MILLAR SET TO MAKE EPIC SEQUEL

AN amateur moviemaker, who last year wowed Cannes with a film made in his bedroom for £150, is bringing Hollywood to Dundee with an ‘epic’ sequel involving a cast of thousands.
‘Episode II Oh My Dog!’ follows on from Glenn Millar’s hugely successful debut Godsend which last year earned him fame but no fortune at the world’s glitziest film festival in the south of France
Still unemployed but with an ambition burning brighter than ever, Millar and his friends are now set to embark on their most ambitious and philanthropic project yet.
However, with no big bucks studio backing their latest venture, ‘Episode II’ looks set to join that rare breed of movie film classification – a blockbuster produced on a shoestring budget.
Shot in the same sci-fi B-movie style, ‘Episode II’ follows on from where ‘Godsend’ left off and centres around the classic story line of a battle between good and evil. Essentially heroes from the original are faced with freeing Dundee from the grip of the evil Jugla aliens who have enslaved thousands of Dundonians and are using their labour to manufacture a magic essence drawn from the juice of giant fruits.
Inspired by Hollywood classics such as ‘Star Wars’, ‘Dune’, ‘Armageddon’ and with a little ‘Alice in Wonderland’ thrown in for good measure, ‘Episode II’ climaxes in the eruption of Dundee’s real-life long-extinct volcano known locally as the Law.
In an industry obsessed with fantasy, spectacle and the bizarre, the plot itself sits neatly alongside some of the biggest box office hits and the reality of pulling off a project of this scale with no more than a giro cheque every couple of weeks doesn’t deter Millar and his friends.
Scheduled to premiere next spring, shortly before the long-awaited release of the multi-million dollar Star Wars movie Millar is hopeful the contrast between the two films will generate extra interest in his movie.
He’s also certain that contacts made with movers and shakers at Cannes in 2000 will open doors and help ease their path to the most prestigious international platform an independent movie can command.
Millar’s co-film maker Jon Justice believes Scotland has something to prove at Cannes next year and along with Millar is only too eager to show that a band of broke boys from Dundee can give George Lucas a run for his money.
Besides given there were no Scottish films on show at Cannes in 2001, he believes it falls to them to make sure the industry is hit with something that will turn the spotlight on Scotland in 2002.
Justice said: “We believe that if we could make Godsend for £150 for a few thousands we could make a film that’s not a stone’s throw away off the standard of Time Bandits, the 1981 sci-fi film directed by Terry Gilliam.
“When our ‘Episode II’ premieres next spring it might not have Ewan McGregor but it will have bags of style, talent and mind-blowing special effects that will prove that entertaining, visually stunning movies can be made for very little cash.”
If anyone is interested in taking part in ‘Episode II’ they can tel: (01382) 520 025. (CD)