It's been well over a year since the project was greenlit and I actually thought it had fallen victim of neglection but Variety are reporting the great news that Peter Morgan's adaptation of the late eccentric soccer manager Brian Clough's biopic The Damned United has just been picked up by Sony after they made the producers "an offer they couldn't refuse". The studio have put up $10 million to finance the flick alongside BBC Films and will distribute the movie worldwide - where previously it was to be distributed by small Indie shingles Ealing Studios Intl. (U.S.) and Optimum Releasing (U.K.). Vets Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall and Colin Meaney have joined the cast which will see the incredibly transforming Michael Sheen lead as the always outspoken "Cloughie".
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Sadly director Stephen Frears won't be making the movie an almost complete reunion of The Queen as he has now stepped aside and it will be Tom Hooper who will helm. His biggest gig to date was directing the John Adams mini-series which is playing in the U.S. right now and he also directed a 2004 Hilary Swank movie I've never heard of - Red Dust. Also gone is the name Bloody United and it's expected the movie will use the biopic's original title. The book mostly covers the 1974 year of Cloughie's life but also the 1960's with his ill-fated 44 day reign as coach of Leeds United. Frears is a huge loss to this project but I still say this could easily be Oscar material for Sheen - possibly one of the most watchable chameleon actors ever put on film. Really glad to see this moving along and with a wonderful cast in place now too. This one begins shooting one month from tomorrow and could be out before the end of the year.
