ContentFilm, Black Camel start Scottish shoot for Barker's Outpost sequel

ContentFilm and Glasgow-based production company Black Camel started five weeks of principal photography on Feb 28 for Outpost: Black Sun.

The 2008 Outpost was acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group and has sold more than 270,000 DVD units in the UK (Vertigo handled the theatrical release).

The original Outpost team returns: Steve Barker again directs from the script he co-wrote with screenwriter Rae Brunton. Black Camel’s Arabella Page Croft and Kieran Parker produce.

ContentFilm co-developed the sequel’s script with Black Camel Pictures and Creative Scotland.

Content has already done pre-sales with the UK (Icon), France (SND), Germany (Splendid), Poland (Massmood), Middle East (Gulf Film), Russia (Top Film) and Portugal (Lusomundo).

Catherine Steadman (The Tudors, The Inbetweeners), Richard Coyle (W.E., Prince Of Persia) lead the cast, with returning actors Julian Wadham and Johnny Meres.

The action horror thriller is shooting on location in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland before moving to studio work at a former bottle factory in Steppes. Although filmed in Scotland, the film is mostly set in Eastern Europe.

But shooting locally is important to Black Camel. Arabella Page-Croft told Screen: “The crew in Scotland is very talented, and they like doing ambitious genre filmmaking. It’s important to make films in Scotland and show that it can be done successfully.”

The story picks up two weeks after the end of the first film. Parker notes: “We’ve stepped away from the obvious sequel, and brought in a new character (played by Steadman). She’s the daughter of a Nazi hunter who is oblivious to the events of the first film.”

The sequel’s budget is about $3.3m (£2m), with backing from ContentFilm, Matador, Creative Scotland, the Film Office Glasgow, and regional body South West Scotland Screen Commission.

Black Camel also has transmedia plans for the Outpost series, with apps and online graphic novels said to be “a natural progression.”

And the team are toying with the idea of shooting a third Outpost film quickly after the second.

Black Camel also wants to make a bigger-budget action thriller with Outpost director Barker, entitled Blood Makes Noise.

Glasgow-based Black Camel has a number of other projects on its slate a feature version of Ryan McHenry’s short Zombie Musical; co-producing Canadian Rockies-set thriller Breathe to shoot in 2012; as well as school-seige/zombie storySunderland Hill to shoot later in 2011.

Black Camel is also on board for Sunshine On Leith, a BBC film adaptation of the popular musical including songs by The Proclaimers, being written by Stephen Greenhorn.