Craig Fairbrass has teased that the next Rise of the Footsoldier film will push the long-running British crime franchise into bigger, more action-heavy territory – even joking that it is "as close as I'm going to get to Bond".
The actor, who has become synonymous with the role of notorious gangster Pat Tate, will return for the seventh film in the franchise, Rise of the Footsoldier: Redemption.
Speaking to Radio Times as TV channel LEGEND prepares to broadcast the first five films in the series, Fairbrass said the new instalment – which follows Pat to Ibiza on a mission to avenge the death of a friend – will be the biggest yet.
"This one, Rise of the Footsoldier: Redemption, is bigger than all of them," he said. "It was a tough shoot – three different countries – but we got it done. It took 18 months in post with visual effects.
"When you look at it closely, not one of them films is the same. You've got the comedy side of things, the thriller side of things, the uber violence. [Third film] The Pat Tate Story was very dark, and they've all been very, very different.
"This is more leaning towards explosive action. It really does. It's as close as I'm going to get to Bond, put it that way!
"It was a lot of fun to make, but seriously hard."
Fairbrass first played Tate in 2007's Rise of the Footsoldier, which was inspired by the real-life Rettendon murders of 1995, in which three men were found dead in a Range Rover in Essex.
Reflecting on his first memories of the case, Fairbrass said: "I was born in East London, and at the time when it all happened, I was taking my kids to school, and I remember hearing on the radio about these three guys who'd been murdered in this Range Rover.
"I thought, it's not an everyday occurrence that people are cold-bloodedly murdered like a hit in Essex. It fascinated me.
"So many people said to me, 'If they ever did a film about that, you'd be a great Pat Tate.'
View Green Video on the source website"I was out in the States doing a film called White Noise, and someone said, 'You're on the list to be seen.' I came home from LA and had a meeting with the guys at Carnaby and [writer/director] Julian Gilbey, who sent me the script.
"I read it, and I just thought, 'I'd kill to play that part.' It's one of those roles that comes along once in a lifetime – uber violent, a standout character, just a fascinating fella. When the guy died, I think he had about 10 different drugs inside his body on the autopsy…
"My memories of working on that film? We didn't stop laughing, put it that way. It was a lot of fun."
Fairbrass's performance proved to be one of the defining elements of the original film, with Tate later becoming the focus of spin-off entries including Rise of the Footsoldier 3: The Pat Tate Story.
"I came out of the first film really, really well," Fairbrass said. "It was a standout character. Everybody said, 'They should do a film about Tate – this crazy geezer, this mad man.'
"Then about 10 years passed, and they came to me and said, 'We've done our research – characters who worked, characters who didn't work – and we'd love to do The Pat Tate Story. Would you be up for it?'.
"The film turned out really well. It was one of Sky's biggest ever titles, and it's still a fan favourite of the franchise. The fascination for Pat just worked. The film worked. It just exploded."
Read more: Craig Fairbrass almost quit Footsoldier films – until new sequel lured him back
The series has since grown into one of the UK's most enduring crime franchises, with Fairbrass arguing that its success comes from a mix of real-life inspiration, heightened storytelling and a fiercely loyal audience.
"Everything that we've done has stemmed from something that happened in their lives," he said. "Then we've embellished on that, exaggerated and used theatrical licence to make it more entertaining and feed the fans.
"Without the fans, there are no films. This is the strongest British crime franchise ever. We've got a seventh movie on 200 screens in September, a wide release, and massive overseas global sales in Cannes.
"There's always been a fascination for crime films, British crime films, British gangster movies.... if you get it right, and we have got it right, the fans love the films. They really have taken to it.
"I think it's a neglected audience, because there's not a lot of these type of films made. This genre is a special genre. If it's a good story, you're gripped, you're strapped in. We managed to do that with Footsoldier... I still can't believe we made seven films."
Fans looking to revisit the franchise before Fairbrass returns as Tate can catch the first five Rise of the Footsoldier films on LEGEND.
The Rise of the Footsoldier films are broadcasting on LEGEND (Sky 148, Virgin Media 149, Freeview 41, Freesat 137), beginning Friday 19 June at 10:55pm.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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