Martin McDonagh of ‘In Bruges’ fame makes pet project ‘Seven Psychopaths’

TORONTO – For fans of “In Bruges,” the Oscar-nominated debut from director Martin McDonagh, there’s a lot to look forward to in his new film “Seven Psychopaths.”

The dark 2008 comedic crime caper about a conscience-stricken hitman — which earned McDonagh a best writing Academy Award nom and star Colin Farrell a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy — became a cult hit.

But despite the kudos, “In Bruges” wasn’t really the film McDonagh wanted to make. There was another idea that was nearer and dearer to his heart, as Farrell remembers it.

It was “Seven Psychopaths.”

“We were rehearsing ‘In Bruges’ and we were all marvelling at how much fun we were having with the script and the rehearsal process,” Farrell said during an interview with McDonagh at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival, where “Seven Psychopaths” premiered.

“And Martin said, ‘You think this is good? You should see my other one, “Seven Psychopaths.”‘ He said he was only doing ‘In Bruges’ to see if he liked shooting films then he was going to put all his energy into the one he really wanted to make, which was this.”

But after “In Bruges” wrapped, McDonagh decided to leave the film world behind for a few years to return to his first love, the theatre.

He staged “A Behanding in Spokane” on Broadway — starring soon-to-be “Seven Psychopaths” co-stars Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken, who was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor — before finally attempting to realize his dream film project.

“When he came back it all happened fairly quickly,” said Farrell. “It was just like picking up a conversation that we had punctuated lightly four years beforehand.”

Farrell stars as a Hollywood screenwriter struggling to develop his next big script, a shell of an idea tentatively called “Seven Psychopaths.” Further signalling there’s some meta story-within-a-story elements ahead, Farrell’s character is, not coincidentally, named Marty.

He is dragged into trouble — and unexpectedly creatively inspired —by his out-of-work best friend Billy, who makes ends meet by kidnapping dogs and collecting the reward money.

Turns out one of the pinched pooches belongs to a mobster, played by Woody Harrelson, another theatre veteran. The tough guy will do anything to get his beloved miniature-sized Shih Tzu back.

“I think Martin has really just a unique, wonderful, twisted sense of humour,” Harrelson says of his interest in the role, which was originally filled by Mickey Rourke until he pulled out.

“I have a little bit of a demented sense of humour myself so I do quite resonate with Martin.”

Rockwell called the witty, joke-a-minute script “a very actor-friendly piece.”

“It read like a (play) — it had the strength, the dialogue-meat of a play,” Rockwell said while seated next to Walken.

“If you come from the theatre as Chris and I do — Chris has done more — it’s always good to have that juicy dialogue.”

Farrell said it’s rare for actors to receive such sparkling scripts and it’s no surprise that a slew of A-listers jumped at “Seven Psychopaths.”

“I read a lot of scripts and they’re all derivations of each other. Every now and then you read something and it jumps out at you — every now and then. But nothing has jumped as extremely loud and high as the first time I read ‘In Bruges’ and then this,” he said.

“There’s an enormous amount of hilarity and comedy and yet beneath all that there are greater and more significant truths at play about friendship and guilt and remorse and ambition and identity and love and loss and all these grand operatic themes are explored — but in a way that doesn’t beat you over the head and doesn’t feel like it’s giving you a lesson.

“I’ve been a part of films that are so dour and so striving to say something important that you just feel like you’re being lectured — and that’s a disaster.”

“Seven Psychopaths” opens Friday.