Imogen Poots & ‘Submarine’ Star Craig Roberts To Star In Heist Romance ‘Comes A Bright Day’

Kevin McKidd & Timothy Spall Also In Cast, Paul Smith To Design Costumes

We’re not sure if there’s ever been a documented case of a romance springing out of a bank robbery. We’re pretty sure we’d be too busy trying to not get shot to get our flirt on with an attractive stranger, but maybe that’s just us. In the movies, however, nothing seems to get the blood rushing to the important areas than being held up, or holding up: from “The Thomas Crown Affair” to “A Fish Called Wanda” to last year’s “The Town,” screenwriters seem to believe that heists and the big L-O-V-E go hand in hand.

One more project mining that vein has just been announced at Cannes, as ScreenDaily has announced the imminent production of “Comes A Bright Day,” a love story/heist thriller that’s getting underway in London shortly, and attracted a fairly impressive cast. Fast-rising star Imogen Poots, who’s about to make a big leap into the mainstream in “Fright Night” after stealing the show in the indie likes of “Cracks” and “Solitary Man,” takes one of the lead roles, opposite Craig Roberts, the outstanding lead of Richard Ayoade‘s “Submarine.” The pair will play two young people taken hostage during the robbery of a jewellery store.

They’re joined by two older, but equally well-regarded actors. Kevin McKidd, who started off in Danny Boyle‘s “Trainspotting” before finding success in American TV, in “Rome” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” as well as film appearances in projects like “Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief,” will play the robber, while the near-legendary Timothy Spall, veteran of the “Harry Potter” series as well as more distinguished work with Mike Leigh, Tim Burton & Tom Hooper, will play the store’s owner.

It’ll mark the feature debut of writer-director Simon Aboud, a copywriter turned commercials director. Aboud’s come very close to production on another feature more than once: his script “This Beautiful Fantastic” was originally meant to roll at the beginning of 2010 with Carey Mulligan, Tom Wilkinson and Christopher Ecclestone, and then again at the start of this year with Felicity Jones, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and Rupert Friend, but it seems that both times the film stalled. Aboud’s taking the reigns himself this time, and things seem more concrete, as filming begins in Mayfair, London, and Elstree Studios next week.

We liked the script for “This Beautiful Fantastic” quite a bit, and we’re fans of all the talent involved, but even if everything becomes unraveled in the process, at the very least it’ll be one of the best-dressed ensembles since Tom Ford‘s “A Single Man” — famous fashion designer Paul Smith has signed on to dress the cast. Dave Grohl‘s band Foo Fighters has also given permission for the use of their song “My Hero,” although we’d have hoped that after “The Other Guys,” that would have drifted into the realms of parody. Matador Pictures, Smudge Films, Lost Tribe Productions and Ipso Facto Films are backing the picture, and we should see it in theaters sometime in 2012.

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