Kavaleer Productions to Develop John Boorman’s The Honey Wars as Family Movie
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Sir John Boorman’s The Honey Wars. Image by Kavaleer Productions
Irish animation studio Kavaleer Productions is making its first foray into feature films, developing Sir John Boorman’s The Honey Wars into an animated family movie.
The film has already attracted interest from a stellar voice cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Vanessa Kirby, Patrick Stewart, Brendan Gleeson, Richard E Grant, and Jon Voight.
Best known for directing acclaimed Hollywood movies including Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur and Hope and Glory, Boorman is a celebrated, award-winning British film director, producer and screenwriter. He will be Story Consultant and EP on the film which is currently in development with support from Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann’s ‘Creative Futures’ scheme.
Boorman helped found and continues to champion Screen Ireland’s predecessor, The Irish Film Board, in 1981.
The Honey Wars (1 x 90’), a dark, comedic fantasy from the imagination of the legendary John Boorman based on stories he told his children and adapted for the screen by animation industry veterans Alan Keane & Andrew Kavanagh, invites the audience into a magical world where the remnants of an old conflict still shape the present in unexpected ways. In the heart of a forgotten forest, under the sprawling branches of the ancient Grandfather Tree, lies an incredible story waiting to be discovered.
Meet Hope, a young girl with an extraordinary secret—she is a ‘Seer,’ able to see the invisible threads that connect the magical world to our own. Recently uprooted by the loss of her mother and struggling to find her footing alongside her grieving father, Harry, Hope stumbles upon a bitter conflict rooted in the haunted past of two warring tribes: the Fairies and the Elves.
As Hope navigates her new life and her unique gift, she encounters Alfred, a mischievous exiled Elf, and Fiona, an outcast fairy with her own burdens. Together, these unlikely comrades uncover long-buried truths and begin the task of mending the wrongs of the past, laying the groundwork for an unthinkable reconciliation, and thwarting the machinations of the evil Esmerelda across a war-ravaged magical universe.
The Honey Wars is a tale where laughter and mischief intertwine with deeper themes of loss and healing. It’s a story that blends heart and humour, where fantastical elements highlight the real emotions and relationships at its core. Hope’s journey is one of understanding the conflicts that shape us and finding the courage to heal them.
I’m so delighted that this story of myth and magic is being brought to life and I hope that it captures the hearts and minds of many children as it did my own.
-Sir John Boorman
Working on this film is a dream come true and we couldn’t be more honoured and excited that this will be our first feature-length production. The Honey Wars combines the scope of Lord of the Rings with the quirkiness of Coraline and is filled with sharply observed characters, wry humour and unexpected twists- everything you’d expect from a John Boorman story.
-Andrew Kavanagh (Founder and CEO, Kavaleer Productions)
Sir John Boorman’s children – including acclaimed television presenter Charley Boorman – are all behind the project.
I’m so glad The Honey Wars are finally going to be made into a movie. Growing up with my father being such a great storyteller, he used to tell us all sorts of stories but The Honey Wars between the fairies and the elves was the one that used to make us laugh and get our imagination going. There is something very special about your father telling you a story that no one else knows! Love to bits for the great storyteller that is my father.
-Charley Boorman
I so enjoyed this magical story about the fairies and the elves. It was beautifully and magically written. It has all of life in it although it is a fairy story. The descriptions of nature and the trees is stunningly detailed and the characters of the little people so real. I am amazed at how he captured the fairy land so exquisitely and it brings me back to how we thought we saw the Banshee in Annamoe in Ireland all those years ago. Perhaps the banshee
cast a fairy spell over my father and he was able tap into this magical unseen world or perhaps he has always had the gift of the second sight! That is something to think about, but I so loved the magical world he created in ‘The Honey Wars’ I shall never forget it! Thank you for this amazing story Dad.
-Dairy Boorman
We are so lucky to have a Dad who entertained us with exciting, extraordinary stories as children. We waited with bated breath every evening to hear The Honey Wars. We entered into the world of tiny fairies, elves, bees, trees, with such joy. Every twist and turn of your tale weaved an indelible alchemy that lodged within in us. Tales of other worldly creatures awaken our senses. we longed to hear more as dusk turned to night. We begged you to continue but all children must sleep. we eagerly went to bed each night, just so we could hear more about The Honey Wars. The memories of the story have stayed with me and I can’t wait to see this tale made into a film.
-Katrine Boorman