Braveheart sequel to be revealed at Edinburgh International Film Festival

A sequel to Braveheart which will see actor Angus Macfadyen reprise his role as Robert the Bruce is to get top billing at next month's Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The follow-up to Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning epic will get its world premiere at the festival shortly before its UK release on 28 June.

Billed as “a hard-hitting historical epic,” it will lead a line-up of major new Scottish films at the 73rd annual event.

Set several years after the events in Braveheart, which saw Gibson portray William Wallace, Robert the Bruce will chart the events which unfold over a long, harsh winter in in the Highlands when the injured warrior finds himself being hunted with a price on his head. He draws inspiration to resume the cause of Scottish independence after seeking refuge with a young widow and her orphan children in a secluded farm.

Angus Macfadyen has reprised his portrayal of Robert the Bruce nearly 25 years on from his appearance in Braveheart.

The film, which features a soundtrack of original songs by the iconic Scottish pop and rock singer Lulu, is said to “pick up where Braveheart left off in a thrilling, brutal and breathtaking fashion.”

It has been co-written by Macfadyen, who has declared that it will show how Robert the Bruce "rose from the ashes of his former self and became a hero who gave Scotland its independence."

Its EIFF premiere, which has been announced six months after the launch of the Netflix Robert the Bruce movie Outlaw King, is part of a star-studded line-up of home-grown movies and talent revealed today by the film festival.

The event will see another Braveheart actor, Brian Cox, star opposite Blythe Danner, the actress best known for her role as Marilyn in Will & Grace, in the American noir-thriller Strange But True.

Dundee-born director David Mclean will unveil Schemers, his semi-autobiographical story inspired by his experiences of working in the music industry in the city in the late-1970s and early 1980s.

Special events include a gala screening of all six episodes of Good Omens, the new TV series adapted from the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman novel, and starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen as a demon and angel respectively.

Actor-director Peter Mullan and composer Craig Armstrong will join forces at an in conversation event exploring their work together on films like Orphans and The Magdalene Sisters.

Jack Lowden, who starred in last year's EIFF best British film winner Calibre, will be back at the event to discuss his career to date, including roles in Dunkirk, Tommy's Honour and Mary Queen of Scots. He and actress Shauna Macdonald, who is best known for her roles in The Descent, Spooks and Filth, will be staging a special masterclass for young people at the festival.

Artistic director Mark Adams said: "The Edinburgh International Film Festival has a long history of supporting and showcasing the very best Scotland has to offer and 2019 will be no exception.

"I'm thrilled to be able to give this year’s audiences the chance to enjoy a huge range of films, talks, events and talent that highlight the very best of Scottish craftsmanship and skill.”

Paul Bush, director of events at national tourism agency VisitScotland, said: "Film tourism is booming in Scotland and it’s no wonder given the amazing breadth of work being produced that showcases our stunning urban and rural scenery.

"Together with the depth of Scottish talent on show, the Edinburgh International Film Festival is the perfect stage to showcase Scotland’s assets to the international film community, inspiring enthusiasts to visit and experience the best of our people, food, drink and music first hand."

The festival has already announced that the event will be opened by Edinburgh-born director Ninian Doff’s debut feature, comedy-horror movie Boyz in the Wood, which stars Eddie Izzard as a deranged Highlands huntsman.

It follows the events which unfold when four teenage troublemakers find themselves on the run from Izzard’s bloodthirsty character while they are on a Duke of Edinburgh Award course in the remote wilderness.

Newcomers Rian Gordon, Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja and Lewis Gribben, who play the youngsters being hunted down, are joined by Scots stars Kate Dickie, James Cosmo and Kevin Guthrie in the film.