Don’t Go Far, the amazing true story of young Irish stowaways takes one step closer to the big screen.
In 1985, two boys from Dublin, Keith Byrne aged 10 and Noel Murray aged 13, set out on a transatlantic adventure of a lifetime with far-fetched notions and little or no money.
The close friends hopped on a DART to Dun Laoghaire, sneaked onto a ferry bound for Holyhead, took a train to Heathrow airport before eventually evading security to board an Air India flight destined for New York. Their only goal was to meet their hero, B.A. Baracus of the A-Team.
The Irish schoolboys made headlines around the world when then were intercepted by police outside JFK airport igniting an investigation that involved authorities across several continents.
Irish producer Garret Daly of Mixed Bag Media secured the rights to the story a number of years ago and has been working closely with Keith and Noel to develop the feature film ever since.
The project has now caught the attention of legendary Hollywood producer Frank Marshall at The Kennedy/Marshall Company, who has joined forces with the Irish production team to bring this amazing story to the big screen.
We’re delighted to be working to develop Don’t Go Far into a feature film. Not only is the story of Keith and Noel’s stowaway adventure almost too incredible to believe, it’s also just the kind of uplifting and inspiring tale I think we could all use a bit more of right now.
Frank Marshall – The Kennedy/Marshall Company
Our ambition from the start was to give this story the cinematic canvas it deserves to entertain a global audience. To work alongside one of the leading entertainment production companies in cinema today is a privilege and an exciting development. It’s an important step on the road to getting this movie made. In many respects, this is the perfect fit to have an Irish/American partnership involved in the telling of Keith and Noel’s story.
Garret Daly – Mixed Bag Media
The screenplay was written by Limerick-based screenwriter Conor Ryan and the project is in receipt of development support from Screen Ireland.
Mixed Bag Media is an independent production company based in the midlands of Ireland. The company has a range of activities across the audiovisual sector including film, television, radio and advertising. The company was established by IFTA-nominated producer/ director Garret Daly.
Notable productions include Who is Dervla Murphy for RTÉ and Grassroots of the GAA for Virgin Media Television.
The company has also produced a successful slate of short films, most recently releasing the multi-award-winning short The Secret Market. The film won ‘Best Screenplay’ at Rhode Island Int. Festival, the audience award at The Richard Harris Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short at IFTAs.
2014 saw the release of Mixed Bag Media’s debut feature film A Nightingale Falling. The film had a nationwide Irish cinema release performing strongly at the box office and picking up a variety of Best Film awards during its run.