Nicole Kidman joins director Jonathan Teplitzky in Scotland for The Railway Man
Australian film-makers and actress Nicole Kidman are involved in a new feature film which begins shooting in Scotland today.
The Railway Man sees Aussie director Jonathan Teplitzky reunite with his Burning Man producer Andy Paterson as well as The Proposition’s Chris Brown and Bill Curbishley, producer of Quadrophenia.
Casting is led by Colin Firth with Nicole Kidman and War Horse’s Jeremy Irvine.
The ten-week shoot will also take place in Thailand and Queensland as an Australian/UK co-production, between Brown’s Australian Pictures in Paradise and Paterson’s British Archer Street.
The Railway Man is an adaptation by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Paterson of Eric Lomax’s autobiographical story as an Allied prisoner of war, played by Firth, forced construct the Thai/Burma Railway in WW2 and later convinced by a beautiful woman, played by Kidman, he met on a train to confront his Japanese tormentor, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, on the bridge of the River Kwai.
Teplitzky and Paterson will also reunite with Burning Man’s Australia and New Zealand distributor Transmission Films for this new project.
Andrew Mackie, MD of Transmission Films said in a press release: “We are overjoyed to be working with Jonathan, Andy and Chris again, and the accomplished creative team and cast they’ve brought together for what we know will be a remarkable film. The Railway Man is truly an international production, with a story that has roots in Australia plus a wealth of Australia talent in front and behind the camera. This will be a major film for 2013.”
The film is backed by Screen Australia in association with Silver Reel, Screen Queensland, Creative Scotland and Lionsgate UK.
The meeting between Lomax and his tormentor was first filmed in a documentary called Enemy My Friend in 1995 by director Mike Finlason.
