Shooters

The dark story of a young man freed from prison who betrays his best friend to escape London's seedy and depraved underground crime world, Shooters was written nearly seven years ago by three friends, Gary Young, Andrew Howard and Louis Dempsey.



Last summer, they showed the script to young British directing and producing partnership Colin Teague and Marjory Bone of Cool Beans Productions, with whom Howard had worked as an actor on the 30-minute film North West One.



"I liked the fact that it was gritty and raw and not in the same vein as the more cheeky chappy gangster films that have come out," Bone explains. "It was very realistic in the way it dealt with drugs and guns and not at all glamorous."



Cool Beans agreed to produce the film with Dutch company Catapult Productions, run by Glenn Durfort, with whom Teague had studied at the London International Film School. Dutch producer Jan Bruinstroop came in as executive producer as both Bone and Teague were both first-time film-makers. The budget was raised via a private investor connected to Catapult Productions. Howard and Dempsey took the lead roles of the two friends while the cast was filled out with familiar names, such as Matthew Rhys and Ioan Gruffud. "We were lucky that Colin and Andrew played in a football team with some lads who happened to be up-and-coming British actors," says Bone.



Principal photography took place during November and December in London. The production took up residence in a huge disused warehouse above a McDonald's in the King's Cross area. In addition to providing sets and studio space, the warehouse also housed production offices, wardrobe and prop departments.



Several international sales agents are now in talks with Cool Beans to acquire the project.