Kavaleer Production Developing ‘The Honey Wars’ With ‘Point Blank’ And ‘Deliverance’ Director John Boorman

Irish animation studio Kavaleer Productions has announced development on its first feature-length production, The Honey Wars, based on an idea created by legendary film director John Boorman (Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur, Hope and Glory).

Boorman himself will serve as executive producer and story consultant, and the film is being developed with the support of Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann’s Creative Futures program. Boorman helped found Screen Ireland’s predecessor, The Irish Film Board, in 1981.

The 90-minute family movie is described as a “dark, comedic fantasy” and is based on stories Boorman used to tell his children. It is being scripted by animation industry veterans Alan Keane (Space Chickens in Space) and Andrew Kavanagh (Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese).

Here is the synopsis from Kavaleer:

The Honey Wars is a tale where laughter and mischief intertwine with deeper themes of loss and healing. Hope is 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.

“I’m so delighted that this story of myth and magic is being brought to life,” Boorman said in a statement, “and I hope that it captures the hearts and minds of many children as it did my own.”

Kavanagh, who is also the founder and CEO of Kavaleer Productions added: “Working on this film is a dream come true and we couldn’t be more honored 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 humor and unexpected twists – everything you’d expect from a John Boorman story.”

The project has already attracted interest from actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Vanessa Kirby, Patrick Stewart, Brendan Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, and Jon Voight, to provide voices.

Boorman’s children are also supporting the project, including tv host Charley Boorman, who said in a statement:

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.