Low-key filming of Asterix movie in Slane

French actor Gérard Depardieu caused a bit of a fuss when he had a little mishap on a plane en route to Ireland to film his latest 'Asterix' film, but shooting of parts of the movie in Slane last week went off somewhat quieter. Parts of the Slane Castle estate were used for filming of the fourth instalment in the Astérix and Obélix franchise, 'Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia', which has been filming in Ireland over the past month. Alex Mountcharles of Slane Castle said that the filmmakers used a crane over the river and built a pontoon on the Boyne so the movie should capture the magic of Slane. "It should show the dramatic setting of the Boyne Valley," Alex Mountcharles said. "They brought in extra vegetation, which has since been removed. It was being filmed in 3D and the rain proved a bit of a challenge for them." Alex himself admits to having been an Asterix fan when a youngster, and swapped comics of the French cartoon character with his friends. Co-written and directed by Laurent Tirard, the French language film features actors Edouard Baer and Gérard Depardieu play the title characters of Astérix and Obélix respectively. Fabrice Luchini plays Julius Caesar and Catherine Deneuve is the Queen of England. The film is co-writted by Grefoire Vigneron, and has an estimated €50 million budget, As well as at the Boyne in Slane, filming took place in Drogheda, locations all around Wicklow, and in the limestone plateau of the Burren, Co Clare. It is the first 3D live action feature to be filmed in Ireland. Irish production company, Octagon, are co-producers with Fidelite Films, France. James Flynn is producing the Irish end of 'Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia', which is due to be released in France in 2012.