Brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor follow up their documentary The Battle of Britain with a film exploring Bomber Command, a rarely-told story from the Second World War.

The film focuses primarily on the men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe, with numerous examples of individual heroism and extraordinary collective spirit, and Colin learns to fly the key aircraft of the campaign: the Lancaster bomber. But this is also the story of a controversy that has lasted almost 70 years.

The programme covers six years of wartime operations, and traces the obstacles and challenges that were overcome as the RAF developed and deployed the awesome fighting force that was Bomber Command.

The Scottish actor was planning to make his directorial debut on a movie about a 1968 yacht race. He had been researching the real-life story, he planned to pen the script himself, and he was even going to work on the project with his wife, production designer Eve Mavrakis. Then he found out that great minds think alike, and some other great mind had already bogarted his idea. He told Nylon Guys Magazine: “My wife was going to design it, I wasn’t going to be in it. And then I found out someone else is doing it. I was gutted.”

McGregor has apparently been toying with the idea of directing for a while now. In an interview with the Santa Monica Mirror last June, he joked, “The real reason I would like to direct is so that I can turn up at work and not take off my clothes. It seems like every day I turn up for work I have to take off my clothes and put on someone else’s clothes so it would be quite nice to just wear my own clothes all day.”

On a more serious note, McGregor said that he wasn’t interested in directing just for the hell of it, but that he wanted to find a particular story that fascinated him enough to justify settling into the director’s chair. As he said at the time, “I’m still waiting for that story to find me.”

Sadly, that story won’t be the yacht-race tale that had intrigued him, but hopefully he’ll find something else that catches his attention. He definitely hasn’t given up on the idea of directing. He told the magazine, “I think it would be so fascinating and satisfying. But I don’t pretend… I would be starting right at the bottom.”

In the mean time, you’ll be able to see McGregor in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, opening March 9th, 2012, and Haywire, opening January 20th.

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The showing will mark the U.S. debut of the British comedy, which was directed by Oscar nominee Lasse Hallstrom (“My Life as a Dog”) and written by Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”).

Two other McGregor films will also be shown at the festival: There will be a special presentation of “Haywire,” a Steven Soderbergh-directed action film also starring McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum and Bill Paxton; and the drama “Perfect Sense,” which co-stars Eva Green, is on the lineup, as well.

In total, the festival will host 187 films from 73 countries. There will be 61 premieres.

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The Star Wars and Moulin Rouge actor will co-star alongside Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper in Noah Baumbach and Scott Rudin’s adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s best-seller, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

McGregor will play Chip, the middle child of an elderly Midwestern couple (Cooper, Wiest) who reunite the family for one last Christmas.

Rudin optioned the film rights for Paramount to the National Book Award-winning novel in 2001 and would executive produce the project.

Baumbach and Franzen will pen the project and exec produce, with Baumbach directing the drama, which is currently in production.

McGregor’s TV work includes guest starring on NBC’s ER in 1997 as well as appearing as himself in the U.K. TV docuseries Long Way Down.

McGregor’s upcoming features include The Impossible and Jack the Giant Killer.

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Trainspotting (1996)
Trainspotting didn’t so much reinvigorate British cinema as spike filmmaking heroin into its vein. In adapting Irvine Welsh’s cult novel, director Danny Boyle re-teamed with the winning creative talent behind Shallow Grave (producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge) and the result is another offbeat rush of dark, orgasmic cinema. Ignoring tabloid arguments of whether the movie glorifies drug use or not (it doesn’t), a grotty depiction of the Edinburgh junkie subculture just shouldn’t be this enjoyable. But in fusing wildly imaginative style (Renton’s plunge into the filthiest toilet in Scotland) with naturalistic but witty dialogue, an impossibly iconic soundtrack, some truly disturbing imagery (the baby, anyone?) and, er, Dale Winton, it spoke to the ’90s chemical generation. From Robert Carlyle’s ‘tache-totting psycho to Jonny Lee Miller’s Connery-worshipping wideboy, it’s also full of memorable, quote-worthy characters, while Mark Renton remains the performance of Ewan McGregor’s career.

Shallow Grave (1994)
A wave of hype bore this thriller, threatening to swamp it under proclamations that the British were coming, that Scotland was sexy, that this Ewan McGregor fella might do well for himself. Well, that’s all true (except for Scotland being sexy, anyway), but there’s more to Shallow Grave than a shot in the arm for British cinema. Danny Boyle’s immensely stylish tale of dead mains, a suitcase full of money and rampant paranoia is an inspired blend of pitch-black comedy and bloody violence, held together by career-making performances and scathing wit. Three central characters this flawed and nasty are a rare sight in American cinema – even in the independent sector – and they’re surrounded by a heck of a supporting cast. The lot benefit from Boyle’s nascent directorial flair and winning partnership with writer John Hodge and producer Andrew MacDonald. The all-round alchemy, combined with the intelligence and sheer panache on show here, make it a must-see.

In an early announcement to retailers, Lionsgate has revealed ‘Velvet Goldmine’ is planned for Blu-ray on December 13.

In 1984, British newspaper reporter Arthur Stuart is investigating the career of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade, who was heavily influenced in his early years by American rock singer Curt Wild, whose show was quite crazy for his time.

Specs have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $19.99.

It has been confirmed that Ewan is amongst a whole host of stars heading towards Toronto for its 36th International Film Festival which takes place from September 8 – 18. Looks like it’s going to be a great event!

Hollywood A-lister Ewan McGregor, who will join British round-the-world skipper Alex Thomson on board Hugo Boss, said, “I’m excited to experience the thrill of yacht racing from the very deck of the boat and I’ll be doing my best to help Alex win so that we can donate the prize money to UNICEF’s East Africa Appeal. There’s never been a more important time to support the children of the region who so desperately need our help.”

The Artemis Challenge, sponsored by Artemis investment Management, one of the UK’s leading investment companies and the largest British sponsor in offshore sailing, is recognised as one of the key events of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and is a magnificent spectacle, showcasing the best of offshore racing within easy reach of spectators.

The start line this year already features a world class line-up of five latest generation IMOCA 60s, the same racing machines that compete in the Vendée Globe, and the Artemis Challenge is the only UK-based officially IMOCA sanctioned event.

The race follows the classic America’s Cup route around the Isle of Wight, starting at 1000 on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line. The winner will be the IMOCA 60 that takes line honours after completing the 50 mile sprint back to the Royal Yacht Squadron Line (weather permitting), winning £10,000 for the charity of choice of the skipper.

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