The Flying Scotsman...

Yes it is true, they've continued with the making of this film, which was put on hold back in 2002. Jonny will be starring alongside such actors as Billy Boyd, Brian Cox and Bob Hoskins.

here's some tidbits I received in the past weeks:

"Filming has again started on the 'The Flying Scotsman', a £3.3m biopic about Graeme Obree. Trainspotting-star Jonny Lee Miller, Steven Berkoff and Bob Hoskins were due to start filming the pro-bike Scot-flick in the autumn of 2002 but just days before the cameras started rolling the American co-producer keeled over and died, leaving a hole in the movie's budget, killing it."

source: BikeBiz.co.uk in an article regarding Matt Damon playing Lance Armstrong in the future -29 July 05'

Flying Scotsman moves up a gear

by Alex Milligan

"IT WAS lights... camera... action in Galston on Monday when a film crew came to town to record scenes for ‘The Flying Scotsman’ — a film about the celebrated Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree.

Jonny Lee Miller, who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sick Boy in ‘Trainspotting’, will play Obree in the film, which is scheduled for release in 2006.

Set in the west of Scotland, and with velodrome scenes to be shot in Germany, the film tells the remarkable true story of the Ayrshire-born former world champion. Graeme broke the world one-hour record on a bike of his own revolutionary design, which he partly constructed out of sections of a washing machine.

Although a funny and inspirational script, Graeme’s brave battle with mental health problems is also part of the story.

...

“We have a wonderful cast and crew, and a director who is absolutely determined to give Graeme’s story the treatment it deserves.”
...

A frequent visitor to the set, and an advisor to the film, Graeme is delighted that his story is going to make the big screen.
Graeme told The Kilmarnock Standard: “I can’t believe the scale and complexity of making a film.
“It’s astonishing to think that, without realising it, I started all this.” After breaking the world record in 1993, Obree became the World Pursuit Champion. But his subsequent battles with the cycling authorities, who seemed determined to thwart this maverick, provide the basis for this uplifting yet often hilarious true-life tale. Behind the triumphs, however, lies a painful history of manic depression.

Graeme’s condition was the result of the vicious and systematic bullying he received as the local policeman’s son in a small Ayrshire town.
This abuse drove Obree to the depths of despair throughout his adult life, and his career, and even took him to the brink of suicide on several occasions. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ depicts the extreme lows of Graeme’s internal battles, which contrast dramatically with the intense euphoria of his victories.

The six-week shoot began in Glasgow on July 24..."

source: The Standard 9 August 05'

Can't wait to hear more on this film, sounds really good and challenging for Jonny. On the other hand it seems to be something that will suit him, what with all the training and physical activity. He's been running marathons for so many years, only now he gets to jump on a bike.

:)

Bring it!