Tower Colliery
IC Wales
August 8, 2001
Nick Dermody
Tower Colliery Script Gets 'Polished' Into Film
A new writer has been brought in to work on the script of the film about Wales's last deep mine.
The main writer, Colin Welland, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for the 1981 epic Chariots of Fire, has delivered his final version of the script, recounting how more than 300 miners at Tower Colliery, in Hirwaun, created history by buying the mine for themselves from British Coal.
The draft - described as an inspiring David and Goliath tale - has now been handed to the former Brookside and Coronation Street writer, Frank Cottrell Boyce, whose film-writing credentials include Welcome to Sara-jevo and Hilary and Jackie.
Both these films were made by Working Title Films, the company behind one of this year's biggest hits, the romantic comedy, Bridget Jones's Diary.
David Kelly last night said Mr Boyce's role would be to "polish" the screenplay - for a film approximately 100 minutes long - before it is delivered to the director, Marc Evans, who directed House of America.
"There's no great dramatic change, Colin has done the main writing. We sometimes bring in other writers with the main writers, it's simply a polishing exercise."
Mr Boyce's efforts to burnish the Tower Colliery script should make it ready for an initial "read-through" by the end of September.
A Cardiff casting agency will be asked to select around a dozen actors for the read-through which is to take place in the city.
The cast is set to include a majority of Welsh actors with the prospect of the real-life miners having parts as extras in the film about their 1995 buy-out. Producers are considering making an approach to Cardiff-born stars Ioan Gruffudd and Matthew Rhys. Much of the location work is likely to be at Tower Colliery or elsewhere in the Cynon Valley, or in Cardiff.
Mr Kelly said the budget for the firm project is expected to be around £7m-£9m, up to £3m more than previously expected - a high figure for a British film project.
The Western Mail
April 24, 2001
Nick Dermody
Tower Follows Bridget Jones
The makers of cinema hit Bridget Jones's Diary are to recreate the story of
one of Wales's most remarkable true-life stories. Working Title Films has a
£6m project to turn the story of the workers' buy-out at Tower Colliery into
its next offering.
Filming is expected to start as early as September, with some of the
country's biggest names lined up for starring roles. Work on developing the
script for the film is less than six weeks from completion. The production
company behind the project expects the final draft to be finished by the end
of May.
Colin Welland, the actor and Oscar-winning writer, locked himself away in a
cottage in Cumbria last year to create the first draft of the screenplay,
which portrays the miners' struggle led by Tyrone O'Sullivan.
The colliery, earmarked for closure by the Tory Government, was rescued when
more than 300 miners each contributed £10,000 to the buy-out. Since then it
has increased production and profits. David Kelly, whose production company,
David P Kelly Productions, is behind the project, said the finished version
remained close to Welland's original.
The success of Bridget Jones's Diary has given Working Title a world-class
reputation in the film industry. 'They have incredibly high quality standards,
which is very good for us,' said Mr Kelly. 'They are really world class and
that always pays off at the end of the day. 'Once the script is ready, 90 per
cent of a good cast would be attracted by the material. 'We do touch on
relationships within the story; there will be plenty of roles for Welsh men
and Welsh women.'
Marc Evans, who directed House of America, is lined up to direct the film. He
returns from Nova Scotia next week to discuss the project. 'People are
becoming aware that Working Title is the premier production company, so this
one is really going to put him (Evans) on the world stage. There's no
question about that.'
Working Title is owned by Universal Studios and they are going to put all their financial muscle behind it. 'Ideally, the film would have a largely
British cast with as many Welsh actors as possible, said Mr Kelly.
Producers are considering making an approach to Cardiff-born stars Ioan
Gruffudd and Matthew Rhys.
click on Graceland to go home
*NEWS* *BIOGRAPHY* *FILMOGRAPHY* *PHOTOGALLERY* *INTERVIEWS* *ARTICLES* *FUNSTUFF* *LINKS* *FAQS*