Author Kevin Wignall On Sam Worthington & 'Hunter's Prayer'
He may not have written the script but it’s his book which is currently being turned into a $23 million Hollywood movie.
Kevin said: “It’s the first of my books which has actually been made. It’s great when people love your work but I hope it will also spread the word about the books. Books always come first for me.”
For the Dogs, which has been renamed Hunter’s Prayer for the film adaptation, was first printed in the USA in 2004 by Simon & Schuster.
A gripping thriller about a teenage girl on the run across Europe who gets involved with a retired hitman, it wasn’t published in the UK at the time but has acquired a cult reputation over the years.
As always with these things, a bit of luck and personal contacts was involved, that and the passage of time.
Kevin said: “The book has been in development on and off for nine years. The project was stalled until I got an email from someone called Paul Leyden who had just read it on his honeymoon and loved it.
“He asked me if I would let him know if the book ever came back on the market because he thought it might be great for a friend of his who was just about to appear in the film Avatar. That was Sam Worthington.”
He seems happy enough with the casting, though he’s not been involved with the film’s production itself.
“I became convinced Sam was right for the character of Lucas when I saw Terminator Salvation. He was the best thing in it and his character hit many of the same notes.”
“I chose not to be involved with the script, movies are just not a world I understand.
“I think the producers will be loyal to the spirit of the novel, not least because Sam also loved it and has probably read it more than I have!”
Harrogate’s role in the movie has been to pose as a street in Switzerland where a car chase is taking place - hence the foreign licence plates and French signposts which sprouted overnight.
Partly financed by Screen Yorkshire, it’s ironic that the town should be chosen as one of the locations for this fast-paced thriller.
Source - http://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/what-s-on/cinema/interview-hollywood-author-with-the-killer-touch-1-6970574
