Ewan McGregor Moves to TV for HBO’s “The Corrections”
Another actor is making a big career shift from film to television. Ewan McGregor is set to star in HBO’s The Corrections, which is based on the Johnathan Franzen novel of the same name. McGregor joins the pre-existing cast of Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper, who will be playing his parents. The plot centers on elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children and follows their lives from the mid 20th century right up until their last Christmas together near the turn of the millennium. McGregor’s role is Chip, the middle son, a Marxist who works for a Lithuanian crime boss after being fired from his professor job because he had an affair with a student. The roles of the other two children remain to be casted.
If you thought McGregor’s character had some issues, the daughter flees her marriage to begin an affair with a married man, and the son is completely overwhelmed by his children and wife, whom he is completely subordinate to. The Corrections will be produced by Scott Rudin and directed by Noah Baumbach, who also co-wrote the series with the novel’s author. Shooting doesn’t start until next year and the show is set to premiere in late 2012.
McGregor has had a successful ride as a movie star thus far, with roles in the newest Star Wars trilogy, the critically loved Beginners, and the upcoming Steven Soderbergh spy thriller Haywire, which looks awesome. Taking this into consideration, some may wonder why he made the move away from film and into television. While it’s true that McGregor has established himself pretty well in the film industry, I doubt he has much to worry about seeing as the move to TV isn’t like it used to be. Networks like HBO and Showtime have grown into major powerhouses with their fantastic original programing, attracting the attention of numerous Hollywood actors, actresses, and even directors, clamoring to be on board with various projects.
HBO’s newest editions of Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones are so large scale and cinematic that they don’t feel like television at all. Besides a brief role on ER all the way back in 1997, this will be McGregor’s first major role on a television series. Recently, HBO has been in the habit of renewing their new series very early on in the season – Boardwalk Empire was renewed for a second season the day following the premiere of the pilot. The Corrections adaptation promises to have HBO’s style on the dysfunctional family from the critically acclaimed novel, and is sure to only further Ewan McGregor’s career as an actor.
