THE GUNS OF CHRISTMAS PAST: Liev Schreiber Cast as Gangster Scrooge

Liev Schreiber heads cast as a gangster in The Guns of Christmas Past

The Guns of Christmas Past finds Liev Schreiber as a casa nostra curmudgeon in the Dickens yuletide classic.

One of literature’s most infamous antiheroes is headed for another nightly haunting in The Guns of Christmas Past. Considering the title, what could have easily been reframed in the Frontier West will instead take place in Chicago — but could it be in the 1930’s Gangster Era? Sure, why not? That’s the real beauty of all timeless tales, as in this one of a miser’s rehabilitation; it’s a perennial, tried and true. Guns or gold, Tombstone or the South Side, any or all venues fit just as well.

This one has at least a few twists, though. Greed doesn’t drive this cold hearted hitman, but to avenge the death of his friend, presumably his once partner in crime Jacob Marley. But Scrooge comes out of retirement to do so. Which means there is no Bob Cratchit or Tiny Tim, unless (as I suspect) he picks them up along the way to the Windy City (unwillingly, too, betcha dollars to donuts). But even to this point, the plot is already rife with possibilities, and there may be good reason.

Scholars often cite this work as structurally perfect, and transitions of this quintessential holiday tale have made indelible marks in all genres: comedy, musicals, and animation. But its very first adaptation was bound for the stage in two months after its first publication in December 1843, eventually producing eight of them, in fact, by the 1844 Christmas season. (Of interest, one of the two models Dickens used for Scrooge was MP John Elwes — known then as ‘John the Miser’ — ancestor of acclaimed actor/writer Cary Elwes.)

While the plot has been treated to significant latitude and innovation, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is essentially character driven at its heart. As such, the casting of Ebenezer himself hauls the lion’s share of the weight, not just as the antagonist but one who chooses to redeem himself. In terms of performance, everyone has their own cherished exponent of the mean old misanthrope. Alastair Sim and George C. Scott consistently hit the top of available lists of favorites. But there are some that are lesser known — or nearly unknown, like the 1997 TV movie, Ms. Scrooge, starring Cicely Tyson as Ebenita Scrooge with Katherine Helmond as Maude Marley.

Both Andrew Hilton writing the script with avant garde French director Xavier Gens have solid roots in the horror/thriller genre, which underscores the slant of mob payback as suggested in the synopsis. And bearing in mind the iconic character he created in Ray Donovan, Liev Schreiber’s rendition of a skinflint mafioso at a midnight showdown with a bunch of phantoms is one not to be missed.

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