December 8, 2002
Sunday Express
William Hickey
by William Hickey

A FILM about soccer hooligans starring Sean Bean and Dougray Scott (right) has collapsed just seven days into filming, I can reveal.

The Football Factory, an adaptation of the cult novel by John King, was shooting in London prior to moving to South Africa but "ongoing production problems" brought the cameras to a halt this week. The cast are hopping mad - not least Enigma star Scott, whose last film, the English Civil War drama To Kill A King, was dogged by financial problems and shut down several times during filming.

Whether they will hang around till mid-January, when it is hoped shooting will resume, is open to question. "The details are being worked out now, " says a spokeswoman.

Both Scott and Bean are cast as Chelsea fans who live for violence. The book proved a bestseller in the run-up to Euro 96. Unfortunately, makers Vertigo Films have scored a spectacular own goal.

Copyright 2002 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS