‘Hardy Bucks’ recruits fans

Cult comedy show Hardy Bucks rounded up about 50 pint-carrying Irish fans in the middle of Poznan yesterday for lead roles in its big-screen makeover.

Filming for the movie version of the show took place in an alleyway just off the old square, Stary Rynek, where dozens of extras were rounded up.

About 200 Polish onlookers chanted and cheered as the special Euro 2012 scenes were shot.

Producer and director Mike Cockayne has remained tight-lipped about the plot line for Hardy Bucks: The Movie but the Poznan set is understood to be part of a road trip to the tournament involving the stars of the show.

It is believed the Castletown lads again will be led to the championships by Martin Maloney, who plays main character Eddie Durkan, and his nemesis the Viper, played by Chris Tordoff.

About 50 fans were involved in the Poznan shoot, which saw them charge down an alleyway, do press-ups and work-outs in the middle of the street and run to Stary Rynek behind a marauding Durkan.

Filming for the movie has already taken place on location in Swinford, Co Mayo, in recent weeks.

A number of famous faces are believed to be making cameo appear-ances, but rumours about the Rubberbandits showing up are un-confirmed after the band cancelled a planned gig in Poznan tomorrow night, citing technical difficulties at the Polish end of organisation.

Hardy Bucks, which began life on the internet, has been a huge cult hit on RTÉ television over the last few years.

The mockumentary follows the lives of five unemployed men in the fictional village of Castletown, with endless scams to make money and spice up their lives.

The movie is funded in part by the Irish Film Board.