Shooting Commences on Teplitzky’s Churchill, starring Brian Cox

Published: 24 May 2016

May 23, 2016: Salon Pictures today announced that principal photography has begun on its new feature film, CHURCHILL.

May 23, 1944: as tensions mount in the 48-hours preceding D-Day, the now-beleaguered Prime Minister Winston Churchill, played by Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, X-Men 2, Zodiac, War & Peace, Troy), must prepare a final attempt to crush Hitler’s encroaching army. With the entire War effort ultimately hinging on this decision, the stakes have never been higher. As the Wartime leader clashes with his generals, tension builds with the Americans, and Churchill must wrestle his inner-demons in order to navigate the Allies to victory.

Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter, Testament of Youth) plays beloved wife Clemmie Churchill, with John Slattery (Mad Men, Captain America Civil War) as General Eisenhower, James Purefoy (Rome, The Following, High Rise) as King George VI, and rising-star Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Tarzan) joining the cast as Churchill’s secretary.

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky (The Railway Man, Marcella) and written by British historian and author Alex von Tunzelmann in her feature debut, Churchill is a unique, challenging and intimate portrait of the man behind the public figure, widely regarded as the Greatest Briton of all time.

Churchill was developed with the assistance of the BFI, Nick Taussig and Paul Van Carter of Salon Pictures are producing, with Piers Tempest and Jo Bamford's Tempo Productions, alongside Claudia Bluemhuber of Silver Reel. Embankment Films’ Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar are handling international sales, Silver Reel finance with Lipsync and Creative Scotland.

Further casting on the project showcases a host of renowned British talent, including Julian Wadham (War Horse, The English Patient), Danny Webb (Valkyrie, A Little Chaos), George Anton (Marcella, The Sweeney) Steve Cree (Brave) and Richard Durden (Wolf Hall, From Paris With Love).

Producers Van Carter, Taussig, Tempest commented today, “D-Day was one of the most important moments in twentieth-century world history. Telling the untold story of Churchill’s political and personal conflict through this time will show him in new, triumphant light, Alex’s script showing a very human side. We are honoured to have Brian Cox playing this great and complex man with director Jonathan Teplitzky bringing an intimate and cinematic prestige to the picture.”

Producer and Financiers Claudia Bluemhuber and Ian Hutchinson from Silver Reel: “After working with Jonathan Teplitzky on the Railway Man we are thrilled to be working him again with such a great team of producers as we well as Embankment Films.

Brian Cox said of taking on the role of Churchill: "I am looking forward to bringing this iconic but complex figure to life- it’s the role of a lifetime for me and I’m so pleased to be taking this journey with both Jonathan and our great cast"

Jonathan Teplitzky said, ”I’m very excited and thrilled to be shooting Churchill. To work with Brian Cox and see him play such an icon will be an incredible experience. But also working with the rest of the cast and our wonderful crew is a real privilege as we strive together to make a great film"

Natalie Usher, Director of Screen at Creative Scotland said: “We're absolutely thrilled to have Churchill shooting in Scotland and we’re proud to be supporting the film. Recently voted the world's Best Cinematic Destination, Film and TV producers spent a record £45.8m shooting in Scotland in 2014 demonstrating an increasing appetite from major film and high-end TV producers to use Scotland as a location. It’s been proved that Scotland can facilitate large scale productions of this nature and we would encourage anyone considering Scotland as a location to get in touch and see what we have to offer.”

Media Contact

Organic Publicity- Kirsty Langsdale,  E: Kirsty.Langsdale@organic-publicity.co.uk

Organic Publicity- Esther Paterson, E: Esther.Paterson@organic-publicity.co.uk

Notes to Editors

About Salon Pictures

Founded in 2013 by Paul Van Carter and Nick Taussig, Salon produces prestige film and documentary with an international reach.  Last year saw GASCOIGNE released by eOne, and the premiere of THE CHALLENGE at Santa Barbara Film Festival. This year sees THE ICONOCLAST released by Saboteur, and THE GUV’NOR premiering at East End Film Festival with a theatrical release by Lionsgate. Later this year Salon delivers Andrew Kotting’s LEK & THE DOGS financed by the BFI and released by Soda, and shoots MY NAME IS LENNY for Lionsgate, and Sharon Horgan’s debut MEET ME IN TEN YEARS with Film 4.  

About Tempo Productions

Jo Bamford and Piers Tempest’s Tempo Productions operates from Yorkshire and London and produces independent film and media, with commercial appeal for audiences worldwide. With ten feature films under its belt, recent projects include THE JOURNEY starring Tim Spall, Colm Meaney, John Hurt, Toby Stephens and Freddie Highmore, Sundance hit GRABBERS, KILLING BONO starring Robert Sheehan, Ben Barnes and Pete Postlethwaite and AFI Best picture nominated OYSTER FARMER. 

About Silver Reel

Since 2009 Silver Reel has invested in and executive produced 30 feature films. Silver Reel’s executives have built a wide network with producers, writers, directors, actors, agents and distributors worldwide.

The slate includes films such as THE RAILWAY MAN (directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, UNDER THE SKIN (helmed by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett Johansson, SOLACE (directed by Alfonso Poyart, starring Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell and A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING (directed by Tom Twyker starring Tom Hanks) and Eye in the Sky (directed by Gavin Hood starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul and Alan Rickman), amongst others.