Ray Stevenson (RRR) has joined the cast of the historical drama 1242: Gateway to the West. He is taking over the role that was previously held by Kevin Spacey, who was kicked off the project last year due to the numerous charges against him.
1242 sees Stevenson join a cast that includes Jeremy Neumark-Jones (The Feed), Genevieve Florence (Avenue 5) Eric Roberts (The Righteous Gemstones), Michael Ironside (Condor’s Nest), Neil Stuke (I Used to Be Famous), David Schofield (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) and Bold Choimbol in his feature debut.
1242: Gateway to the West follows Eusebius, “a profoundly spiritual man (Neumark-Jones) of Hungarian Castle Esztergom who must confront and halt the Great Mongolian Army led by Batu Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan (Choimbol), from invading Europe in 1242. The story focuses on their unlikely meeting during the Mongolian Lunar New Year when hostilities are paused.”
Stevenson will portray Papal Legate Cesareani, “a secret Mongol ally who plays a key role as go-between.”
Stevenson’s previous roles have included Titus Pullo in HBO’s Rome, Othere in Vikings, Frank Castle/The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone and Volstagg in Marvel’s Thor films. He’s also starred in The Other Guys, The Book of Eli, Memory and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. He also also done voice work in Star Wars: Rebels and the final season of The Clone Wars as Gar Saxon, a Mandalorian warrior who first fights for Darth Maul before joining the Empire. He is set to appear in Star Wars live-action as a different character in Ahsoka.
1242: Gateway to the West is being directed by Péter Soós from a script written by Áron Horváth and Joan Lane. It is currently filming in Budapest, Hungary.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
