Return of the Saint has a Shropshire twist
Shropshire-born actor Adam Rayner has landed one of the most iconic roles in screen history after being cast as the Saint.
The 35-year-old, who was born in Shrewsbury, is playing silver-tongued Simon Templar in a pilot edition of what producers hope will be commissioned for a full series.
Two of his most famous predecessors in the role, Sir Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy, both have cameos in the show.
Rayner was last seen on our screens opposite Melissa George in the BBC's gritty crime thriller, Hunted, in which he played a spy suspected of betraying his closest friend.
s Hawthorne, Waking The Dead, and Dragon Age: Redemption, while his film credits include revenge drama Straightheads, shot around Cleobury Mortimer.
The Saint has not been seen since Val Kilmer played the role in a critically-panned 1997 movie. There have been several attempts to resurrect the character for television, with the likes of Dougray Scott and James Purefoy linked to the project.
The new pilot is an American production, shooting in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Gstaad in the Swiss Alps, and backed by Sir Roger Moore and his son Geoffrey.
Sir Roger, who has just filmed his cameo in the Swiss location near his home, joked: "Every generation needs a Saint. Adam is younger and better looking – I hate him!"
He said the latest incarnation was grittier than his own interpretation, which made him a global icon during his 118 episodes in the 1960s. "In my day Simon Templar wasn't even allowed to own a gun, and though he had a knife, you weren't allowed to see it up against someone's face."
Although Rayner was born in Shropshire, he grew up in the Norwich area. With an American mother and British father, he spent much of his childhood in the US.
Jim Martin, who is co-producing the new pilot, said: "We have a very fun and interesting new take on The Saint. It's not a reboot and it's not a remake. You know how JJ Abrams managed to create the new Star Trek franchise without burning the longtime Trekkies and Trekkers? Well, we know that the long history of Simon Templar has borne a ton of Saint fans, and we plan on embracing that fan base."
