TFD, Prodigy board 'Road Train'

Producers re-team for outback thriller

By ARCHIE THOMAS

LONDON — Brit producers Paul Cowan and Chris Wheeldon of Territorial Film Developments have pacted with Oz producer Michael Robertson (ProdigyMovies) to make supernatural thriller “Road Train.”

“Duel”-style “Road Train,” about a group of youngsters menaced by a driverless road train in the Australian outback, is directed by first-timer Dean Francis and written by Clive Hopkins. Project is backed by the Australian Film Commission’s IndiVision Production Fund, which supports first-time feature helmers.

Production outfits TFD and ProdigyMovies re-team after a successful collaboration on last year’s “Black Water,” a film about three young people whose fishing trip goes horribly wrong when their boat is attacked by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Northern Australia. Pic sold to over 40 countries via AV Pictures, who also are handling international sales on “Road Train.”

Cowan worked as associate producer on Brit pics including "The Krays" and "The Crying Game," and as line producer on "Backbeat" and "Last Orders."

Wheeldon has numerous credits in various roles, including location manager on "Goldeneye." The pair, who launched TFD in Feb. 2007, have worked together since 2000, providing international production services to U.S. and local projects.