Actor Tony Nixon has been cast as James Welch in Jack and Tollers. Photo credit: Jack and Tollers, Third Dart Studios.
Third Dart Studios has posted the first casting announcement for the film Jack and Tollers: The True Story of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Here is the announcement from the film’s Facebook page:
Good News from Third Dart Studios! Actor Tony Nixon (First Mate RYNELF in THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER) is the first actor to be cast in JACK AND TOLLERS! Tony’s role is pivotal as he’ll be playing JAMES WELCH who was the Director of Religious Broadcasting for the BBC during World War II. Welch contacted C. S. Lewis and through a heartfelt exchange asked him to speak for their Nation in dire need. Third Dart is thrilled to have Tony on board as we move closer to production. From playing a character in Lewis’ legendary work of fiction for children, to playing a man of history who helped Lewis accept his calling during WW II, Tony has much to offer our project…in his own words he says, “My life seems to have intersected with that of Jack and Tollers in so many ways. As a child growing up in England the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were part of our childhood. I remember clearly my cousin Peter and I avidly working our way through the Narnia adventures, and discussing them in great detail. In 2008 I was in France filming a documentary about my great grandfather who was killed in the Somme district in 1916. It turns out that Tolkien was at the very battlefield on the same day that my ancestor was killed. Who knows, maybe they passed one another. Of course stepping onto the deck of The Dawn Treader for over three months was amongst the most amazing experiences of my life. Whilst the part of James Welch is quite small in the sense of screen time it is an important part of the story of C.C Lewis and the history of the British people, at a grave time in the history of that nation. I am honoured to be trusted with this part of an amazing story.”
The film will focus on the friendship between C. S. “Jack” Lewis and J. R. R. “Tollers” Tolkien. The tentative release date for the film is fall 2015. News about the film’s progress can be found on the Facebook pages for Jack and Tollers and Third Dart Studios.
