|
Press Releases
Branagh Aboard Pirate Radio Film
BBC News, 19 February 2008
British actors Kenneth Branagh and Rhys Ifans have joined the cast of Richard Curtis's film about pirate radio DJs broadcasting illegally in the 1970s. Written and directed by Curtis, 'The Boat That Rocked' also stars January Jones who visits the ship and falls for Ifans's character.
Filming on the Working Title production begins in London on 3 March.
Jones, currently to be seen in US drama 'Made Men', had a small role in Curtis's 2003 directorial debut 'Love, Actually'. Ifans, meanwhile, played Hugh Grant's scruffy flatmate Spike in 1999's 'Notting Hill', which Curtis wrote. Branagh will be seen later this year in Nazi war drama 'Valkyrie', in a cast that also includes Bill Nighy of 'Love, Actually' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' fame.
Branagh Joins Radio Caroline Movie
Digital Spy, 19 February 2008
By Beth Hilton
Kenneth Branagh and January Jones have joined Rhys Ifans in the cast of Richard Curtis' pirate radio movie 'The Boat That Rocked'.
The film tells the story of Radio Caroline, which started life on a boat off the coast of Felixstowe, Suffolk in 1964 and is believed by many to have been the precursor of BBC Radio 1.
Branagh and Ifans will play DJs for the station, while Jones (Mad Men) plays an American woman who falls for Ifans' character, reports Variety.
Richard Curtis will write and direct the Universal project through Working Title, the production company behind his previous films 'Love Actually', 'Notting Hill' and 'Four Weddings And A Funeral'.
The film will start shooting in London on March 3.
Branagh Boards Boat That Rocked
New Richard Curtis Film Will Be Set on a Pirate Radio Ship
IGN.com, 19 February 2008
By Chris Tilly
Richard Curtis, the writer/director whose output has seemingly kept the British film industry afloat of late, is about to set sail for a new project entitled 'The Boat that Rocked'. The man responsible for 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Notting Hill' and Bean will also write the flick, which is set in the world of 1970s pirate radio ships.
Such stations were anchored off the UK coast throughout the decade, broadcasting to Europe while remaining unlicensed by any government. The most famous such offshore station was Radio Caroline, which launched the careers of UK DJs Tony Blackburn, Simon Dee and the hairy cornflake himself, Dave Lee Travis.
January Jones will play an American who find love on a British pirate radio boat.
The film will star January Jones (who had a small role in Curtis's 'Love Actually') as an American visiting her DJ boyfriend on the boat. Once there however, she starts falling for his pal, played by Rhys Ifans.
Kenneth Branagh rounds out the cast as a fellow disc jockey, and we can just see him as the film's answer to Kenny Everett, a bearded prankster who became a pirate radio legend in the 1970s.
A Working Title pic, 'The Boat that Rocked' will be produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Hilary Bevan-Jones and Curtis himself, with principal photography set to commence in London on March 3.
Branagh and Ifans Set Sail With Richard Curtis
The Guardian, 19 February 2008
Kenneth Branagh and Rhys Ifans have boarded 'The Boat That Rocked', Richard Curtis's forthcoming film about a 70s pirate radio ship. The British actors will portray radio DJs who rock the waves in the ensemble comedy, penned and directed by the 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' screenwriter. Filming is set to begin next month.
Branagh and Ifans will be joined by US rising star January Jones, a model-turned-actor who appeared in the 2003 Adam Sandler comedy 'Anger Management'. She will portray an American woman who visits the boat and falls in love with her boyfriend's friend, portrayed by Ifans. 'The Boat that Rocked' is Curtis's second directorial effort, following 2003's 'Love Actually'. He is reuniting with his long-time producers, Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, who have backed all of his films, on the project.
Curtis is also reuniting with several actors. Ifans made his name in the Curtis-penned comedy 'Notting Hill' in 1999, while Jones had a small part in 2003's 'Love Actually'. The newcomer is Branagh, who will work with Curtis for the first time.
Trio Ready to Rock 'Boat': Branagh, Ifans, Jones Join Curtis Project
Variety, 19 February 2008
By Diane Garrett
Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans and January Jones have climbed aboard "The Boat That Rocked," a Working Title production for Universal that Richard Curtis wrote and will direct.
Branagh and Ifans play deejays for a pirate radio show in England during the 1970s. Jones, best known for her starring turn as repressed housewife Betty Draper in "Mad Men," plays an American woman who visits the deejays on the boat and falls for her boyfriend's pal (Ifans).
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Hilary Bevan-Jones are producing, along with Curtis. Project begins lensing March 3 in London.
Branagh next appears in "Valkryie." Ifans, who was recently signed by UTA, had his breakthrough role in "Notting Hill," a 1999 pic penned by Curtis. And Jones had a small role in Curtis' 2003 romantic comedy "Love Actually."
|
