Will Clarke's Altitude to co-produce spoof The Hooligan Factory

Will Clarke’s new production, financing and sales company Altitude Film Entertainment has come on board as a co-producer of Think Big Productions’ The Hooligan Factory.

The film, described as a hooligan spoof, will start pre-production in September and shooting in October with a summer 2013 release planned. The budget is said to be under £1m and is privately financed.

Nick Nevern writes and will direct. Nevern previously directed Terry, in which he also starred, and as an actor he has also appeared in Adulthood, Demons Never Die, The Rise & Fall of a White Collar Hooligan, Strippers vs Werewolves and Nick Love’s forthcoming The Sweeney.

The story is about two football hooligans who are on a mission to re-establish their firm’s former glory days, while the police are closing in. Nevern will take the lead role.

Clarke from Altitude Film will co-produce with Jason Maza of Think Big Productions. Maza previously produced Terry (a microbudget feature that sold to Lionsgate UK), Victim, Demons Never Die and Noel Clarke’s forthcoming The Knot; as an actor he has appeared in Shifty, Fish Tank, Victim, and in the forthcoming Welcome To The Punch.

Speaking to Screen, Maza said the project was unique in that it would celebrate and poke fun at the slew of football hooligan films in the UK (such as The Football Factory, The Rise of the Footsoldier and Green Street Hooligans as well as countless others. “I’m a big fan of those films, and now there are so many of them that it’s a time where we can laugh at them — paying homage but also satirising them. So many people are fans of those movies and now they can celebrate that while also having a laugh.” The story is also something of a coming of age tale about two friends (one in his 30s, one in his early 20s).

He added that he was thrilled to have the support of the experienced team at Altitude. “We were introduced by a mutual friend, and Will loved the script. We had a lot of industry interest in this script because it is so unique, but once Will wanted to get involved I knew that was right. I was a huge fan of what he did at Optimum and I have a lot of respect for the Altitude team.” Maza said he hoped this was the beginning of a series of collaborations with Altitude, which has said it wants to develop lasting relationships with new filmmakers.

Will Clarke added: “When we set up Altitude earlier this year we made a commitment to discover the next generation of film talent, helping young film-makers get great films made. We are excited to be working with young talent such as Nick and Jason and can’t wait to get started.”

Clarke, formerly of Optimum Releasing, launched Altitude in May together with joint CEO Andy Mayson and international sales MD Mike Runagall. The company aims to develop creative partnerships with filmmakers, especially rising talents. The company is already working with James Watkins and Simon Duric on The Loch, Gregor Cameron and Owen Harris on Kill Your Friends, and Ben Craig and Matt Charman on Mythica.