Trainspotting 2 awarded £500k windfall from Creative Scotland

The long-awaited sequel to Trainspotting and a feature film about Scotland's 'godfather of golf' made by Sean Connery's son are sharing in a windfall of almost £1 million from arts agency Creative Scotland.

Danny Boyle, in hat, with members of the production crew in Bathgate for the Transpotting sequel. Picture: Leon McGowran

Up to £500,000 has been awarded for the forthcoming adaptation of Porno, Irvine Welsh’s sequel to his best-seller, which made huge stars out of Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Johnny Lee Miller. They will be reunited with director Danny Boyle next month at a former factory in West Lothian when filming starts on the new film.

Creative Scotland has confirmed it will be backing the film – to be shot on location in both Edinburgh and Glasgow – from a new £1.75m production growth fund set up last year to attract major productions.

A further £400,000 has been earmarked for actor-turned-director Jason Connery’s new film Tommy’s Honour, which will see actor Peter Mullan step into the shows of “Old Tom Morris,” the St Andrews-born golfing legend considered the founding father of the modern game. He helped found the Open Championship and won four titles.

Tommy’s Honour – which also stars Sam Neill and Jack Lowden – will explore the relation between Mullan’s character and his son, who was to surpass his father’s achievements.

The Trainspotting sequel, which is being backed by Sony’s TriStar Pictures studio, is in the final stages of pre-production at the Pyramids Business Centre in Bathgate. Tommy’s Honour – mainly shot on location in St Andrews and Peebles in the autumn – is believed to be in the final stages of post-production.

However the remake of the classic comedy Whisky Galore, inspired by the real-life war-time sinking of a ship laden with cargo of whisky off a Hebridean island, was left empty-handed after its producers withdrew a funding bid. It emerged last week that the new film, based on Compton Mackenzie’s 1947 novel of the same name, will close the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival in June.

A spokeswoman for Creative Scotland said the final funding award for Boyle’s movie could not be confirmed while it is still in pre-production.

She added: “Trainspotting 2 has received support through the production growth fund. We’ll be able to provide further information in due course.

“Tommy’s Honour is a high-profile project, with an exciting cast, which provides the perfect opportunity to showcase Scotland’s creative, craft and technical talent, stunning locations and a wealth of social and sporting history.”

“It is terrific news that Whisky Galore will close this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. It received £3,000 recce funding through our screen commission. We had several conversations with the production company about how we could support the film. An application was submitted but subsequently withdrawn and we understand that all the funding was raised privately.”