After making his name in the U.K. as a child actor, Dexter Fletcher became known to wider audiences after a starring role in Guy Ritchie’s break-out British gangster flick “Lock, stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” Be it on television or on the big screen, Fletcher has been a near constant presence for U.K. audiences ever since – and thanks to being the great guy that he is, there was a lot of accumulated goodwill towards the actor when he turned his hand to directing for the first time this year with “Wild Bill.” Starring Charlie Creed-Miles (“Harry Brown”), Will Poulter (“Son of Rambow”) and a smattering of Fletcher’s friends in smaller roles (Neil Maskell, Jaime Winstone, Andy Serkis, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng etc.) the film was met with mostly positive notices.
Fresh off that success, and now with a feature behind him that proves he can deliver, Fletcher is gearing up to direct a full-blown western titled “Provenance.” "I've always loved westerns but have never been able to be in one," Fletcher told The Guardian. And while Fletcher will be setting his western in Arizona he’ll still be populating it with Londoners – they’ll be heading to the frontier towns of the American West to seek their fortune. "I tried to work a lot western ideas into 'Wild Bill' and I feel really lucky to be able to actually get to make one of my own, in real western country," Fletcher added. And he’s secured himself one hell of a Londoner to lead his cast too – the one and only Mark Strong. The pair are old friends – Strong he was originally set to play Jason Flemyng’s role in “Wild Bill” – and have starred together in the likes of “Layer Cake” and “Kick-Ass”.
Strong will join young Sammy Williams (“Wild Bill,” “Attack the Block”) in Fletcher’s sophomore feature which the Guardian quite rightly predicts will likely soon add a handful of Dexter’s other mates to its cast. Strong’s a great lead for Fletcher to have secured – he’s a face that’s recognisable on both sides of the pond, and someone who’s as synonymous with small but ambitious features (“Welcome to the Punch,” “The Guard,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” etc.) as he is with bigger blockbusters (“John Carter,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Green Lantern” etc.). “Provenance” will undoubtedly fall into the former category, and Fletcher will probably hope to pepper his film with similarly recognisable faces – and maybe even his own this time?
