French distribution company, Wild Bunch, have bought the international sale rights to new Irish co-production, ‘Shadow Dancer’ whilst Paramount Pictures will distribute the film in both the UK and Ireland. The Unanimous Entertainment/Element Pictures films stars Clive Owen (Children of Men), Andrea Riseborough (Made in Dagenham) and Gillian Anderson (The Last King of Scotland) will Irish actor Aidan Gillen (Wake Wood) and is set to shoot in Dublin at the end of this month.
Written by Tom Bradby (Have I Got News for You) and directed by Oscar Winner James Marsh (Man on Wire), the film will see Andrea Riseborough play Colette McVeigh, a young mother who is heavily involved in the Irish Republican movement, and loses her younger brother at the hands of the British security forces. Clive Owen will play Mac, an MI5 officer who recruits Colette after she is arrested following an aborted bombing attempt in London. In order to turn her, Mac gives Colette a choice either to inform on her family and see her son again, or stay silent and spend the rest of her life in prison.
The feature is to be produced by Unanimous Entertainment’s Chris Coen (Funny Games) alongside Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney (This Must be the Place) and Andrew Lowe (The Guard) with BBC Films’ Joe Oppenheimer executive producing. ‘Shadow Dancer’ is financed by BBC Films, UK Film Council, the Irish Film Board, Lip Sync, and Paramount Pictures and is a Unanimous Entertainment, Element production.
‘Shadow Dancer’s Irish crew includes cinematographer, Rob Hardy (Boy A); costume designer, Lorna Marie Mugan (Treasure Island) and production designer, Jon Henson (Last Chance Harvey). Producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe have spoken about broaching the subject of the film, saying:“We are delighted to be part of this wonderful project with James, Tom and Chris. It’s often only after bloody conflicts have ended that cinema can take explore their impact and legacy. This brilliantly written thriller set at the end of the troubles will both illuminate and entertain.”
French distribution company, Wild Bunch have bought the international sale rights to the film and Paramount Pictures will distribute the film in both the UK and Ireland early next year.
