The North East movie director behind blockbuster movies Dog Soldiers and The Descent is part of a team which has launched a new production company poised to make films and TV series in the region.
Newcastle’s Neil Marshall has teamed up with fellow filmmaker Libby Walker to launch new company Nana Peg Productions in South Shields, amid plans to produce a continuous slate of feature films and programmes in the North East, potentially bringing in millions in local spending as well as the creation of many skilled jobs.
The company – named after Ms Walker’s grandmother – has been set up in tandem with the launch of the new £500m Crown Works film studios in Sunderland, joining a growing movement to put the North East on the map as a leader for film and television production. The pair have launched a new website which highlights investment opportunities as well as the team’s projects.
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Mr Marshall: “It’s very early days. We’re just getting started, but we have big plans for the North East, and really what we need more than anything right now is investment in the company to get the ball rolling and keep these projects moving forward.
“I’ve always felt the North East has so much to offer cinematically, from the cities to the beaches to the fells, it’s a spectacular landscape rich with history. Just look at the castles and stately homes we have in the area like Bamburgh Castle and Cragside. I’ve always wanted to come back and make movies here, and both myself and Libby felt now is the right time.”
Ms Walker added: “There is so much more to the North East than what we are currently presented with in the general media. As a working class actor continually stereotyped for my accent, I believe it’s about time that the world was given more of an authentic perspective of the region and her people.
“With the creation of the new studios in Sunderland, there couldn’t be a better time to begin to drive the film industry to the North East, and that is exactly what we intend to do. We’re here to establish the area as a leader in film production, making sure the voice of the North East is not only heard but celebrated, hopefully inspiring the next generation of regional talent and providing them with the ability to consider a career in Film as a realistic choice, in whichever avenue they may choose.”
Projects on Nana Peg’s roster include Kings of the North, which will depict boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s visit to the region in 1977, at the invitation of a local painter and decorator. Fleur Costello, a fellow Northumbria University film studies graduate along with Mr Marshall, who also has strong family ties to the region, is writing the script based on true events.
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After that the company is planning an action movie called Pound of Flesh which Mr Marshall, who will write and direct the film, describes as: “In the spirit of classic revenge thriller Get Carter but set today and reimagined with Jason Statham!”
Mr Marshall said he was around in Newcastle during the boxer’s visit, adding: “I was around at the time, but I’d completely forgotten about this event until Libby reminded me. But my first thought was, that would make an incredible movie, it’s such a charming and inspiring story about people chasing their dreams. It’s a universal story.”
Ms Walker said: “We’re both incredibly passionate about our roots and are determined to showcase a diverse range of stories from the area. We want the children of the North East to be able to watch a film and be able to identify as a barrister, as a wealthy business person, as a pop star, or a political party leader and/or see names of folk they know personally in the end credits - so we’re really aiming to change the narrative on both sides of the camera. We want to normalise a life in film.”
Mr Marshall is best known for horror movies The Descent, Dog Soldiers and Doomsday, but his directing credits also include films Centurion, Hellboy, as well as TV credits for Westworld, Game of Thrones, Black Sails, Hannibal, Constantine and Lost in Space.
South Shields born Ms Walker, meanwhile, is an actor, producer and director, who is best known for her role as Becky in Fishermen’s Friends 2 alongside fellow Geordie Dave Johns and James Purefoy. Her producing debut, Zemi, won national and international awards Best International Short Film on three occasions.