IFB Funded Film Cúchulainn Currently in Development
Breakthru Films and Pillarstone Productions have announced that they are bringing the story of Cúchulainn, Ireland's greatest warrior, to the big screen.
Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board, Northern Ireland Screen and ITV Global are backing the film's development, which is part of a multi-platform project planned to include a documentary series, stage show, educational programme and graphic novel.
Paul Bolger (Happily N'ever After) will direct the film from a script he has co-written with Barry Devlin (A Kiss for Jed Wood). Tamsin Lyons and Hugh Welchman of Breakthru Films, and Paul Bolger of Pillarstone Productions will produce.
The Ulster warrior Cúchulainn is the hero of the early Irish text of Táin Bó Cúailgne, which tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht Queen Meave, in which Cuchulainn is forced to make a lone defence of his homeland.
This is the first feature film about the legend to be produced. Tamsin Lyons, one of the film's producers said, "The story of Cúchulainn has all the action and intrigue of the heroic epics of Scandinavia or Greece, but is relatively unknown outside of Ireland. We can't wait to introduce international audiences to a rich part of Irish culture and storytelling tradition".
Director Paul Bolger says, "In recent times the story of Cúchulainn as a boy warrior has often been sanitised for the children's market and that's how people remember it. I was more interested in looking instead at the complex character that is Cúchulainn, and to reimagine his world and story for a modern audience. The approach I took was very heavily rooted in the original myth and culture of Pre-Christian and so-called "Celtic" Ireland. The saga is very much a myth with all the magic and mystery that that entails. The world of our Cúchulainn is a complex one that allowed me to paint characters and scenarios on a detailed canvas that speaks of of superhuman battles, shapeshifting spirits, politics and loyalty divided."
Bolger is a respected veteran of the animation world, and this film marks a change in direction for him, as he moves into the live-action sphere. "The stories that have long inspired me in my work have been based in Irish mythology, and Hound is a project I have been thinking of for a long time. I felt that this was the strongest way to tell the story."
Lyons adds "Paul's vision for the project hooked us immediately, with its ambition and striking visual world. The material is incredibly cinematic."