BRONSON/BREAKING OUT

Britain’s latest unlikely film star seems set to be the country's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, as a major film based on his life takes to the streets.

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Spot the contradiction in this sentence: Bronson’s story will be told with a large dose of humour.

Humour? Oh, really! In a film based on the life of a dangerous chap who has spent 34 years in jail, 30 of them in solitary confinement, in some 120 different prisons?

Admittedly Bronson only went in for a 7 year jig to start, for a bit of burglary committed as an innocuously named Welshman, Mickey Peterson, but he quickly made enemies inside and out thanks to a penchant for taking hostages and rooftop protests.

His evolution, in addition to including that bizarre name change and the growth of a scary beard (pictured), inspired him to proclaim himself to be Britain’s most notorious prisoner.

An evolution now to be told with a large dose of humour!!!

Yet producer Danny Hansford should know what he is talking about when he makes such claims since, as he adds, "It has taken four long years to bring this project home and during that time a life long friendship has developed between myself and Mr. Bronson."

The intention is to produce a fascinating study of the culture behind prison walls, as told from Bronson's POV.

And, lo and behold, it turns out that his POV might just be amusing after all since, during the past ten years, the terrifying Bronson has occupied himself by writing poetry, producing pieces of art and has published ten books.

Enough said.

What is guaranteed is a cracking portrayal of Bronson himself by Tom Hardy (main photo), a hard man who has enjoyed his own personal flirtations with nasty lifestyles early on and has more recently been making a dramatic impression on screen in films like Black Hawk Down, WΔZ, Stuart: A Life Backwards and the forthcoming RocknRolla.

Directing Hardy will be Nicolas Winding Refn, who was behind the controversial Pusher Trilogy and Fear X, abetted by Larry Smith, the Director of Photography who gave the look to Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.

The film is being made by five year old Vertigo Films which has always launched a diverse list of features, including The Football Factory, It's All Gone Pete Tong, A Good Woman, The Business, Outlaw, London To Brighton, Shrooms and, most recently, WAZ, and two documentaries, Joe Strummer - The Future is Unwritten and Shadow of the Moon.

Vertigo is currently working on Tom Shankland’s WAZ follow up, the horror movie The Day.

Filming on Bronson is scheduled to last six weeks in Nottinghamshire, so finishing in mid-April, with a proposed release in early 2009.

When Bronson himself will be released is anyone’s guess.

Filed March 3, 2008.