News

Exclusive: Gersh has signed actor Ben Barnes for representation in all areas.

Barnes can be seen in BAFTA-winning director Anand Tucker’s crime drama The Critic, opposite Mark Strong, Ian McKellen, and Gemma Arterton, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival. It’s set for release in the UK on September 13.

Barnes is maybe best known for his lead role as General Kirigan in Eric Heisserer’s popular Netflix series Shadow and Bone, based on the bestselling novels by Leigh Bardugo.

Prior to Shadow and Bone, Barnes starred opposite Crispin Glover in a mind-bending episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s Emmy nominated anthology series, Cabinet of Curiosities and most recently played a lead role opposite Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, and Himesh Patel in the latest season of the award-winning Netflix series Black Mirror. His other recent credits include the lead role of Benjamin Greene in the BBC limited series Gold Digger,...

BAFTA-nominated Irish actor Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy) has signed on to lead a stage adaptation of Bruce Robinson’s 1987 cult tragi-comedy Withnail and I at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre alongside actors Adonis Siddique and Malcolm Sinclair.

Directed by the double Olivier Award-winning Sean Foley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, and designed by Alice Power, the show will premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with performances from 3 May until 25 May 2024.

The adaption was written by Robinson. The original film was based on an unpublished novel by Robinson and was produced by Handmade Films, with Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, and Richard Griffiths leading. On stage, Sheehan will star as Withnail while Siddique is Marwood, and Malcolm Sinclair is Uncle Monty.

Sheehan made his acting debut in Aisling Walsh’s acclaimed feature Song For A Raggy Boy. Since then, his screen credits include Season of the Witch, Cherrybomb, Killing Bono, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,...

Cast also includes Ellie Bamber, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the crossbow warrior who shot an arrow through an apple on his son’s head and launched the struggle for Swiss independence.

Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and...

Cast also includes Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the Swiss crossbow warrior.

Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions have also released a first look of...

With a limited theatrical release on February 11th and a VOD release on February 15th, here's a look at the trailer for Here Before, directed by Stacey Gregg and starring Andrea Riseborough:

"Andrea Riseborough (Black Mirror) is spellbinding as the distraught mother, haunted by the death of her young daughter, who develops an all-consuming obsession over the neighbor's girl who she believes is the reincarnation of her child.

When new neighbors move in, Laura (Riseborough) is awakened from her mundane daily routine of errands and exercise. She becomes transfixed by their young daughter, Megan (astonishing newcomer Niamh Dornan). Megan’s parents Marie and Chris, initially don’t seem to mind as Laura offers Megan a ride home from school and an invitation to dinner.

Her husband Brendon grows concerned as his wife’s infatuation with the young girl spirals into increasingly erratic behavior. Eerily, Megan seemingly knows far too...

Like so many actors fortunate enough to work over the past year, there was a two-week stretch last fall when Ben Barnes found himself sequestered alone in a Canadian hotel room. He was there for “Shadow and Bone,” the new fantasy series Netflix hopes will become one of its signature genre franchises alongside “The Witcher” and “Stranger Things.” The show had largely wrapped production just before the pandemic lockdown, but Barnes still needed to film some final scenes as the powerful and mysterious General Kirigan, also known as the Darkling, who possesses the ability to control darkness and wield it as a deadly weapon.

Before he could dive back into all that, though, there was that pesky mandatory quarantine to endure. So to pass the time, Barnes started making his own music.

“I managed to buy this very small keyboard off of a Facebook marketplace thing,” he explained over Zoom...

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.

The Filmmakers Podcast #178: Piers Tempest on Producing The Wife, Killing Bono, Churchill,...

Exclusive: Nick Hamm, director of movies Driven and The Journey and new Netflix series White Lines, is launching London- and L.A.-based entertainment company Free Turn.

Hamm is teaming with ex-wpp agency executive Jon Hamm on the firm which will be a hybrid film and TV production outfit and creative advertising agency. The brothers previously co-founded Greenroom Digital which they sold to Ipg in 2009.

Also aboard at Free Turn are Firecracker Films co-founder Jeremy Groman, who will take the role of Chief Creative Officer, and former Wpp agency growth director Gemma Batterby, who will run the business as Managing Director.

Hamm is currently in pre-production on Free Turn’s first movie. Factual will be under the guidance of Groman, whose recent projects include ESPN’s World’s Fastest Gamer. The company says it has already inked deals with Svod and Ott services “to exclusively create brand-funded entertainment for their...

The First and Electric Dreams commissioner Simon Maxwell is set to leave his role as Head of International Drama at UK network Channel 4 to set up an Endeavor Content-backed production company.

The company, as yet unnamed, marks Endeavor Content’s first scripted TV partnership in the UK. It will focus on focus on producing premium drama series for the UK, U.S. and international markets.

Maxwell will leave his position at the end of the year, having overseen a number of global dramas orchestrated by Channel 4 including AMC co-pro Humans, Hulu’s Beau Willimon space drama The First, which was co-financed by Endeavor Content, Philip K Dick Amazon co-pro Electric Dreams as well as forthcoming titles such as Bathsheba Doran’s Traitors, Lucy Kirkwood’s Chimerica and George Clooney’s Catch 22.

Most recently a network executive, but Maxwell is also a creative; having created, written and exec produced Fox International drama Deep State,...

Director Nick Hamm’s John DeLorean biopic “Driven” will close this year’s Venice Film Festival, the festival announced Monday.

The world premiere of “Driven” will screen on Sept. 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia, immediately after the awards ceremony for the 75th annual festival.

Set in early 1980s California, the fact-based story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean, (Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (Jason Sudeikis).

The cast also includes Judy Greer (“Ant-Man”) as Hoffman’s strong-willed wife, Ellen, and Corey Stoll (“House of Cards“) as ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.

Hamm, whose previous directing credits include “Killing Bono” and “The Journey,” directed from an original screenplay by Colin Bateman (“The Journey”). The film,...

Hamm’s previous films include ‘The Journey’ and ’Killing Bono’.

The world premiere of Driven, directed by the UK’s Nick Hamm, will be the closing film of the 75th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 8.

It will play out of competition at the festival with the screening following the awards ceremony.

Set in early 1980s California and inspired by true events, Driven follows the friendship between John DeLorean and FBI informant Jim Hoffman as DeLorean’s motor company starts to find success.

Directed by Hamm from a screenplay by Colin Bateman, with whom he collaborated on The Journey,...

Driven, charting the rise of John DeLorean and his iconic gull-winged car — made internationally famous by Back to the Future — has been named as the closing film of the Venice International Film Festival.

The film, directed by Nick Hamm (The Journey, Killing Bono) and starring Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hobbit), Jason Sudeikis (Downsizing), Judy Greer (Ant-Man) and Corey Stoll (House of Cards), will get its world premiere out of competition at the festival on September 8.

“Venice is an inspiring festival with an incredible audience," said Hamm. "I am both honoured and delighted to ...

Driven, charting the rise of John DeLorean and his iconic gull-winged car — made internationally famous by Back to the Future — has been named as the closing film of the Venice International Film Festival.

The film, directed by Nick Hamm (The Journey, Killing Bono) and starring Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hobbit), Jason Sudeikis (Downsizing), Judy Greer (Ant-Man) and Corey Stoll (House of Cards), will get its world premiere out of competition at the festival on September 8.

“Venice is an inspiring festival with an incredible audience," said Hamm. "I am both honoured and delighted to ...

The film was backed by the BFI and Creative England.

Filming has wrapped in the UK on Ben Bond’s post-Brexit love story The Drifters, which is backed by Creative England and the BFI.

A quartet of rising stars head the cast: Lucie Bourdeu (Kings For A Day), Jonathan Ajayi (known for the stage play revival of Brothers Size by Moonlight’s Tarell Alvin McCraney), Tom Sweet (Childhood Of A Leader) and Ariyon Bakare (Star Wars: Rogue One).

The Drifters follows Kofi, an illegal African migrant, and Fanny, a French waitress, who both find themselves homeless.

The film is produced...

Exclusive: Company reveals debut slate of comedy, horror projects.

Fledgling UK production outfit Bad Owl Films has launched its debut slate, including two features made with India’s Cinestaan.

Ben Bond [pictured], whose credits include Killing Bono as a writer and the upcoming The Hungry as executive producer, will head up the company as creative director, alongside producer Iona Sweeney.

Former Screen Star of Tomorrow Andy Brunskill will provide consulting services.

Bond is the co-founder of commercials and TV production outfit Hoot Comedy, where Sweeney is head of broadcast. Going forward, they will continue in their positions at both companies.

Their new outfit Bad Owl Films will aim to produce between one and two feature films a year, focused on comedy and horror, with budgets in the £1-15m range.

Films on the company’s initial slate include: The Hungry, made in collaboration with Film London and Cinestaan, which is a retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy Titus Andronicus and stars...

“We are Ireland. We are inevitable.”

Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s The Journey, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.

In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.

Driven by two virtuoso central performances, The Journey is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)

I recently spoke with the director of The Journey, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic The Hole (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller Godsend (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.

Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.

During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of The Journey.

We Are Movie Geeks: The Journey is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?

Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (Dup). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.

We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.

Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.

Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.

We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.

Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.

We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?

Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.

The Journey for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.

We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, The Journey was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?

Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm

We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.

Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.

We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.

Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.

We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?

Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.

Plus Sinn Féin and the Dup (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.

We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?

Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the Dup doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.

We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and Hulu, etc.

Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.

We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?

Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, Driven. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from The Journey’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.

Synopsis:

Driven is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.

Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.

From IFC Films, see The Journey in theaters now.

The post The Journey – Filmmaker Nick Hamm Discusses His New Film appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

MaryAnn’s quick take… This fictional dialogue inspired by a private meeting between real-life enemies can’t muster up more than the usual banalities about the ethics of politics and war. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Now, it is true that in 2006, during the Northern Ireland peace process, enemy leaders Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness had a private meeting, after which real progress was made and a power-sharing government for the country was formed with them as, respectively, first minister and deputy first minister. The men had never even spoken before: with Paisley as head of the extremely conservative, pro-uk Democratic Unionist Party and McGuinness as former head of the independence-seeking Irish Republican Army and member of the left-wing political party Sinn Féin, they were almost literally mortal enemies on opposite sides of the...

There's a movie currently in development called Driven, which tells the true story of maverick car designer John DeLorean. It was announced that Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace, and Timothy Olyphant will star in the film. The story of which follows an FBI sting operation that was set up to entrap DeLorean.

According to Deadline, Sudeikis will play Jim Hoffman, "a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs." Olyphant takes on the role of his handler, "determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean." Pace will play John DeLorean, who is "desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s."

The story behind DeLorean is a fascinating one, and it should make for a great film, especially with this incredible cast! The movie is being directed by Nick Hamm (The Journey,...

Author: Zehra Phelan

We are pleased to launch an exclusive first look at Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney in the UK poster for The Journey – the story of two of Northern Ireland’s political forces, loyalist Ian Paisley and former Ira Commander Martin McGuinness, forced together over the final peace agreement, who reluctantly begin to form a bond.

Related: Timothy Spall on playing David Irving in Denial

The poster in which Spall looks uncannily like how Ben Stiller would look in his dotage depicts both men in their stature of power yet divided by the title, a reference to the division of Ireland as it stands, in both its political and religious beliefs.

The Hole and Killing Bono director, Nick Hamm, takes the helm to bring to life a script from screenwriter and former journalist, Colin Bateman. Joining Meaney and Spall is somewhat of a stellar cast with Toby Stephens (Believe,...

In the aftermath of a brutal war between the living dead and the strictly living, a zombie safari offers a unique type of therapy and closure for traumatized survivors, but as our exclusive clip from the new horror film The ReZort shows, a new battle may just be beginning within the shores of the eerie island attraction.

Today, Content Media released The ReZort on digital platforms in the Us, and as a special treat for Daily Dead readers, they provided us with the exclusive clip below. (Fear The Walking Dead fans will especially want to keep an eye out for Dougray Scott as Archer.)

We also have the official press release with full details, and in case you missed it, check out this image gallery from The ReZort.

Press Release: Jurassic World” meets “The Walking Dead” in The Rezort, releasing on all major digital platforms in North America on January 17th 2017, courtesy of Content Media.

The theatrical and VOD / Digital HD release of Dagen Merrill's Atomica from Syfy Films is slated for mid-March, and casting as well as a synopsis for the film kicks off today's Horror Highlights. Also: info on The Bye Bye Man soundtrack from the Newton Brothers, images and release details for the zombie film The ReZort, and a trailer for Hostage to the Devil.

Atomica Release Details & Still: Press Release: "New York, NY -- January 11, 2017 -- Syfy Films is pleased to announce the release of the anticipated sci-fi thriller Atomica, in theaters on March 17, 2017, and on VOD and Digital HD on March 21, 2017. The film is directed by Dagen Merrill (“Beneath,” “Broken Hill,” “Murder in the Dark”) and written by Kevin Burke (“Ultimate Spider-Man,” Marvel’s “Avengers Assemble,” “Beneath”), Fred Fernandez-Armesto and Adam Gyngell. The cast includes Dominic Monaghan (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Pet”), Tom Sizemore (“Saving Private Ryan,...

Estimated £100m ($145m) of tax repayments claimed through fraudulent film investment scheme.

Four UK film executives have been found guilty of operating a fraudulent film investment scheme that was used to claim an estimated £100m ($145m) of tax repayments.

The men were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court after they were shown to have falsely claimed to have invested £275m ($400m) in feature films and used offshore companies to hide their activities, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The four executives comprise former Little Wing Films partners Charles Savill and Keith Hayley; Robert Bevan, a former co-director at film sales company Salt; and Monaco-based accountant and corporate services provider Norman Leighton.

More than 275 investors contributed more than £76m ($110m) to the scheme, according to Hm Revenue & Customs. The scheme used tax breaks to attract investment from footballers, investment bankers and a pop star.

The men claimed to have spent more than £250m ($365m) on pre-production and development...

Exclusive: La production outfit takes rights to Iraq war story.

Fledgling La-based film and TV production outfit Benattar/Thomas Productions, headed by UK executive Nigel Thomas (Killing Bono) and Us producer Rick Benattar (Ironclad), has bought rights to Iraq war book Sniper One.

The producers are aiming to move the film into production in 2016.

Written by former British soldier Sgt. Dan Mills, the account tells the true story of a British sniper unit sent into Iraq only to find themselves engaged in a full scale combat operation against overwhelming odds.

The men were besieged for six months, vastly outnumbered and with little help of rescue.

The book was brought to Benattar/Thomas by Tom Hopper, best known for his role as Billy Bones in Black Sails, who recently starred in the Benattar/Thomas feature The Fixer, which just wrapped principal photography in Ireland.

Hopper will serve as co-producer on the project as will Dan Mills.

Thomas [pictured...

Exclusive: La production outfit takes rights to Iraq war story.

Fledgling La-based film and TV production outfit Benattar/Thomas Productions, headed by UK executive Nigel Thomas (Killing Bono) and Us producer Rick Benattar (Ironclad), has bought rights to Iraq war novel Sniper One.

The producers are aiming to move the film into production in 2016.

Written by former British soldier Sgt. Dan Mills, the novel tells the true story of a British sniper unit sent into Iraq only to find themselves engaged in a full scale combat operation against overwhelming odds.

The men were besieged for six months, vastly outnumbered and with little help of rescue.

The book was brought to Benattar/Thomas by Tom Hopper, best known for his role as Billy Bones in Black Sails, who recently starred in the Benattar/Thomas feature The Fixer, which just wrapped principal photography in Ireland.

Hopper will serve as co-producer on the project as will Dan Mills.

Thomas [pictu...

Shooting has just started on Nick Hamm's Irish political dramedy The Journey, and with that comes the first still. Have a look at Timothy Spall playing Protestant loyalist firebrand the Reverend Dr Ian Paisley, and Colm Meaney as the republican Sinn Féin politician Martin McGuinness.The film focuses on the time during the Northern Ireland Peace Process when - unthinkable in previous years - the two sworn enemies put their past actions behind them and begin to forge a friendship that allowed them to move forward. The drama takes place over a short trip the pair made together, by the end of which they were both changed - the journey of the title referring to more than just miles. Some wags even began referring to them as The Chuckle Brothers.Also in the cast are Toby Stephens as Prime Minister Tony Blair; Freddie Highmore as Jack, the young government...

Im Global’s The Journey begins production in Belfast.

Shooting has begun on The Journey, a dramatic comedy inspired by a turning point in British and Irish history.

The film focuses on the improbable friendship between two Northern Ireland political titans and implacable enemies, Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney).

The plot of the film centres on a fictional journey Paisley and McGuinness take together that leads them to forge a friendship.

Additional cast includes Toby Stephens (Believe) as Prime Minister Tony Blair, Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as a young government employee tasked to drive Paisley and McGuinness on their journey, and John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as an accomplished veteran political fixer overseeing the St. Andrews Agreement.

Nick Hamm (The Hole, Killing Bono) directs, from a script by County Down-born novelist and screenwriter Colin Bateman.

Independent studio Im Global is financing the film through its Acclaim speciality division, in association...

Robert Sheehan broke hearts when he departed E4's cult series Misfits after two series five years ago, but it's a decision he doesn't regret today.

Since then, he has starred in the Irish drama Love/Hate and several movies including The Mortal Instruments and Killing Bono, and will next be seen taking on Shakespeare in Trevor Nunn's production of Wars of the Roses.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said that he was a rather precocious young actor and was desperate to try other things after Misfits.

"A lot of bollocks was chatted," he said. "A lot of manure was coming out of my mouth during that time. It was very encouraged of us, the five main actors, to be irreverent and silly and f**k around and have a laugh. They never chastised us more than they absolutely had to. We were always encouraged to be disobeying little...

My! Conversations between the living and the head are rarely as haunting as the one featured in our exclusive clip from The Messenger. The supernatural horror film stars Robert Sheehan, who has been very impressive as the lead in upbeat, more cheerful movies such as Killing Bono and Moonwalkers. Here he shows his darker side. And yes, he can talk to dead people, but, as you might imagine, they have very unpleasant stories to tell. From the official synopsis: The Messenger is set in the ghostly netherworld between life and death. We all want to believe in life after death and imagine loved ones looking over us, feel their presence in a draft of air - knowing they wait for us. But Jack (Robert Sheehan)...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Joining Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, the trio of thesps have signed on for the dramatic comedy about a turning point in Irish and British history. Helmed by Nick Hamm (The Hole, Killing Bono) from a script by Colin Bateman (Divorcing Jack), The Journey is slated to begin production on Sept. 28 in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Oscar-nominated Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Elephant Man) will play Harry, an accomplished veteran political fixer overseeing the St…...

Screen Producers Australia has confirmed its international executive lineup for the Screen Forever 2015 International Partnership Market.

This year's lineup will include International Drama Commissioner, UK broadcaster Channel 4, Simon Maxwell; Voltage Pictures. Vice President, Acquisitions and Development, Babacar Diene (Us); A24 Chief Operating Officer Matthew Bires (Us); All3 Media International Head of Acquisitions, Maartje Horchner (UK); and Acquisitions Executive Emily Gotto from international sales company Protagonist (Us).

The Screen Forever International Partnership Market takes place during Screen Forever 2015 conference, which runs from November 17-19 at the Crown Conference Centre in Melbourne.

Screen Producers Australia Chief Executive Matthew Deaner said he was delighted to have such highly regarded executives participating.

"Each brings with them outstanding experience in developing and overseeing critically and commercially successful productions for film and television around the world," he said..

.Through Screen Forever and the International Partnership Market, the international participants, along with those still to be announced,...

Drama will document the Protestant leader’s unlikely road towards friendship with his longterm political enemy, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness

Timothy Spall looks set to play the Reverend Ian Paisley in the Northern Ireland Troubles drama The Journey, which will document the firebrand politician’s unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness.

Deadline reports Spall is in advanced discussions to portray the late Democratic Unionist party leader in a role with significant awards season potential. Belfast-born Nick Hamm, best known for 2001’s The Hole and 2011’s Killing Bono, is set to direct from a screenplay by Divorcing Jack’s Colin Bateman.

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Like Monty Python without the comedy, or at least without the intentional comedy. Jeff Bridges’ saving throw against the Phoning It In curse fails! I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): the trailer looked boring and generic

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Something about creatures of the dark and a Blood Moon and a young man (poor Ben Barnes: Killing Bono) who’s sure he’s destined for more than moisture farming– er, I mean, pig farming, and the 20th-level mage who will teach him to battle the creatures of the dark who are rising because of the Blood Moon and stuff. “Signs of evil are everywhere,” says that one unnamed character and you’ll just have to take his word on that because they were saving up the FX budget for the final CGI creature battle.

St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us, and for those who just want to celebrate the national holiday with their feet up in front of the t.v., Netflix have got you covered with a wide range of Irish movies and talent, from Michael Fassbender to the late, great Dermot Morgan, to keep it an infinitely entertaining Paddy's Day. Irish Comedies The Stag A groom-to-be agrees to a bachelor party in the great outdoors, but the weekend takes a turn for the weird when the bride's boorish brother shows up – Stars Andrew Scott & Amy Huberman. Frank An aspiring musician joins a band of eccentrics led by an enigmatic singer -- who wears a fake head -- and his unstable girlfriend. Stars Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson. Killing Bono Determined to be a rock star, a Dublin boy starting his own band prevents his brother from joining a group formed by...

Jack O’Connell is the most exciting young actor to break out in years, and he makes this overly familiar film worth your time… if only just. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

First of all: Jack O’Connell. This guy is the most exciting young actor to break out in years. He’s been around British TV for a while, but his recent one-two feature-film punch of Starred Up and ’71 (the latter of which will open in the U.S. in February 2015) put him in the not-to-be-ignored list. He’s a chameleon onscreen, all but unrecognizable from one role to another: you’d be hard-pressed to see either the brash, already hardened Londoner teen felon of Starred Up or the earnest, terrified young British soldier of ’71 in...

Britain’s Channel 4 is embellishing its strategy with a new purview to invest in international drama co-productions. The net, which already invests in original British drama as well as boundary-pushing factual entertainment, is joining the likes of ITV, the BBC and Sky in its bid to spread its wings. To spearhead the initiative, former Red Arrow Entertainment Head of Drama & Comedy, Simon Maxwell, is joining Channel 4 in the newly created role of Head of International Drama. Maxwell launched the Red Arrow Group’s UK scripted operation and has worked with U.S. broadcasters including NBC and History Channel. Prior to Red Arrow, he was Head of Film & TV at indie Greenroom Entertainment where he ran a slate that included DirecTV crime drama Rogue. He also exec produced feature Killing Bono, for which he co-wrote the screenplay. Channel 4′s move towards international co-pros should see it benefit from...

What:

The 19th European Union Film Festival in India brings a unique collection of European films, this time showcasing different aspects of youth and the young.

When:

28 February-11 March 2014

Entry:

Free.

Venue:

British Council Division

17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg

New Delhi 110001

About the Program:

Schedule of the film screening:

Killing Bono, 28 February 6 Pm

114 mins/United Kingdom

Sneakers, 01 March 6 Pm

(110 mins/Bulgaria)

Bright Vision, 01 March 8 Pm

119 mins/ Ireland

Love me or Leave me, 02 March 6 Pm

95 mins / Slovakia

Hope is a strange place, 02 March 8 Pm

115 mins/ Portugal

Love like Poison, 03 March 6 Pm

92 mins/ France

Garbage Prince, 04 March 6 Pm

100 mins/ Finland

Aching Hearts, 04 March 8 Pm

125 mins/ Denmark

Fresh Air, 05 March 6 Pm

109 mins/ Hungary

Lessons of a Dream, 05 March 8 Pm

113 mins/ Germany

Don’t Be Afraid, 06 March 6 Pm

90 mins/ Spain

You Am I, 06 March 8 Pm

90 mins/ Lithuania

Easy, 09 March 6 Pm

97 mins/ Italy

The Brides, 09 March 8 Pm

123 mins/ Greece

Breathing, 10 March 6 Pm

93 mins/ Austria

On The Sky,...

A seemingly ordinary young woman discovers a hidden world and an extraordinary destiny in The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, the eagerly anticipated big-screen adaptation of the first book of Cassandra Clare’s blockbuster fantasy adventure series, The Mortal Instruments.

Clarissa “Clary” Fray (Lily Collins) has been living quietly in Brooklyn for as long as she can remember, when she suddenly begins to see startling and seemingly impossible things. Just as suddenly, her single mom (Lena Headey) disappears after a violent struggle. As she and her best friend Simon (Robert Sheehan) search for her mother, Clary begins to uncover the dark secrets and darker threats in the hidden world of the Shadowhunters, angel-human warriors who have protected humanity from evil forces for centuries.

Surrounded by demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other supernatural denizens of the Shadow World, Clary joins forces with young Shadowhunters Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower), Isabelle (Jemima West...

Another one-sheet has arrived in promotion of Seventh Son, and this one features Killing Bono's Ben Barnes as some kind of...well, who knows, because this poster tells me nothing. Check it out, and look for more soon.

Seventh Son, an adaptation of Joseph Delaney's The Spook's Apprentice from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, will be in theaters January 17, 2014, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX.

Award-winning filmmaker Sergei Bodrov directs. The Seventh Son stars Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart, Iron Man), Oscar® nominee Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven, The Hours), and Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia films). The film’s international cast also includes Alicia Vikander (The Crown Jewels), Antje Traue (Pandorum, Man of Steel), Olivia Williams (Hanna), and Kit Harington (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”).

Related Story: Game of Thrones' Kit Harington Front and Center on New Seventh Son Poster

Synopsis

In a time long past,...

Shoreline is focused on discovering the best scripts from around the world. Their goal is to get these scripts into the hands of the producers and production companies who have the ability to get them made. They have the highest calibre and most respected industry judges of any screenwriting competitions out there and their judges are Oscar, Cannes & BAFTA winners and nominees.

30th June is the last day to enter your screenplay.

Feature Script – Late Deadline: 2nd June – 30th June 2013 £35 ($56 approx)

Short Script – Late Deadline: 2nd June – 30th June 2013 £25 ($40 approx)

Last years winner sold his screenplay to Christopher Figg, producer of: Hellraiser, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Dog Soldiers & many more.

There’s also over £9000 ($14000 approx.) in prizes to be won!

———-

To Enter Your Feature: http://www.shorelinescripts.com/shoreline-scripts-screenwriting-competition/feature/

To Enter Your Short: http://www.shorelinescripts.com/shoreline-scripts-short-script-submission/

Judges:

Oscar Nominated Producer, Stephen Woolley – The Crying Game,...

‘Mr. Selfridge’ Adds Cast For Season Two Clash Of The Titans actress Polly Walker and The Awakening‘s Cal Macaninch have joined the cast of season two of Mr. Selfridge. The ITV period drama that’s currently airing on PBS Masterpiece has just begun shooting the second season of 10 episodes in London and Kent. Jeremy Piven stars as Harry Selfridge, the American entrepreneur who revolutionized the way women shopped in early 1900s London. Also joining the cast are Killing Bono‘s Aidan McArdle and The Bible‘s Sean Teale. The first season was a ratings winner for ITV in the UK where it aired in the Downton Abbey Sunday night slot. The second season picks up in 1914 as Selfridge’s department store is celebrating its fifth anniversary. As talk of war intensifies, Harry prepares the staff for challenging times ahead. An airdate will be scheduled for next year in order...

Producer Mark Huffam ("Game of Thrones," "Killing Bono") and The Vladar Co. are teaming to produce a film adaptation of C.C. Humphrey’s novel "The French Executioner."

The story will follow the final days of King Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn prior to her 1536 execution.

Her executor is a French swordsman who vows to bury her six-fingered hand, a symbol of her rumored witchery, at a sacred crossroads.

When the hand is stolen by an Archbishop, the swordsman sets out to track down the relic across a Europe ravaged by wars and political turmoil.

Source: Variety...

Shoreline Scripts, in partnership with Sound on Sight, is giving emerging independent writers and talented, new voices a chance to have their scripts put into the hands of leading producers and production companies who have the ability to get them made. This is your chance to have your screenplay read by the most respected industry judges of any screenwriting competition across the globe.

Here are the details. Best of luck to our readers who enter.

Shoreline Scripts Screenwriting Competition is offering 1 Free Feature script submission to it’s 2013 competition. www.shorelinescripts.com - How to enter: -

All you have to do is email contact@shorelinescripts.com with your name and ‘Sound on Sight’ in the subject heading. One reader will be chosen at random and notified that they have won by next Wednesday, January 16th.

Shoreline Scripts Screenwriting Competition is focused on discovering the best scripts from around the world.

Jason Byrne is to star in a new sitcom for BBC One. The stand-up comedian will appear in Father Figure - a new comedy series for 2013. Byrne will play Tom, a married father with two sons who finds his efforts to be the perfect father thwarted by both bad luck and the antics of his extended family. The series will be made in house by BBC Production, with Julia McKenzie as producer and Stephen McCrum as executive producer. Irish comic Byrne's past acting work includes a role in 2011 film Killing Bono and an appearance in an episode of Father Ted. "With the lineup of comic talent appearing on and writing for the channel in 2013, this will be a big (more)...

British action-thriller Tower Block made its UK debut as the closing film of the Film4 FrightFest over the weekend, and went down brilliantly.

We caught the first poster back in July, and with its release here now less than a month away, Lionsgate have released the excellent first trailer.

“Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. When Jimmy is brutally murdered by two hooded figures, Becky, Kurtis, Neville and the other residents of the Serenity House tower block are witnesses to the killing but, fearing retribution, are too scared to give detectives any information and the police investigation is going nowhere.

One year later, someone has decided to take justice into their own hands. Picked off one by one, the tenants of Serenity House are under threat from a mystery sniper who has set deadly traps throughout the building keeping them prisoners in their own homes.

Unsure of why they have been targeted,...

13 Steps Down. co. ITV

Luke Treadaway (Killing Bono) and Geraldine James (Little Britain) are set to star in ITV’s new adaptation of mystery writer Ruth Rendell’s novel 13 Steps Down. The book has been adapted for the small screen by My Week With Marilyn writer Adrian Hodges.

Treadaway plays a fitness trainer and part-time gigolo named Michael ‘Mix’ Cellini who has a secret obsession with a notorious serial killer. Cellini lives in a swanky self-contained flat that is located inside a crumbling Victorian mansion owned by the Gwendolen Chawcer (Geraldine James). When he’s not reading about serial killers, Cellini is dreaming about a glamorous model named Nerissa Nash. Things take a turn for the worse when his two obsessions merge into one. Precise air dates for 13 Steps Down have yet to be revealed.

If you would like to comment on this or one of our other articles you...

Director Nick Hamm’s comedy ‘Killing Bono,’ starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Krysten Ritter, is set to hit Blu-ray on August 7. The film, which was written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and Simon Maxwell, is based on musician and music critic Neil McCormick’s acclaimed 2003 memoir, ‘I Was Bono’s Doppelganger.’ ‘Killing Bono’ follows Neil (played by Barnes) and his brother Ivan (portrayed by Sheehan) as they strive to achieve fame as a rock ‘n’ roll band. The only problem is that Neil and Ivan are competing against Bono (played by Martin McCann), and the rest of the members of U2, who they attended school with. While Ivan has [ Read More ]...

Author Cassandra Clare herself announced that the latest person to sign on to Harald Zwart's adaptation of her The Mortal Instruments novel is Irish actor Robert Sheehan, best known for his role in the UK TV series "Misfits".

Clare had this to say about Sheehan on her Tumblr account:

So remember when I said we wouldn’t have a Simon till July for Reasons?

The Reasons were that the actors up for Simon had to test with Jamie and Lily in Toronto to see how the chemistry worked. When I talked to Jamie and Lily yesterday it was about who we thought was the absolute best, the most Simon-y Simon, and fortunately we all agreed.

Y’all know I am a big Misfits fan, so you should not be surprised to know that I’m ecstatic that our Simon is: Robert Sheehan. You may know him as Nathan.

He...

Satellite service provider DirecTV has nabbed a scripted series of its own -- its first original show. "Rogue" will star Thandie Newton (of "Mission Impossible 2" and "Crash") as a conflicted cop named Grace who thinks she may have brought about the death of her son with her actions, and whose investigation into what happened is complicated by her romantic involvement with the crime boss who may have been involved. "Rogue" was created by "The Caller" and "Dot the I" director Matthew Parkhill, who'll also serve as the writer. Nick Hamm (of "Killing Bono") will executive produce alongside John Morayniss and Michael Rosenberg for eOne and Steven Marrs from Momentum Entertainment Group. The suspense show will sart shooting in August and is set to air next summer on DirecTV's own Audience Network. While DirecTV hasn't had an original series all its own before "Rogue,"...

James Watkins got his name out in the open with February’s well-received The Woman in Black, and he’s using any newly-established sway to move forward with Second Is Nowhere. Written by William Davies (How to Drain Your Dragon), the film’s a true-life drama focusing on Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe, two Olympic mid-distance runners who formed a rivalry throughout the ’70s and ’80s. [ScreenDaily, via ThePlaylist]

The forthcoming London Olympics almost gives the impression of a tie-in to some global event, but producer (and BBC Films head) Christine Langan feels as though Second stands as “a really good British story that is very exciting and compelling” — and, in fact, says it might be wise to come after an event that inundates daily life to begin with. As someone who can barely tolerate talk of the Olympics when they air, it’d be fair to say I agree. So, with not...

The success of well-received ghost tale "The Woman In Black" has benefited pretty much everyone: Star Daniel Radcliffe has proven he can be a viable lead outside of the "Harry Potter" franchise, revived horror label Hammer Films has taken its place again at the top of the British genre tree (the picture has taken £20 million at the U.K. box office, making it the most successful home-grown horror picture ever), and director James Watkins has undoubtedly landed himself on the top of many wishlists.

Watkins, who made his debut with the Michael Fassbender-starring hoodie horror picture "Eden Lake," has sci-fi actioner "Methuselah" in the works from 'Potter' producer David Heyman, but it looks like that won't be his next picture: Screen Daily reports that he's changing lanes, excuse the pun, to direct the based-in-fact sports drama "Second Is Nowhere" for BBC Films and Al Films.

The script, penned by "Johnny English Reborn,...