Catherine Owens To Direct Oscar Wilde's THE SELFISH GIANT In 3D

I met Catherine Owens at The Hollywood Reporter's THE 3D EXPERIENCE in New York where I had the pleasure of having her on my filmmaker's panel (pictured). The biggest thing that I gleaned from her is that she is one of the greatest creative talents I have ever met. I can see them a mile away too as my mother is an artist. Catherine talks creativeness and if you have her gloriously made U2 3D concert movie then you know what I am talking about.

Now we have word that she is directing Oscar Wilde's famous children's story, THE SELFISH GIANT and will start the development phase shortly. Several studios have expressed interest and the Irish Film Board has financed. The project will utilize live action, motion capture and CG.

Owens said: "I'm delighted to have been awarded development funding from the Irish Film Board for this project, which I have nurtured for quite some time now, and intend to treat with great care during the development and production process. As a much-loved piece of work from one of Ireland's greatest writers, I will adapt the story appropriately for cinematic treatment, with the added addition of carefully crafted digital 3D production values to enhance the universal themes of the story. With significant experience in the 3D process, I am confident that given time to develop the story and screenplay The Selfish Giant will be a must-see cinema event for all those who love Oscar Wilde' s fiction, and will also open up his work to a whole new audience."

And specifically on 3D: "Pairing this Irish literary great's work to the latest in 3D technology will keep Ireland at the core of a global creative conversation about the future path for 3D film and 3D film makers. I look forward to continuing to work with the Irish Film Board throughout the process, alongside a major Hollywood studio partner."

Ireland is lucky to have such a vibrant artist and storyteller in their midst! Can't wait to see the results of this project.