Filth to premiere in Scotland on September 27th

FILTH, the film based on the novel of the same name by Edinburgh author Irvine Welsh is set to be released in Scotland ahead of the rest of the UK and Ireland.

James McAvoy plays a corrupt policeman in Filth. Picture: Complimentary

Directed by Jon S. Baird, the film, starring James McAvoy as corrupt Edinburgh cop Bruce Robertson, will open in Scotland on September 27th this year, a week prior to its general release, and features a star-studded cast including Jamie Bell as fellow policeman Ray Lennox and Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent as Robertson’s psychiatrist Dr Verme Rossi.

Facing a promotion, Detective Sergeant Robertson stops at nothing to ensure his success, including turning his colleagues against each other, sleeping with their wives and ignoring everyone but the tapeworm that grows inside him.

The explosive ‘red-banded’ trailer for the film offers a brief glimpse of the dark and grimy world inhabited by Robertson, including (but not limited to) snorting cocaine and downing vodka in his car. It’s a far cry from the clean-cut Robbie Turner, portrayed by McAvoy in Atonement opposite Keira Knightley.

McAvoy and Jamie Bell in Filth. Picture: Complimentary

Despite the film’s ties with Edinburgh - part of it was filmed in the capital - there is no place for a premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Benefiting from Welsh’s input in both the screenplay and the production, Filth is the fourth work by the Leith-born novellist to be made into a film, following Trainspotting, the Acid House and Ecstasy.

Danny Boyle’s version of Porno - the long-awaited sequel to Trainspotting - is rumoured for release in 2016.

READ MORE

• In pictures: James McAvoy and Irvine Welsh on the set of Filth

• Film trailer: Explicit James McAvoy-starring clip unveiled