Irish director Ian Fitzgibbon is to direct the second series of Chris O’Dowd’s six-part comedy series ‘Moone Boy,’ which has been greenlit for a second series by Sky One before the first series has even aired.
Season two of O’Dowd’s semi-autobiographical comedy series will begin shooting on August 13 in Boyle, Co Roscommon, and at Ardmore Studios in Wicklow. Season one of the series is set to air on Sky One this September.
Fitzgibbon (Death Of A Superhero) will take over from series one director Declan Lowney (Father Ted), who is due to begin work on the much-anticipated Alan Partridge movie in September. The cast and crew who wrapped filming on the first series of 'Moone Boy' last February will reconvene for the second series with the exception of Lowney.
The shoot is expected to last for seven to nine weeks with pre-production set to begin next week. The series will again be co-produced by Ireland’s Grand Pictures, Britain’s Baby Cow Productions and Sky. Nick Murphy and Chris O’Dowd will write the series.
A semi-autobiographical tale about O’Dowd’s time growing up in Boyle, the comedy series is set in a small Irish town in 1989 and follows the exploits of 11-year-old Martin Moone and his imaginary friend Sean Murphy, played by O'Dowd (Bridesmaids).
Acting newcomer David Rawle plays Martin in the series. Oscar nominated director and actor Peter McDonald (I Went Down) plays his father and Deirdre O’Kane (Intermission) plays Mrs. Moone.
British comics Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) and Johnny Vegas (Benidorm) also star in the series with Coogan cast as town mayor Brendan and Vegas playing a character named ‘Crunchie’.
Other Irish actors in series one include Ruth McCabe (Stella Days), Norma Sheahan (An Crisis, Ondine), Steve Wall (Hum, Country), Simon Delaney (The Good Wife, This Must Be The Place), Maeve Higgins (Naked Camera, Magic), Dawn Bradfield (Coming Home, The Clinic), Tom Hickey (What Richard Did, Stella Days) as Martin’s granddad, and Pat McDonnell (Watching) as Frank. All casting for the series was done by Amy Rowan (The Christening, The Clinic) with Holly Carey (Once, Bachelors Walk) assisting.
Ted Dowd (Gavin and Stacey) is the show’s series producer, while the executive producers are Paul Donovan (Trivia) of Grand Pictures; O’Dowd, Henry Normal (Starlings) and Gina Carter (Fry’s Planet World) of Baby Cow and Lucy Lumsden of Sky.
Season one of ‘Moone Boy’ was shot in Boyle and at Ardmore Studios in Wicklow. It wrapped shooting last February and funded by Sky and Section 481.
