The now iconic black comedy Four Lions, which was filmed in Yorkshire, nearly didn’t happen, it has been revealed.
The film, what is now an absolute classic, features a group of useless British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point.
As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, This dark comedy tackles a difficult topic in a very Yorkshire manner.
Vice News revealed how producer Mark Herbert discussed how he was told the film would be ‘career suicide’ during development.
Herbert said: “I had a couple of investors who said, ‘I really love the script, but I’m terrified.’ I actually had some investors tell me that it was career suicide. I never lost faith in the project, but I questioned whether we’d ever get it made.
Read More: Four Lions Filming Locations in Sheffield
“Some members of my family thought I was crazy for doing it, thinking I was going to be kidnapped or something. I went to this New York pitching festival thing and, literally, people thought it was a hidden camera gag.”
Discussing the making of it in the safe article Chris Morris said:
The film went on to win a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer and was nominated for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film.
It goes down not only in Yorkshire Film history, but also British and World Cinema as an absolute classic.
Read More: 16 Of The Greatest Yorkshire Films Of All Time
Feature Image Credit: Drafthouse Films
