The sequel to British blockbuster Trainspotting will start shooting in Scotland in May, actor Robert Carlyle has revealed.

Carlyle, who plays psycho Begbie in both movies, said the script for the new film is “absolutely fantastic” and stronger than the first film.

The actor joined Trainspotting’s literary author Irvine Welsh at The Usher Hall in Edinburgh to mark 20 years since the original movie.

The pair also predicted the sequel will contain a nod to the original movie’s Britpop, punk and house soundtrack.

Welsh revealed he was initially sceptical about 1990s Britpop artists featuring in a movie based on his book about 1980s Edinburgh drug culture.

Carlyle said: “Without giving anything away, there’s a moment in the script where Renton goes to his room back in Edinburgh, which hasn’t changed from back in the day. He goes to his record collection and has a flick through, and I imagine you will see some of the titles.

“When I read the screenplay last year I was very moved by that. It was quite emotional because this music is as much part of the soundtrack of my life as the film’s.

“It’s in there but I genuinely don’t know what Danny’s (Danny Boyle) plans are with the music. There will be a nod to it, I would imagine.”

Welsh said: “A lot of the artists like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and some of the house stuff was in the book, but I couldn’t really see the Britpop stuff working.

“I was completely wrong about that. The genius of the original soundtrack was it gave it a sense of place, a sense of time, and helped make it into such an iconic film.

“It was so low budget that I was getting artists that we knew involved, who basically give us something for nothing to license the tracks.”