FILMING IS to start in Dublin at the end of next week on an Italian-French-Irish co-production starring Hollywood stars Sean Penn, Frances McDormand and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
The $28 million (€21 million) movie This Must be the Place, which received € 500,000 funding from the Irish Film Board, will also include in its cast actors Simon Delaney, Olwen Fouere and Eve Hewson, daughter of U2 singer Bono.
The Irish producers of the movie are Element Pictures, which is run by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe.
The Irish dimension to the production has mainly been made possible due to the tax incentive contained in section 481 of the Finance Act.
The vast majority of the 300- strong crew will be Irish.
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, it tells the story of former rock star Cheyenne, played by Seán Penn, who lives quietly in Dublin with his wife, played by Frances McDormand. She is probably most famous for her role in the Coen brothers 1996 film, Fargo.
When his father, a Holocaust survivor, dies in New York, Cheyenne embarks on a journey across America to track down his father’s nemesis. Sorrentino wrote the script with co-writer Umberto Contarello.
One third of the film will be shot in and around Dublin up until the end of August, with the remainder of the 10-week shoot taking place in New York, Detroit and New Mexico.
Element Pictures producer Ed Guiney said: "Bringing This Must Be the Placeto Ireland is a real coup."
The movie will be released worldwide next year, showcasing Ireland and Irish talent alongside some of the most stellar talents working in world cinema today.