Film4 teams up with Inbetweeners creators to make four comedy movies
- Film4 is to make four new comedy movies
- The company has teamed up with Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley
- Chris Morris is also making a new film
Film4 is to make at least four new feature length comedy films.
The move comes following the news that the feature film arm of Channel 4 has been given a £10m budget increase this year by the network, resulting in a pool of £25m to spend with "the ambition of maintaining similar increased levels for future years too".
As part of the funding increase Film4 has signed a new two year partnership with Entertainment Film Distributors and FP Films, the production company set up by The Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley. Together the companies are committed to making four new comedy films for cinema release, although no further details are currently known on what these projects will be.
A third Inbetweeners movie is unlikely to be amongst the productions, despite the first two spin-offs from the hit TV sitcom generating £80 million. Last year, Blake Harrison who plays Neil, said: "I don't think I will be doing Neil again. Just as much as that is my decision to not really want to venture back into that again, the writers have also said to us that they've run out of ideas. So it's going to be very hard even if I wanted to do it again!"
He added: "I think if you had a bunch of 20- or 30-year-old men saying what they [the Inbetweeners characters] say - there's not really an excuse, they would be more worldly and then it's just offensive. Unless they could completely change the style of how those characters made each other laugh and the audience laugh and stuff, I don't know if it could work as them older. We're getting old now!"
Talking about the new partnership deal that Film4 is striking, the organisation's Director, David Kosse, says: "Film4 had phenomenal success working with both these great companies to create one of the most successful UK comedy franchises of all time. To pull off that level of success not once but twice is testament to the extraordinary creative genius and professional rigour of all involved in both the production and distribution of these films."
It has also been revealed today that Brass Eye and The Day Today star Chris Morris is working on a new project with Film4. However, no further details have been revealed, with information only that the acclaimed writer and performer has a project "in development" with the company. Morris previously worked with Film4 in 2010 for his directorial debut film, terrorist-based comedy Four Lions.
Film4 is expected to reveal more details about its comedy plans later in the year.
Other films in the pipeline with Film4 include heist movie American Animals; a new film about Mary Magdalene from Garth Davis; Danny Boyle's long-awaited sequel to Trainspotting; and new films from first-time filmmakers: Michael Peace's Beast; Toby MacDonald's Old Boys; Adam Smith's Trespass Against Us and Benedict Andrews's Una.