Danny Boyle is to begin shooting Mission Pictures' Millions, his first film since zombie horror hit 28 Days Later, for Pathe UK starting May 5.

The high-profile project will shoot for 10 weeks in Liverpool in the UK. Pathe Distribution will distribute the quirky comic tale in the UK and France, while Pathe International will sell the film worldwide.

"There is great excitement at the combination of this wonderfully fresh script with the visual flair of Danny Boyle," said Francois Ivernel, managing director of Pathe UK.

Mission, the UK-US production outfit founded by Andrew Hauptman and Dragon Pictures chiefs Graham Broadbent and Damian Jones, recently collaborated on Thunderpants.

"Millions is a wonderfully original project and Pathe was very aggressive in stepping up to the plate," Hauptman said. "It's great to be working with them once again."

Written by leading UK writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, whose recent credits include 24 Hour Party People, the story follows two young boys who stumble on the loot from a bank robbery. With only seven days before the Euro makes their haul of sterling redundant, nine year-old Anthony wants to invest the loot in property, but is worried that the housing market will slump. Seven year-old Damian prefers helping the poor, although there aren't any where they live as the house prices are too high.

"We're very pleased to be working with one of the UK's best directors and Frank Cottrell Boyce, one of our most talented writers and with whom we first collaborated on Welcome To Sarajevo," said Broadbent.

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