In 2011, filmmaker Tom Hooper directed “The King’s Speech” with Colin Firth. But did you know that this project would never have come to fruition if Tom Hooper’s mother hadn’t put her nose into it? We explain the whole genesis of this crazy project!
The speech of a king : huge classic
In 2011, British filmmaker Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl, Wretched) decides to tackle the story of the father of the late Queen Elizabeth II. This last, played by Colin Firth, becomes, in spite of himself, King George VI, following the abdication of his brother. Unfortunately for him, King George is a fragile man, who, in addition, has a stutter. The speech of a king therefore tells how King George followed numerous therapies to combat his handicap and thus become an imposing king, especially at a time when Nazi Germany threatened all of Europe.
Also worn by Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, or even Geoffrey Rush, the feature film instantly became a little classic of the historical biopic. Furthermore, The speech of a king proved to be a huge critical and financial success. Indeed, the feature film was nominated 12 times for the Oscars and won 4 statuettes: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler and Best Actor for Colin Firth. On the box office side, The speech of a king performed very well with over 427 million dollars in revenue for a budget of 15 million.
The genesis of the project
The birth of the project The speech of a king dates back to 1970s. Indeed, the screenwriter David Seidler settles in Hollywood with an idea in mind: adapt the story of King George VI and her relationship with speech therapist Lionel Logue. Logical, since David Seidler himself suffered from a stutter in his youth.
The screenwriter therefore comes into contact with Valentine Logue, the daughter of the famous speech therapist. She agrees to tell her father’s story on one condition: permission is needed from the Queen Mother herself. A Queen Mother is a term for the mother of the current reigning monarch of England. Except that Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of George VI, categorically refuses that such a project be done during her lifetime.
When the latter died in 2002, David Seidler had already moved on and refused to dive back into the project. We have to wait a few more years for the screenwriter to take back his story in hand. He then continues to work on The speech of a king until 2005. But because of the unspectacular aspect of the text, Valentine Logue then suggested to him to adapt this scenario into a play. What he will do in the months that follow.
Thank you Tom Hooper’s mom
David Seidler then manages to sell his play to a London theater company: Bedlam Productions. A small miracle then occurs when the company decides to organize a public reading of David Seidler’s text. Among the onlookers is Tom Hooper’s mother. It was she who found the story incredible and who suggested that her son make a film adaptation of it.
This is what Tom Hooper said when the film was released:
My mother was invited, at the end of 2007, to read a play that had not been staged in a small alternative theatre: it was The King’s Speech. As she was leaving, she called me and said, ‘I think I’ve found the subject of your next film.’ I smiled and told him I was going to read it. But the play remained for several weeks on my pile of scenarios sent to me by my agent. After four months, I finally read it and called my mom and said, ‘You’re absolutely right. This is my new movie.’ The most surprising thing is that no producer or agent had spotted this wonderful text…
Tom Hooper then inherited the project, reworked the screenplay, incorporating in particular notes found in the notebook of Lionel Logue himself. He started filming in December 2009 for forty days. The rest, you know it!
