'Svengali' the Movie

 

SVENGALI became a phenomenal YouTube cult success and an internet hit when its original nine episodes reached the public in 2011. A year on and the existence of a massive, ready-made, worldwide YouTube audience has led directly to SVENGALI reaching the big screen in style.

The leading roles in the Root Films production of the hit music-business comedy have been secured by major British stars including MARTIN FREEMAN, VICKY McCLURE AND MICHAEL SMILEY.

The film tells the story of Dixie, a small town guy with a big dream, played by Root Films cofounder and screenwriter JONNY OWEN, leaving the Welsh Valleys for the bright lights of London, intent on becoming the manager of the best band in the world.

This feel-good British comedy will be brought to life with an award-winning cast:-

MARTIN FREEMAN is the BAFTA-winning co-star of Sherlock and lead actor in “The Office”, one of the greatest comedies of our time. He now looks set for global superstardom playing Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s two-movie series of “The Hobbit”. Freeman said of his involvement: “A friend of mine told me about Svengali after about the third episode. When he'd described it I was actually annoyed that I hadn't been asked to do it. I went home, watched the lot, and knew I was right to be annoyed. It was charming, sussed, and very funny.”

VICKY McCLURE won the 2011 TV BAFTA for Best Leading Actress as well as the Best Female Actor Royal Television Society Award and is widely known for her roles in Shane Meadow’s two films This is England ’86 and A Room for Romeo Brass.

MICHAEL SMILEY also joins the cast of Svengali: the enigmatic comedy actor and one time flatmate of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, has appeared in films as varied as Shaun of the Dead, The Other Boleyn Girl and Burke &Hare . He recently co-starred in the Ben Wheatley horror movie Kill List, and is currently to be seen as Benny “Deadland” Silver in the BBC drama Luther.

JONNY OWEN, playing Dixie, is not only an actor (Shameless, Wedding Belles and A Bit of Tom Jones) but has worked extensively as a writer and producer. His documentary production Aberfan Disaster won the BAFTA Gwyn Alf Williams Award. Owen says “The web has changed everything. Svengali was originally an experiment to see if people wanted stories. It seems they did. To be making a movie now shows that anything is possible.”

Combining Martin Root’s experience as the Creative Director of Root, an innovative multidisciplinary design studio, and Jonny Owen’s talents as a writer and performer, ROOT FILMS now have their first feature well under way.

SVENGALI also boasts the hugely respected Henry Normal from Baby Cow

Productions in the role of Executive Producer. Normal’s production company (behind Gavin & Stacey, The Mighty Boosh, The Trip etc.) was established with comedian Steve Coogan in 2002.

The movie of SVENGALI is co-written by JONNY OWEN and DEAN CAVANAGH,

writer of the virals and other acclaimed screenplays including Wedding Belles and the Bafta nominated Dose. Cavanagh began his career as a freelance journalist, contributing to UK magazines such as The Face, i-D and NME and has an on-going writing partnership with IRVINE WELSH of Trainspotting fame.

SVENGALI will see cameos from some of the biggest names in the music industry playing themselves. It’s no coincidence that SVENGALI will be directed by JOHN HARDWICK, who has worked with a host of major industry figures including Blur, the Arctic Monkeys, New Order , Travis and the Manic Street Preachers. And there’s a lot more in the pipeline, as Martin Root confirms…

“We’ve a whole slate of scripts ready to go into production. Our long term vision is to make cutting-edge British films which resonate round the world”.

For more information visit www.svengalimovie.com/@SvengaliMovie

Watch the first episode here: http://www.youtube.com/svengalimovie