The flamboyant former Riverdance star, Michael Flatley, is set to make the leap from stage to cinema, he announced at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday. "It will be a major motion picture," he promised confidently.
Although the film is titled The Lord of the Dance, Flatley's fans may be confused to learn it has nothing to do with the dancer's successful stage show of the same name.
Asked if the film would have music by Ronan Hardiman, who composed the score for the stage show, Flatley said he was considering several composers.
The screenplay has been written by Flatley in collaboration with Shane Connaughton, the novelist and screenwriter nominated for an Oscar with Jim Sheridan for their screen play of My Left Foot. "This one will be My Two Feet," Flatley said.
He expected filming to begin in August when he gets a break from his touring show, Feet of Flames, and the film will be made in Ireland, Britain and the US.
Asked about the budget, he referred to the film's producer, Matt Mazer, who said it would be over $20 million and that it would be raised from "private equity and tax-advantaged investments".
The film will be directed by the veteran English film-maker, Tony Palmer, who has made movies on musical subjects from Wagner and Berlioz to Leonard Cohen and Liberace. In Cannes, Palmer was asked if he was worried about working with someone of Flatley's hands-on reputation.
"Remember, I've worked with Maria Callas," he replied to outline his experience of prima donnas. "When I was asked to do this film, I thought it was such an extraordinary opportunity to work with somebody like Michael Flatley. Except there is nobody like Michael Flatley. His personality is so extraordinary and so powerful."
The 42-year-old Flatley, who told the conference his feet are insured for $40 million, believes the movie has great potential. "There are 52 million Irish-Americans," he said. "I hope they'll come and see it. My stage shows have been huge successes and our videos have done enormously well. We had 125,000 at Feet of Flames in Vienna last week and we expect that 70,000 people will see it in Rotterdam this week."
He said he was looking forward to bringing the show to Stormont Castle on July 29th.
Asked by The Irish Times about his rocky relationship with the producers of Riverdance, Moya Doherty and John McColgan, he said: "I have no hard feelings. I'm proud to have created that show. I want to congratulate them for their success on Broadway. Long may it run."
Does Flatley have any acting experience? "Only when I've done settlements with local promoters," he said. "I've served my time for 42 years. I don't fancy myself as the next greatest actor in the world, but I think I could make a hell of a movie star."