Yes, I just had an orgasm. I’m not ashamed. Gerard Butler is my future husband, and I have always loved Ralph Fiennes in a very private, obsessed way. I love hedgehogs, Ralph. Nevermind, it’s out private language. So… these promotional images were just released of Ralph’s directorial debut, Coriolanus. Ralph is directing himself as the title character, and Gerard plays the guy who walks around, stacked like a brick sh-thouse, looking intense. Actually, Ralph has done something very cool with the militaristic play – he’s set it (and filmed it) in Serbia. They’ve been filming in Belgrade for weeks – and there are even photos of Gerard wandering around in a really tight tank. Sigh… Jesus. Here’s more from the film:

Ralph Fiennes has been obsessed with bringing Shakespeare’s anti-hero Coriolanus to the screen ever since he played the human killing machine on stage. A decade later, the actor is directing the movie, as well as playing the central role.

He has persuaded Serbian special forces soldiers – many of them built like brick outhouses – to, essentially, play themselves. They brought their tanks, too. Fiennes has set his film about warring tribes, biting political ruthlessness and a mother’s ambition for her son, in modern times and some of the scenes look like the end of an empire.

That’s thanks to cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, who worked on the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker, Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Paul Greengrass’s Green Zone.

Coriolanus has been shooting on locations around Belgrade. As well as using the army and local actors, Fiennes has been able to attract an A-list cast. Gerard Butler has agreed to play Coriolanus’s rival Tullus Aufidius and Vanessa Redgrave will be his fierce mother, Volumnia. Brian Cox takes the part of canny senator Menenius and Jessica Chastain plays the senator’s wife.

James Nesbitt, John Kani, Paul Jesson and Mona Hammond tackle other leading roles.
Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow pops up as an evening news broadcaster, and singer Will Young has a cameo as a TV reporter.

Actually, Young has a wider role behind the scenes – he is one of the film’s executive producers. He and Fiennes became friends after meeting last year.

[From The Daily Mail]

It really does sound like a great project, and it’s kind of cool that Ralph has gone so f-cking hardcore for his first project as a director. It makes me think Ralph is really ballsy. Plus, I’d imagine filming in Belgrade is pretty cheap, right?

By the way, as I was looking for more photos of Gerard, I came across this story in The Sun. My Gerry was making out with some Belgrade chick at a bar just a few days ago. For f-ck’s sake, Gerard, all you have to do is call me, I’ll travel to you. You don’t have to hook up with randoms. Although, I think that’s what he really likes. Ugh.

Promotional images courtesy of Premier PR & The Daily Mail.