A Prophet’s Tahar Rahim Lands in ‘Eagle’ Nest

When spoke to Tahar Rahim (the lead in Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet) in Toronto and ended my brief interview with him by asking him the “what are you working on next?” question, he threw out so many names and titles that I almost wished I had never asked him the question. Among the names and titles he didn’t mentioned was today’s signing. Rahim who has been thrown into perpetual stardom (at least in French cinema scene) has signed onto a supporting role for his first, major, international project. Rahim has grabbed the part of the Gaelic-speaking Seal Prince in Kevin MacDonald’s The Eagle of the Ninth. The pic has been in production in Hungary since August and is now moving to a backdrop (Scotland) where swords will be drawn. 

Adapted by Jeremy Brock, this is based on the classic 1954 teen novel by Rosemary Sutcliff. The Eagle of the Ninth is set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth. Donald Sutherland portrays Marcus’ uncle Aquila, who has retired in Britain; Mark Strong is cast as Guern, an ex-soldier who holds crucial information about the Ninth. Tahar Rahim will portray the Gaelic-speaking Seal Prince, the fearsome leader of a band of warriors who pursue Marcus and Esca through the highlands.