasn’t directed a narrative feature film since Susan’s Plan in 1998, so Burke and Hare is an opportunity for him to flex his storytelling muscle again. Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft have penned the script for Burke and Hare, and they incidentally wrote the script for the St. Trinian’s sequel which sees Tennant playing the villain.
