‘Dad’s Army’ Feature Film In The Works
Toby Jones and Bill Nighy
A feature film based on the popular BBC sitcom Dad’s Army is currently in development, according to various reports.
So far, British stalwarts Toby Jones (Harry Potter, Berberian Sound Studio) and Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Pirates Of The Caribbean) have been confirmed to star, playing Captain George Mainwaring and Sergeant Arthur Wilson respectively, roles originally filled by television veterans Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier.
The film is set to be directed by Oliver Parker, whose previous work includes Rowan Atkinson spy sequel Johnny English Reborn and 1995’s Kenneth Branagh-starring Othello. Meanwhile, the screenplay will be written by Hamish McColl, who worked with Parker on Reborn as well as on another TV-to-big-screen adaptation, Mr. Bean’s Holiday.
Jimmy Perry, who co-wrote the series for television, spoke about the film for BBC 5 Live radio, stating that it had “been in the air for a long time”. However, he will not be directly involved with the production.
The original comedy series, which aired a total of 80 episodes in nine seasons between 1968 and 1977, is often considered as a British classic, coming in fourth place in an official poll conducted by the BBC to find Britain’s Best Sitcom in 2004 as well as 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes as voted for by industry professionals for the British Film Institute in 2000.
The story centred on a squadron of incompetent but determined townsfolk who volunteered for military duty as part of the Home Guard, who set out to defend their country against the oncoming threat of a German invasion during World War II.
A previous feature film based on the series was released back in 1971, while the show was still on the air, produced by Columbia Pictures and starring most of the original cast.
The new film is due to go into production soon.
