Bill Nighy is no stranger to supernatural creatures. In the first three Underworld films he played Viktor, the powerful elder vampire; in A Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy he was the wonderfully-named alien Slartibartfast, and in the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies he played the squid-faced Davy Jones. Because of this, I don't expect him to have any trouble playing a demon in Stuart Beattie's I, Frankenstein.
According to Variety, Nighy is now in talks to play the central antagonist in the Frankenstein tale, which is already set to star Aaron Eckhart. The films tells the story of a monster named Adam (Eckhart) who is hounded by demons who wish to know just how he was created. Also playing for the bad side will be Socratis Otto, who will play one of Nighy's henchmen. In addition to directing, Beattie is also adapting the story which is based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux (who, funny enough, is one of the co-creators of the Underworld franchise). In addition to providing a voice for Arthur Christmas, which comes out next Wednesday, Nighy has a full plate of upcoming features, including Wrath of the Titans, Jack The Giant Killer, and the Total Recall remake.
The trade describes Nighy's role as a "demon prince" that has Otto's character hunt Adam down, so it sounds like the former will be spending a great deal of time in the shadows, but hopefully it all comes to an epic conclusion that features both characters squaring off. After all, what's the point of having two such great actors if you're not going to pit them directly against each other?
