The making of Ivanhoe, a film based on the novel by Walter Scott, has been deferred until the new year, according to one of the film's co-producers, Mr Kieran Corrigan of Merlin Films. Mr Corrigan said speculation that the project would not get off the ground was completely unfounded. He said filming was postponed because French actor, Vincent Perez, who is due to play the lead role, was committed to another project in Mexico in October.
With a projected 10-week shoot for the Ivanhoe film, it was considered "too dangerous" to try and complete filming before Perez's "stop date" of October 1st. However, the project was secure, as the relevant pre-sales of the film had been secured, he said.
Mr Corrigan confirmed that Roger Moore was under consideration for a cameo role in the film, but said no formal approach had yet been made to him.
Merlin Films was in the process of renegotiating prospective contracts with a number of actors, and was in discussion with a prospective director regarding his availability.
Asked where the film would be made, Mr Corrigan said: "Our plan is definitely to make it in Ireland."
The decision to defer represents a setback for Concorde Anois, the Connemara film studio set up two years ago by the Hollywood film-maker, Mr Roger Corman.
Concorde Anois is one of the partners in the project and has invested heavily in pre-production and set-building for the film. Filming was expected to begin in the west during the summer.
The company specialises in low-budget movies with brief shooting schedules. With a budget of between £10 million and £11 million, the Ivanhoe project is much larger than the normal Corcorde Anois venture.
The studio was set up by Mr Corman with the help of substantial funding from Udaras na Gaeltachta. At the time the development was regarded as a major coup for the then minister for arts, culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins.
Mr Corman secured an investment package worth £850,000 from the Udar as, including funding to build the studio on a site the Gaeltacht authority sold to the film-maker and funds for training and equipment.
The new studio enjoyed only a brief honeymoon in Irish film circles, however, as dissatisfaction grew over low wages, long hours and poor training opportunities at the Connemara facility.
One former employee said training there amounted to "a vertical learning curve on the job" and said morale among workers was very low.
Despite repeated requests last week Concorde Anois was unable to provide a spokesperson for comment.
Mr Corman has built a considerable world-wide reputation over the past three decades as one of the most commercially successful film-makers in Hollywood history. He has produced over 200 low-budget films.
He specialised in horror, science fiction and action films.
His first production was The Monster from the Ocean Floor in 1954. His work includes genre films such as Swamp Women (1955), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and The Trip (1967).
He also built a reputation for discovering new talent. Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson and Robert de Niro are among the directors and actors associated with Corman films early in their careers.
He set up the successful Concorde/New Horizons film company in 1983. The company continued his reputation for low-budget films made at breakneck speed. It earned $94 million in 1987.