‘Philomena’ scribe Jeff Pope penning the script…
Scottish director Jon S Baird (‘Filth,’ ‘Cass,’ ‘Green Street Hooligans’) is to take the helm of an untitled drama based around comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and their farewell tour of Britain in 1953.
Baird described the film to Scotland on Sunday as “a love story between two guys who come to realise they can’t live without each other. It’s a really, really beautiful tale.”
“Stan was very much the driving force, Ollie was more relaxed, he just loved golfing and betting on the horses,” added Baird. “Once he’d finish for the day, he’d be off, and though he would be consulted on the script ideas when they were rehearsing, he didn’t write the stuff, Stan wrote everything, I think he was a real tortured genius.”
The comic duo’s successful tour came as the two were losing their big screen appeal, and was a bid to revive their careers. However it ended when Hardy had a heart attack.
Baird will be directing from a script by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jeff Pope (‘Philomena, ‘Essex Boys’).