AN $11 million film about Brendan Behan, which was to have started shooting in Dublin next Monday, has been postponed after the withdrawal of the American actor, Sean Penn, from the role of Behan. The film's crew gas put on protective notice last week and that notice expires today.
The film, The Bells of Hell, was to have been directed by Peter Sheridan, the Irish playwright and theatre director, and it was to have been produced by his brother, the Oscar nominated writer and director, Jim Sheridan, and by Arthur Lappin.
"Due to personal reasons, Sean Penn will not be available to be in Ireland to start work on the film next Monday as planned," Mr Lappin told The Irish Times yesterday. "We are very disappointed, although the spirit and support of the crew have been magnificent. A substantial sum of the budget already has been spent."
The film's budget, which is over $ 11 million, came mainly from the American company, New Line Cinema, with additional finance from Bord Scannan na hEireann and Section 35 investors. "None of the Section 35 money was raised or spent," Mr Lappin said.
Sean Penn won the best actor award at the Berlin Film Festival on Monday for his performance in Dead Man Walking, in which he plays a convict on death row, and he has been nominated for an Oscar for the same film. He has had talks with Peter Sheridan about the Behan film for four years and visited Ireland several times to discuss the project.
The production company had hired a voice coach who worked, with Mr Penn in Los Angeles for, the past month.
The Behan film was to have been filmed on various locations in Dublin for 10 weeks from Monday next.
"We see this as a temporary postponement," said Mr Lappin. "We are determined that the film will be made this year, with or without Sean Penn."