UK Update - September 29

IN PRODUCTION

UNTITLED MIKE LEIGH 03
(Thin Man Films) Int'l sales: Studio Canal. Exec prods: Alain Sarde, Robert Jones, Gail Egan, Duncan Reid. Line prod: Georgina Lowe. Prod: Simon Channing Williams. Dir/scr: Mike Leigh. DoP: Dick Pope. Ed: Jim Clark. Prod des: Eve Stewart. Costume des: Jacqueline Durran. Hair/make-up des: Christine Blundell. Cast: Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly, Adrian Scarborough, Heather Craney. Shooting from Sept 30 for 10 weeks.
Contact: Jonathan Rutter, M+R, (44) 20 7637 2600/ Thin Man Films, (44) 20 7734 7372

UK Update - September 26

IN PRODUCTION

MAP OF THE UNIVERSE, TABLEAU 3. IN AND OUT OF PLANET EARTH
(Global Films) Budget: £0.6m. Backers: Barclays Bank, Global Films, mnemonics studios. Int'l sales: Global Films. Psychological Thriller. Third part of a trilogy. Map of the Universe is a TV reality game show. The host is Dr. Kelvin, a psychotherapist. Every week he is analysing the mental health of two new contestants. Doctor Kelvin is questioning Paul X, one of the contestants. He in turn is dragging everyone into his answer, an underwater world. There he meets his alter ego, a mirror image of himself. The meaning of life on earth is being revisited and redrawn as his psychotherapy is taking place. Exec prods: Laurent Mercier, Nick Peterson. Prod: Tom Norwood. Dir: Nick Peterson. Scr: Nicolas Gaud. Computer graphics/editing: Norwood. Animation: Sean Elliott, Norwood. Music: Virtual Alien. Accounting: AGN Shipleys. Legal: David Gentle. Costume des: Laurent Mercier. Cast: Dolly di Rosso, James Waterhouse, Janet Priest. Shooting from Oct 19 until Nov 15, 2003, at Westferry Studios, Canary Wharf, London.

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
Capitol Films) Exec prod: Tova Laiter. Co-prod: Nava Levin. Dir: Joel Zwick. Ass't dir: Alex Gayner. Second unit dir: Darrell Woodard. Scr: Adam-Michael Garber. DoP: Paul Elliott. Prod des: Guy Barnes. Art dir: Jim Oberlander. Set decorator: Wendy Barnes. Costumer: Rotem Noyfeld. Stunts: Buck McDanler. Special effects: Geoffrey Martin. Casting: Mary Jo Slater. Cast: Kim Basinger, John Corbett, Annie Potts, Angie Dickenson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sean Astin, Richard Kind, Mike Star, David Leisure, Phil Lewis, Pat Morita, Phillip Charles McKenzie, Richard McClarkin.
Contact: Stacia Brigham, Geno Caggiano, unit publicists, (1) 505 890 7825.

UK Update - September 24

IN PRODUCTION

LADIES IN LAVENDER
(Scala Productions) Backers: UK Film Council Premiere Fund, Baker Street Media Finance, Paradigm Hyde Films. Dist (UK): Entertainment Film Distributors. Int'l sales: Lakeshore Entertainment. Based on the short story by William J. Locke, Ladies In Lavender is the poignant and heart-warming story of two elderly sisters whose lives are turned upside down when they discover a handsome and charismatic Polish castaway on the beach below their house. Prods: Nik Powell, Nicolas Brown, Elizabeth Karlsen. Dir/scr: Charles Dance. Prod exec: Ian Prior. Line prod: Bill Shephard. DoP: Peter Biziou. Prod co-ord: Patsy de Lord. Prod des: Caroline Amies. Costume des: Barbara Kidd. Hair/make-up: Fae Hammond. Script supervisor: Cathy Doubleday. First AD: Paul Cowan. Sound mixer: Jim Greenhorn. Ed: Michael Parker. Casting dir: Sarah Bird. Composer: Nigel Hess. Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Bruhl, Miriam Margolyes, Natasha McElhone, David Warner, Freddie Jones, Clive Russell, Toby Jones. Shooting from Sept 15, 2003, for seven weeks in Cornwall, London and Pinewood Studios.
Contact: Julia Finn/Nicole Gregory, DDA London, (44) 20 7932 9800

UK Update - September 23

IN PRODUCTION

FAT SLAGS
(Entertainment Film Distributors, AIN - Artists Independent Network) Dist (UK): Entertainment Film Distributors. Adapted from the highly successful VIZ comic strip, Fat Slags follows the rise and fall of two eponymous heroines who are unrepentantly vulgar and crass. Obsessed with shagging and drinking, whilst harboring the desire to become famous celebrities, Sandra and Tracey leave their hometown in the north of England in search of fame and fortune in London. Exec prods: Nigel Green, John Brown. Prods: Luc Roeg, Charles Finch. Dir: Ed Bye. Scr: William Osborne. Line prod: Richard Johns. Prod exec: Clea Tammes. Prod co-ord: Victoria Lorkin-Lange. Prod des: Grenville Horner. DoP: John Sorapure. First AD: Joe Geary. Casting dir: Daniel Hubbard. Script Supervisor: Danuta Skarszewska. Costume des: Linda Alderson. Ed: Mark Wybourne. Make-up/hair: Joan Hills. Loc man: Ben Greenacre. Sound: Alistair Widgery. Accountant: Terry Connors. Music supervisor: Dan Rose. Post production supervisor: Emma Zee. Cast: Fiona Allen, Sophie Thompson, Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Head, Geri Halliwell. Shooting for seven weeks at London locations and at Ealing Studios.
Contact: Julia Finn/Nicole Gregory, DDA London, (44) 20 7534 6000

UK Update - September 15

IN PRODUCTION

ENDURING LOVE
(Free Range Films, Inside Track) Backers: Pathe Pictures, FilmFour, Ingenious Media, UK Film Council. Int'l sales/dist: Pathe. Psychological thriller, based on the novel Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. Exec prods: Francois Ivernel, Cameron McCracken. Prod: Kevin Loader. Dir: Roger Michell. Scr: Joe Penhall. DoP: Harris Zambarloukas. Ed: Nic Gaster. Prod des: JP Kelly. Costume des: Natalie Ward. Hair/make-up: Konnie Daniels. Cast: Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton. Shooting from Sept 15, 2003, until Nov 21, 2003, in The Chilterns and on location in London.
Contact: Katie Bullock-Webster, (44) 20 7609 1535/ Charles McDonald, M+R, (44) 7637 2600

UNTITLED CHARLES SHYER PROJECT
(Paramount Pictures) Alfie remake. Dir: Charles Shyer. Scr: Shyer, Elaine Pope. Cast: Jude Law. Shooting in the UK.
Contact: Pinewood Studios, (44) 1753 651 700

ALEXANDER
(Intermedia) Co-prod: Pathe (Fr). Int'l sales: Summit Entertainment (US). US dist: Warner Bros. Prod: Iain Smith. Main cast: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins. Shooting from Sept 22.
Contact: Pinewood Studios, (44) 1753 651 700

ASYLUM
(Samson Films, Woodfall Films) Backer: Seven Arts Pictures. Int'l sales: Seven Arts International. Dist (US): Paramount Classics. Prods: Mace Neufeld, Laurence Borg. Co-prods: David Collins., Michael Barlow, Chris Curling, Robert Rehme, Peter Hoffman. In the late 1950s, when her husband Max (Bonneville) takes up his post as deputy director of a remote psychiatric hospital, Stella Raphael (Richardson) and her young son, Charlie (Lewis) are brought to live on the grounds of the asylum. Stella is soon drawn to charismatic inmate Edgar Stark (Csokas). Undeterred by the warnings from her husband's colleague, Dr. Cleave (McKellen), Stella is prepared to risk everything to be with Edgar. Their passionate affair escalates as obsession begins to threaten Stella's love, her sanity and her very life. Based on Patrick McGrath's novel. Dir: David Mackenzie. Scr: Patrick Marber. Cast: Natasha Richardson, Ian McKellen, Marton Csokas, Hugh Bonneville, Augustus Jeremiah Lewis. Shooting from early Sept, 2003, until mid-Oct in Leeds and Dublin.
Contact: Jonathan Rutter, M+R, (44) 7637 2600

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
(The Opera Ghost) Exec prods: Paul Hitchcock, Austin Shaw. Prod: Andrew Lloyd Webber. Dir: Joel Schumacher. DoP: John Mathieson. Art dir: John Fenner. Prod des: Anthony Pratt. Set decorator: Celia Bobak. Ed: Terry Rawlings. Sound: Tony Dawe. Casting: David Grindrod. Music prod: Nigel Wright. Musical dir: Simon Lee. Choreographer: Peter Darling. Costume des: Alexandra Byrne. Make-up/hair: Jenny Shircore. Main cast: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson. Shooting from Sept 15, 2003, at Pinewood Studios.
Contact: (44) 1753 656 566

THE PREACHER (DE DOMINEE)
(Theorema Films [Neth], David P. Kelly Productions[UK], Samsa Films [Lux]) Budget: EUROS: 3.3m. Backers: Dutch Film Fund, VARA Television (Neth), Dutch COBO Fund, NOS, Luxembourg Samsa Film, David P. Kelly Productions. Crime thriller. A fictionalised version of the fascinating true story of the Amsterdam drugs baron Klaas Bruinsma. Klaas began as a lowly cannabis dealer, then formed a partnership with champion kickboxer Adri Slotemaker, and his wife Annet, a former crime lord's bookkeeper. Together the three of them took over the cannabis trade, and became legendary figures, before eventually, they betrayed each other. Dutch language. Prods: Frank Bak, David P. Kelly, Janni Thiltges. Dir/scr: Gerard Verhage. DoP: Theo Bierkens. Ed: Charlotte Van Veen. Prod des: Marco Rooth. Costume des: John Krausa, Hair/make-up supervisor: Winnie Gallis. Cast: Peter Paul Muller, Frank Lammers, Chantal Janzen. Shooting from Sept 8 until Nov 1 in Amsterdam and Luxembourg.
Contact: Emma Webb, David P Kelly Productions, (44) 207 845 0400

TRISTAN & ISOLDE
(Scott Free Productions) Period drama. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Irish King Donnchadh (David O'Hara) brutally subjugates tribal England. There, young orphaned Tristan (James Franco) is raised by family ally Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell). As a young man, the charismatic Tristan leads guerilla attacks on Irish occupying forces, ultimately defeating King Donnchadh's elite warriors. Believing himself to be mortally wounded, Tristan requests a funeral boat that eventually washes up on the Irish coast. Discovered by Irish Princess Isolde (Sophia Myles), the two fall passionately in love. All too soon Tristan must flee back to the safety of England. Meanwhile, King Donnchadh invites the English lords to contest for Isolde's hand, hoping to cause further discord among the bickering English barons. Unaware of Isolde's identity, Tristan fights in the tournament as Marke's champion. Tristan is victorious but is devastated to learn Isolde's true identity. Lord Marke weds Isolde and prepares to become King of the now united England, ruining Donnchadh's plan. Despite their best efforts to stay apart, Tristan and Isolde eventually resume their affair. When King Donnchadh arrives in England for Marke's coronation, he deviously unmasks the affair causing an English rebellion. Lord Marke forgives Tristan and Isolde as they defend Castle Dor from Irish troops. Tristan leads a battle against the Irish but is fatally wounded. As Lord Marke leads the reunited English troops to drive out the Irish, Tristan dies peacefully in Isolde's arms. Exec prods: Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Jim Lemley, Frank Hubner. Prods: Lisa Ellzey, Giannina Facio, Moshe Diamant, Elie Samaha. Co-prods: Anne Lai, Jan Fantl. Dir: Kevin Reynolds. Scr: Dean Georgaris. DoP: Arthur Reinhart. Ed: Peter Boyle. Prod des: Mark Geraghty. Art dir: Jan Svoboda (Czech), David Wilson (Ireland). Costume des: Maurizio Millennotti. SFX supervisor: Pavel Sagner. Cast: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, David O'Hara, Dexter Fletcher, Bronagh Gallagher, Mark Strong. Shooting from Sept 3, 2003, until Dec 6 in Ireland and Prague.
Contact: Moira Houlihan, unit publicist, (353) 879 306 950/(353) 952 1074/ (420) 29664 2424

THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
(MDP Worldwide) Comedy. A woman and her four daughters try to cope with the loss of the man of the family. A long time friend becomes a part of their lives. Exec prods: Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid. Prods: Alex Gartner, Jack Binder, Mark Damon, Sammy Lee. Line prod: Peter Heslop. Dir/scr: Mike Binder. Prod des: Chris Roope. First AD: Melanie Dicks. DoP: Richard Greatrex. Casting dir: Danielle Roffe.Costume des: Deborah Scott. Production Co-ord: Katryna Samut Tagliaferro. Ed: Robin Sales. Cast: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell, Alicia Witt, Mike Binder. Shooting from August 26, 2003, in London.
Contact: Diane Slattery, (44) 771 766 0809

A WAY THROUGH THE WOODS
(Celador) Dist worldwide: Fox Searchlight. Romantic drama. Anne has a seemingly perfect marriage to James until the arrival of Bill, and a tragic accident in their idyllic country village that looks set to unravel their lives forever. Exec prod: Paul Smith. Prod: Christian Colson. Dir/scr: Julian Fellowes. DoP: Tony Pierce - Roberts. Ed: Alex Mackie. Prod des: Alison Riva. Costume des: Michele Clapton. Hair/make-up: Jamie Pritchard/Roseann Samuels. Cast: Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Rupert Everett. Shooting from Sept 8, 2003, until Oct 31.
Contact: Kate Hudson/Ginger Corbett, Premier Pr, (44) 20 7292 8330

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME
(Samuelson Productions) Backers: First Choice Films 2004, Momentum Pictures, Royal Bank of Scotland, Isle of Man Film Ltd. Dist (UK): Momentum Pictures. Int'l sales: Alliance Atlantis. A smart, sexy and poignant comedy drama about a group of twenty-something friends desperately resisting the inevitable - adulthood and responsibility. Prods: Marc Samuelson, Peter Samuelson. Dir: Simon Shore. Scr: Patrick Wilde. Exec prods: Sally Caplan, Steve Christian, Rolf Koot, David Kosse, Donald A. Starr, Daniel J.B. Taylor. Line prod: Lee Ruette. Prod co-ord: Karen McLuskey. DoP: Mike Fox. First AD: Henry Tomlinson. Prod des: Mark Leese. Costume des: Sarah Burns. Script supervisor: Pu San Wong. Make-up/hair des: Pam Haddock. Ed: Barrie Vince. Loc man: Matt Steinmann. Sound mixer: Mike Lax. Casting dir: Sarah Bird. Music supervisor: Amy Coffey, David Rubinson. Prod accountant: Freya Pinsent. Legals: Olswang. Cast: Dougray Scott, Jimi Mistry, Emilia Fox, Shaun Parkes, Billie Piper. Shooting for six weeks on location in London and the Isle of Man.
Contact: Graham Smith/Julia Finn, DDA London, (44) 207 534 6000

UK Update - September 3

IN PRODUCTION

RED LIGHT RUNNERS
(Nu Creation Film Group) Heist film about a rogue CIA operative in London on a covert mission to acquire a sacred work of art for an unknown 'collector'. As he recruits a gang of London lowlifes to help him, two ageing CIA agents are sent to track him down and uncover his mission. Exec prod: Marcus Vinton. Prod: Nigel Warren-Green, Michael Wearing, Mark O'Sullivan. Dir: Nick Egan. Scr: Ralph Brown. DoP: Nic Knowland. Ed: Oral Norrie Ottey. Prod des: Chris Townsend. Costume des: Andy Blake. Hair/make-up: Pertona Winton. Cast: Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel, Cillian Murphy, Crispin Glover, Kate Ashfield, Rich Hall, Peter O'Toole, Roy Scheider, Tricky. Shooting from Aug 28 until Oct 25, 2003, in London.
Contact: Sasha Gibson, Freud Communications, (44) 20 7291 6338

A WAY OF LIFE
(Awol Films) Backers: UK Film Council New Cinema Fund, Arts Council of Wales, HTV) Int'l sales: Portman Films. Dist (UK): Verve Pictures. A teenage tragedy which offers a chilling insight into racism whilst connecting us with the lives of five adolescents struggling to cling to their dreams. Prods: Charlie Hanson, Patrick Cassavetti, Peter Edwards. Dir/scr: Amma Asante. DoP: Ian Wilson. Prod des: Hayden Pearce. Casting dir: Gary Howe. Ed: Clare Douglas. Costume des: Susie Lewis. Hair/make-up: Magi Vaughan. Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Oliver Haden, Stephanie James, Gary Sheppeard, Dean Wong, Sara Gregory. Shooting from Sept 1 for 6 weeks on location in Wales.
Contact: Keeley Naylor/Zoe Flower, emfoundation, (44) 20 7247 4171

FROZEN
(Liminal Films, RS Productions, Shoreline Films, Freedonia Films) Backers: Living Films, Scottish Screen, North West Vision, Northern Film & Media, Film London, Zentropa Entertainments5 ApS (Den). Int'l sales: Trust Film Sales. Psychological thriller. A young woman's attempt to unravel the mystery of her sister's disappearance two years earlier. Prod: Mark Lavender. Co-prod: Jim Hickey. Dir: Juliet McKoen. Scr: McKoen, Jayne Steel. DoP: Phil Robertson. Prod man: Rebecca Knapp. Prod des: Loren Slater. Costume des: Bobby McCulla. Hair/make-up: Claire McAndrew. Casting dir: Chloe Emmerson. Cast: Shirley Henderson; Roshan Seth; Ralf Little; Kerry Fox; Ger Ryan; Richard Armitage; Jamie Sives; Lyndsey Marshal; Rebecca Palmer; Sean Harris; Shireen Shah; George Costigan; Karl Johnson; Maxine Peake; Richard Ridings; Danny Cunningham; Stephen Lord; Nick Bagnall; Emma Lowndes; Jayne Ashbourne. Shooting from August 16 until Sept 26, 2003, in England; Scotland and Sweden.
Contact: Mark Lavender, (44) 1253 871 058/ Jim Hickey, (44) 1253 871 061