Reel capital — bid to make Cork a movie mecca

HOLLYWOOD is heading for Cork — again.

Reservoir Dogs star Michael Madsen and Hollywood icon Richard Chamberlain will star in a new low-budget film which will be shot in and around Cork within weeks, it was confirmed last night.

Maron Pictures made the announcement at the launch of Strength and Honour in Cork’s City Hall.

Its writer, producer and director, Mark Maron, is one of Hollywood’s rising screen writing talents.

The Cork-born writer said he felt compelled to shoot his movie at home.

“It is a multi-million euro movie. We should be making more Hollywood movies in Cork,” he said.

News of another film in the county comes just weeks after Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley — which was also filmed around Cork — scooped the Palme d’Or.

Made on a shoestring budget by Hollywood standards, it has performed well at the box office.

It is hoped Strength and Honour will have the same success. But Mr Maron said while it’s a great film, it is a period film.

“The great thing about our movie is that it is a contemporary Cork movie,” he said.

“To be honest, I’m really looking forward to hearing Richard Chamberlain with a Cork accent.”

The six-week shoot will start in mid-September at locations including Kinsale, the Mardyke, Rochestown, the city centre, Cork Airport terminal and Cork University Hospital.

Up to 40 Irish actors will be employed and open auditions are being finalised by casting agents.

Mr Maron also revealed he is hoping to land a third Hollywood name, believed to be Matt Dillon.

“We are at an advanced stage of negotiations. We are expecting to officially announce this name within days,” he said.

Strength and Honour tells the story of a young Irish boxer who promises his wife that he will never box again after accidentally killing his friend in the ring.

But when he discovers his only son is dying of the same heart disorder that killed his wife, he is forced back into the ring.

The project is being backed by a number of independent investors from Cork.

Depending on the success of this project, Mr Maron said he hopes to shoot four other projects he has in development — Freedom Within The Heart (the story of Brian Boru), A Father’s Tale, Extreme Dilemma and The Chicago Way — in Cork.