‘Shooting has begun, cast has been set and eOne has taken UK and Australia rights on Gurinder Chadha’s comedy/drama Blinded By The Light, a hybrid musical rooted in the British tradition of quirky comedies. This is the project that Deadline scooped Chadha was prepping with Cornerstone Films boarding international sales in Berlin. It’s based on the memoir Greetings From Bury Park by journalist/broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor which chronicles his experiences as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton and the impact Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics had upon him. And, evidently, The Boss is OK with that.
Chadha and Manzoor developed the film out of their shared passion for Springsteen. They both met him at the London premiere of the Springsteen doc The Promise in 2010 and discovered he had not only read, but admired the book.
Chadha and producing partner Jane Barclay have gathered a mix of new and familiar British comedy talent for the cast including Kulvinder Ghir (Still Open All Hours), Hayley Atwell (the Avengers franchise), Rob Brydon (The Trip movies), Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary) and newcomers Viveik Kalra (Next Of Kin) and Nell Williams as romantic leads. Check out the first-look photo above.
The film is an Ingenious Media and Levantine Films presentation of a Bend It Films production and was developed with support from the BFI. Cornerstone Films is handling international sales and will introduce it to buyers in Cannes.
Levantine Films and Peter Touche of Ingenious Media are producing alongside Chadha and Barclay. Hannah Leader, co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges and Tracy Nurse serve as executive producers. Alice Dawson is the co-producer.’
Via Deadline
The Book to Screen Club 