A filmmaker has issued a casting call for Irish foxes to feature in his new film due to be shot in Dublin by the company behind the Young Offenders.
Speaking to The Ray D'Arcy Show, Bryan Mason, originally from Australia but working in Ireland, revealed details of his film Animals, based on a popular novel of the same name.
Bryan said: "It’s a film about two friends who spend their 20's studying literature and drinking around bars around Dublin.
"They’re just about to reach their 30's and one of the friends is starting to think maybe it’s time to take things a little more seriously and hunker down and try and get some things done in life - and the other one is not so keen on that idea.
"So it’s ostensibly the end of their relationship but it’s very funny. It’s a very funny book and the script is quite funny."
The film is produced by the company behind the Young Offenders, Vico Films, and the two films share a common theme of hedonistic youth and the onset of adulthood.
Ray revealed that the Young Offenders was "amazing and one of my favourite movies in recent times". If Animals is anything like it, Bryan will be off to a good start.
Ray had already mentioned Bryan's request at the end of his previous show and responses are already flooding in from around the country with their own stories of cheeky foxes visiting their gardens.
Inez, from Templeogue, Dublin, wrote: "I’ve a very light fence in my garden in an area of semi-wild ground where foxes live. Usually, for the last few years in May and June I’ve seen from one to four cubs at any one time playing in my garden and in the last week or so I’ve seen an adult fox there or just outside the fence."
Others sent in photos and YouTube videos, with another saying they've had foxes visiting their garden for the last 15 years.
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Bryan said the crew need as much information as possible on recent fox sightings to give them the best chance possible to get decent shots.
He added, "From what I understand they quite timid creatures in the wild but a lot of people do feed them so they can build a bit of a relationship."
Bryan explained: "We met with an animal wrangler ... and he said that because they’re very territorial if you take them somewhere to try and film them, they’re very shy. They’ll cower and basically just try to get out of there."
The animal wrangler's said it would be best "iif there was any chance of catching them in their natural habit".
Ray assured Bryan that there are lots of foxes around Ireland, even some in his neck of the woods, and that based on the couple of responses the show has already received, he was sure to be "spoiled for choice".
When asked when he's planning to film, Bryan said he is aiming was for the weekend after next. He also said that the film is scheduled to be completed by early to mid next year.
Ray quipped: "It'll be nice to get a credit at the end, ‘thanks very much to Inez Fletcher who let us use the back garden for the foxes'."
