An Irish writer based in the Digital Hub in Dublin has just signed an option on a film script for his first feature-length animation with a film company owned by a Hollywood screenwriter credited with making movies such as Disney’s Mulan and Pocohontas and Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt.
Neil Lydon of digital media consultancy Calico Media signed the deal with Danish firm Fiddler’s Green, which is headed up by veteran Hollywood screenwriter Philip Lazbnik.
The script, entitled Alphabet City, is a children’s fantasy that will be shot and produced entirely in CGI (computer generated imagery).
The film is set to be directed by Oscar-nominated European director Stefan Fjeldmark who most recently directed Asterix and the Vikings, the biggest animated feature ever produced in Europe. He also directed Help, I’m a Fish! in 2000.
This is Leyden’s first feature-length animation script, although he has written many live action scripts.
He is currently working on a second animation project which has garnered significant interest from a number of US production companies.
Lydon says the Digital Hub cluster where his company operates has proven a fertile creative ground for his screenwriting pursuits as he is surrounded “by a wealth of television, animation and games production companies.”
By John Kennedy
