Danny Boyle film: 5,000 extras sought for Gorleston beach concert

Five thousand extras are being sought to appear in a film written by Richard Curtis and directed by Danny Boyle.

The Oscar-winning director has been spotted filming his "Beatles-inspired" movie in Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk over the past couple of weeks.

Broadcaster Emma Freud, partner of Curtis, tweeted to say that 5,000 extras were being sought for a "brilliant concert on Gorleston beach".

Ed Sheeran, Lily James and Himesh Patel are due to star in the film.

Filming for the scene will take place between 10:00 BST and 14:00 on 27 June.

Freud told BBC Radio Suffolk that Curtis had written a scene involving 5,000 people, "in the complete knowledge that CGI exists, that we would only need to have about 150 people and do the rest in digital".

"When Danny Boyle came onboard he looked at the script and said 'fantastic, we'll get 5,000 people to be on Gorleston beach. I'm a real director, I do things properly'."

Freud confirmed that Sheeran is in the film but has yet to shoot any scenes. However, he will not be involved in the Gorleston beach concert, she said.

Full details, including the title, of the film have yet to be announced, but Sasha Gibson, a spokeswoman for the production company Working Title, said it was "Beatles-inspired and a new comedy".

The company is also seeking an audience for a "concert scene" in Liverpool on 5 June.

Boyle's credits include the two Trainspotting films, Slumdog Millionaire and producing the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.

Curtis's television and film writing credits include the BBC's Blackadder and Bridget Jones's Diary.

The movie has recently shot in Frinton-on-Sea, Halesworth, Lowestoft, Gorleston and Acle.

The movie is due for release in September 2019.