DESPITE the withdrawal of the American distributor Miramax from their Brendan Behan biopic The Bells Of Hell, the Sheridan brothers, Jim and Peter, are scheduled to begin shooting the film, starring Sean Penn as Behan, in mid February in Dublin.

Producer Arthur Lappin is negotiating with Miramax's rivals, New Line Cinema, to fill the breach caused by the withdrawal, which he ascribes to "mutual differences of opinion". The Bells Of Hell will mark Peter Sheridan's debut as a feature film director, while it is Jim's second film in six months as a producer, following Some Mother's Son.