pierce brosnan january 15th 2009

January 15th, 2009

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! Here’s to 2010 and what I believe will be a good year for us all!

These next few months will be particularly busy as I have four films soon to be released. Each film has been memorable in its own small way. Working with Roman Polanski on “The Ghost Writer” was amazing. As an actor, I felt the presence of the movie every day on the set. Roman’s energy knows no bounds. He is in constant motion and never misses a beat. Having watched just about every film this talented director has ever made was like stepping back in time. One day I was sitting on the camera dolly as Roman was directing a scene, and there lay a small leather pouch burnished with time, with his viewfinder inside. The viewfinder was like some talisman that had seen the faces of countless actors before me. The numbers were so faint that they had to be painted on tape. And when I looked through it, I could see the scratches, dust and grime that had worn away the lens. The viewfinder was never far from his hand or discerning eye. “The Ghost Writer” starring Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Eli Wallach, Timothy Hutton, Jim Belushi and Tom Wilkinson will make its debut at the Berlin Film Festival Friday, February 12th and is set to be released domestically on February 19th.

“The Greatest” is a movie I produced with Beau Marie St. Claire, my partner at Irish DreamTime. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival but the company that purchased the film collapsed. Thank God for Mark Thurman and Paladin Entertainment who will now release the film March 26th. I think this film will leave an indelible impression on families who have lost a child, and who have suffered the agony that befalls them in the months thereafter. “The Greatest” has heart, soul, and a sense of hope. It was written and directed by Shana Feste, who made her debut as a first time director with this inspired independent feature film. (Well, actually, she is onto her second movie, but this was where it all started for her.) I also got to work with one of the most beautiful, sexy and candid women in the cinema, Susan Sarandon. I knew she was interested in making “The Greatest,” so I called her up, and left a message that I was going to produce a small feature film in New York and that I would love for her to be a part of it. I said I was ready to jump in and do it… “why not?” She called back and said, “You got me with “why not?” “The Greatest” also features the luminous Carey Mulligan, an actress who will enthrall us all for many years to come.

I spent a couple months last summer going back and forth to Vancouver to film “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief.” It had been a long time since “Mrs. Doubtfire” and it was a great honor to work with director Chris Columbus again. The ensemble cast includes Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Melina Kanakaredes, and Logan Lerman. My young sons Dylan and Paris are over the moon that I am playing Professor Brunner who transforms into Chiron. Chiron is a centaur… half man, half horse…yes, I play a horse’s ass. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief” opens on the big screen February 12th.

I also shot “Remember Me” with Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, Emilie de Ravin and the dashing Robert Pattinson, during the summer of 2009. We all found ourselves in the heart of Manhattan and Brooklyn surrounded by a couple hundred screaming teenage girls every day. For any young actor to be thrown into the ferocious limelight as Robert has been – must take its toll. He worked very hard and I wish him every success. Robert acquainted himself grandly. “Remember Me” will be in theaters March 19th.

Whatever warms your heart…

Whatever makes you smile…

Whatever brings you love and laughter…

May they be yours throughout 2010.

See you at the movies.

Love and only love,