Basterd's Fassbender Joins Screen Adaptation of A Single Shot

By Paige MacGregor

Although he had an extensive career in British film and television prior to his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, actor Michael Fassbender gained a significant foothold in American cinema after his performance in Tarantino’s most recent release. Now Fassbender joins actors William H. Macy and Thomas Haden Church in David Jacobson’s adaptation of Matthew F. Jones’ thriller novel A Single Shot, as was first reported Monday by Screen Daily.

Fassbender, whose horror experience includes the 2008 British thriller Eden Lake and 2009 horror drama Blood Creek, is an ideal candidate to play the protagonist from Jones’ novel, a poacher named John Moon. A Single Shot follows Moon through an unfortunate series of events; after accidentally killing a runaway girl while deer hunting, Moon finds evidence that the girl may not have been alone. After uncovering a large sum of money, Moon ends up on the run from a group of hardened killers with a suitcase full of money and a bull’s-eye on his head.

The novel’s action takes place over the course of seven days, and readers watch as Moon spirals deeper and deeper into a psychological meltdown in an attempt to evade his pursuers. The role of John Moon is thus a demanding one, and it is probably safe to assume that a great deal of the movie’s action will revolve around his character. For these reasons, Michael Fassbender is a perfect choice for the role given the intensity and diversity that he can portray onscreen.

Filming for A Single Shot will begin this summer, presumably after Fassbender finishes with David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method (Viggo Mortensen, Kiera Knightley, and Vincent Cassell). For more information on Michael Fassbender, visit the actor’s official IMDb page. For details on Jones’ novel, A Single Shot, you can visit the novel’s page on Amazon.com.