Pinewood backs 'Last Passenger'

ScottLONDON -- Train thriller "Last Passenger" is just about the second project backed by U.K. studio group Pinewood Shepperton, under its plan to purchase low-budget films by new British company directors."Last Passenger," written and directed by Omid Nooshin, stars Dougray Scott like a physician caught on the runaway commuter train. The $2.5 million pic began shooting on Thursday at Shepperton Galleries.Pinewood is trading alongside Future Films, the BFI Film Fund and Japan's Fel Corp. Pathe is handling worldwide sales. Producers are Zack Winfield and Ado Yoshizaki of NDF Intl.Pinewood's first investment was "An Incredible Anxiety about Everything," a $5 million paranoid comedy starring Simon Pegg, which shot at Shepperton this summer time. It's co-directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell, with Universal taking multi-territory privileges and Indomina supplying gap finance. Pinewood's commercial director Nick Cruz continues to be inundated with scripts since announcing plans in March to begin making equity opportunities in low-budget British projects.The studio group is striving to back four films annually from first-timers, having a combined budget close to $13 million."We have always had an appetite for first-time company directors to become our clients, but we have not formerly given them the various tools to assist them to come and employ our facilities," Cruz stated. "We wish to help people looking to get their feet around the first rung from the ladder." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com