UK Production looks healthier for 2006

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With news earlier this weekthat UK production spending was down 31% in 2005, theindustry is on shaky ground going into 2006. The good news is that 2006 isexpected to be a stronger year in terms of both inward investment from Hollywood and wholly UK films, thanks in large part to the new film taxcredit announced in December.

The good news is lead by NewLine starting its His Dark Materialstrilogy in the UK; Anand Tucker is on board for the first film,The Golden Compass, to shoot late in2006. The fantasy is likely to be heavy on special effects and could have abudget of more than $150m.

Other big productions slatedfor 2006 include Matthew Vaughn's $88.5m (£50m) epic fantasy Stardust at Pinewood Studios and DavidYates' fifth instalment of Harry Potterfor Warner Bros, starting in February with a budget that could top $150m.

Other key titles set to shootin the UK in 2006 include Miss Potter,the $30m Beatrix Potter biopic starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor; TimBurton's Ripley's Believe It Or Notstarring Jim Carrey (poised for an autumn shoot for Paramount); Sony's Holiday starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz (which will come to the UK afterits US shoot); and Kenneth Branagh's $27m The Magic Flute shooting for 11 weeks atShepperton on six soundstages.

Other projects that couldalso come to the UK in 2006 are Universal's TheBourne Ultimatum, Woody Allen's next film (prior to his 2007 Spanish shoot)or another Batman film. US auteur Robert Altman also plans to return to the UK to shoot London-set The Tortoise And The Hare, produced byAlan Ladd Jr.

Of the major UK producers, Working Title has a number of films inpre-production and confirms two will definitely shoot in 2006: Edgar Wright andSimon Pegg's follow-up to Shaun Of The Dead, Hott Fuzz, starting in March; and Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth sequel, TheGolden Age, shooting at Shepperton starting inApril with Cate Blanchett,Geoffrey Rush and Clive Owen.

BBC Films and FilmFour both have several projects set to go in 2006. BBCFilms has The Other Boleyn Girl withSony and Focus and Alison Owen's Ruby Films. Among Owen's other films, the long-gestating Tulip Fever is at the revised screenplay stage and might not getunder way in 2006. Yet Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane (with FilmFour)will indeed start shooting in London in March (with a week's shooting in India or Bangladesh).

The year is already off to astrong start as Alfonso Cuaron continues his thrillerThe Children OfMen for Universal until February. Penelope,starring Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon, is to start soon as isLondon-set thriller Viewfinder,starring Sophie Okonedo. Roger Michell'sVenus continues its shoot in London at Ealing Studios through February. Michell will also be one of the producers on another 2006project, Tim Sullivan's Marathon, to shoot at various locales and during the London marathon in April.

The Isle of Man will welcome up to 10 shoots including Miss Potter, Pathe'sBig Nothing, Neil Hunter and Natalie Sirett's TheSycamores, and Tony Hickox's Knife Edge.

Richard Attenborough plansto shoot part of his epic Closing The Ring at Belfast's new Titanic Studios, starting in March. Alsoshooting partially in Northern Ireland could be Nicolas Roeg's Puffball in the spring.

In Scotland, Richard Jobsonwill shoot The New Town Killers, Ewan McGregor will star in 1930s-set The Great Pretender, Jim Gillespie will remake Whiskey Galore, and David Mackenzie will direct Hallam Foe for FilmFour.Also, Death Defying Acts will splitits shoot between London and Edinburgh - the project is slated for a March start despiteRachel Weisz dropping out of the cast recently.

Other notable indie projects include several from Film & MusicEntertainment, including the $15m Fake!by Michael Kalesniko andBruce Beresford's $9m Fever, to beshot partially in the UK. CrossDay has a latesummer shoot planned for Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet's new Tom Jones adaptation, while Jan Dunn's Gypo follow-up, RubyRed Chequer, will shoot in Kent. The UK will also host Rob Heydon'sIrvine Welsh adaptation Ecstasy, aCanadian co-production; Lone Scherfig's Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, starringFrances McDormand with Kudos for Universal-Focus; andSharon Maguire's Incendiary forArcher Street and FilmFour.