Peter Morgan's first production featuring Michael Sheen as Tony Blair was the
Channel 4 single drama
The Deal (2003), which dramatized the rise of
Gordon Brown (
David Morrissey) and Blair when they were new
Members of Parliament. The drama depicted their rise in the
Labour Party culminating in the
1994 leadership election.
The Deals critical success led to a theatrical film,
The Queen (2006), about the impact of the
death of Diana, Princess of Wales on senior members of the
Royal Family and Prime Minister Tony Blair. The film featured Sheen as Blair in a supporting role, in what critics noted was a more subdued portrayal than in
The Deal. Before Morgan began writing the script for
The Special Relationship in late 2007, there was speculation that the film would be produced by
Left Bank Pictures and
BBC Films, where the
Deal and
Queen producers
Andy Harries and
Christine Langan were based; Langan told
guardian.co.uk in October 2007 that Morgan had "promised" the script to her and Harries, though no contracts had been signed. Three films about Blair had been planned since
The Deal. Morgan had considered writing a film about Blair during the run-up to the
2003 invasion of Iraq as the subject matter for both the second and third film. Langan believed that Morgan found Clinton to be "a more interesting study than Bush" and that New Labour aped the Clinton administration at its inception. Morgan began his research into the Blair/Clinton relationship after learning that the two had been alone together when
Al Gore conceded defeat after the
2000 presidential election. His research took him to
Washington, D.C., where he interviewed members of Clinton's cabinet, and Clinton's hometown of
Little Rock, Arkansas. In late 2008,
Kathleen Kennedy signed on as an executive producer. Ann Wingate, Frank Doelger and Tracey Scoffield are producers, and Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Kennedy are executive producers.
HBO Films is producing, with co-production funding coming from BBC Films. Morgan's agent told a
Daily Telegraph diary that Morgan wanted to concentrate on writing and producing, but did not rule out directing in future. Costumes were designed by Consolata Boyle, whose work on
The Queen won acclaim and awards. After a week of read-throughs and rehearsals, filming began on 20 July 2009 Filming locations included
Langley Park, the
Emirates Stadium and the
Westminster Central Hall.
Brocket Hall and the
Loseley Park mansion doubled as
Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat. Several other locations were used, in conjunction with the
UK Film Council's regional agencies Film London, Screen East, and Screen South. Loncraine continued directing
pick-ups into October; background scenes were shot in Washington, D.C., on locations including
Pennsylvania Avenue and
Constitution Avenue. During post-production, cinematographer
Barry Ackroyd created two versions of the film with different
aspect ratios; one has a 16:9 aspect for broadcast on HBO in the United States, and the other has a 1: 2.35 aspect for worldwide theatrical release. After filming the cinema version in the larger format, Ackroyd trimmed the picture for the television version using a
pan and scan technique. The film's score was composed by
Alexandre Desplat, who also worked on the music for
The Queen. == Release ==