Blackbird (2018 film)


Blackbird is a 2018 spy film directed by, produced and written by and starring dancer Michael Flatley.

Production

Filming took place in County Cork, London and Barbados. It was largely financed by Flatley himself.

Premise

The secret agent "Blackbird" retires and opens a nightclub in the Caribbean to escape his past. A former lover comes to meet him, but brings trouble with her.

Cast

Blackbird was dismissed as a vanity project by journalists, Brian Lloyd of entertainment.ie comparing Flatley to Tommy Wiseau of The Room infamy.
The first screening was a June 2018 private showing for cast and crew at the Stella Cinema, Rathmines, Dublin; Blackbird was shown at The May Fair Hotel, London as part of the Raindance Film Festival on 28 September 2018.
In 2018, Flatley claimed to be in pre-production for Blackbird 2. However, there has never been a general release of Blackbird, fuelling speculation about the film's quality. In 2019, Brian Lloyd of entertainment.ie wrote a lengthy investigation of the film, finding out that "Over 200 people attended the screening of 'Blackbird', and so far as can be reasonably determined, none of them were journalists or critics. When asked if perhaps the jury of Raindance Film Festival may have seen 'Blackbird', says this did not take place."