Northern Irish indie Fired Up Films has secured its debut Netflix commission, a limited series investigating the infamous automotive maverick John Z DeLorean who manufactured his iconic gull wing sports car in war torn Belfast in the early 1980’s.
The three-part documentary series Myth and Mogul: John Delorean launches worldwide on the streamer on July 30th.
This follows a co-production deal with the BBC, which funded a 100-minute film for BBC 2 and a two-part series for BBC Northern Ireland, both airing earlier this year. The Netflix and BBC productions were both supported by local agency Northern Ireland Screen who provided co-funding.
Myth and Mogul explores the poster boy of late 1970s corporate greed, delivering a psychological profile of Delorean that combines exclusive access and interviews with never before seen footage, shot by Oscar winning director D.A Pennebaker (Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back).
Originated by Fired Up Films founder Jon Barrie Waddell after negotiations with Pennebaker Hegedus Films, based in New York, the producer secured access to over 30 hours of rare and unseen material shot with Delorean and his co-workers during the manufacture and launch of the car at the height of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
With extensive use of unseen archive and news coverage from the period, the Netflix series delivers a rare look into Delorean’s rise and dramatic fall from grace, with insight into the early years that shaped the one time automotive ‘King of Detroit.’
First hand testimonies include former wife Cristina Ferrare and son Zachery, friends and work colleagues and investigative journalists Ivan Fallon and Hillel Levin.
The series is directed by Irish filmmaker Mike Connolly (Killing Me Softly – The Roberta Flack Story, Elvis – The Rebirth of the King) and edited by Jake Martin.
For Fired Up Films. Executive Producers are Jon-Barrie Waddell and Jonathan Smith. For Pennebaker Hegedus Films, Frazer Pennebaker is Executive Producer and Chris Hegedus is Producer.
Composer Paul Leonard Morgan was brought on board to produce a gritty 1970’s soundtrack with Belfast artist Peter Strain providing title and animation sequences for the series.
“The real story of John DeLorean and how his ‘American Dream’ imploded in Belfast after a botched $30 million coke sting still remains relatively unknown to a global audience” says Fired Up’s Jon-Barrie Waddell. “In this psychological study we deconstruct the man like never before – unravelling the deceitful, dark side of a malignant narcissist”
Both the BBC and Netflix projects will be distributed by eOne internationally after the holdback period.
Fired Up’s BBC2 film, DeLorean: Back From The Future, has been short listed for the 2021 Grierson Trust Awards in the Best History Documentary category.
Jon Creamer
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