It appears that Australian film director Fred Schepisi is attempting to make a film adaptation of Patrick White's novel The Eye of the Storm. Trouble is he's run into trouble with financing and, according to Peter Craven in "The Age", unless the money is in place soon the delicate balancing act that is film pre-production will all come tumbling down.
This film production had completely slipped past me, as so many do, but I was tempted to run a bit of a search on the director and the proposed film.
Schepisi's IMDb entry doesn't list The Eye of the Storm as being in either development or pre-production. Although, interestingly enough, it does indicate that Schepisi is developing a film version of Grenville's The Secret River, and one other film that doesn't ring any bells.
The Screen Australia website lists two funding entries for the film: one in September 2001, when Jon Hewitt was lined up as director, Jon Hewitt, Anthony Waddington and Belinda McClory as writers and Anthony Waddington as producer; and the most recent in April 2007 with Schepisi on board as director, Waddington still as producer, and Judy Morris as writer.
Not that the two attempts are a problem, you'd expect this to be a difficult project requiring a fair degree of lead-up work to get it off the ground. Some of those attempts are just not going to make it. But Peter Craven obviously doesn't think that the film will be made without direct senior government intervention. And given the fact that we're now in an election year, I can't see the Federal Government ponying up a few millions to make it happen. It would just be too easy a target for the Opposition.
I'll keep an eye on developments.
This film production had completely slipped past me, as so many do, but I was tempted to run a bit of a search on the director and the proposed film.
Schepisi's IMDb entry doesn't list The Eye of the Storm as being in either development or pre-production. Although, interestingly enough, it does indicate that Schepisi is developing a film version of Grenville's The Secret River, and one other film that doesn't ring any bells.
The Screen Australia website lists two funding entries for the film: one in September 2001, when Jon Hewitt was lined up as director, Jon Hewitt, Anthony Waddington and Belinda McClory as writers and Anthony Waddington as producer; and the most recent in April 2007 with Schepisi on board as director, Waddington still as producer, and Judy Morris as writer.
Not that the two attempts are a problem, you'd expect this to be a difficult project requiring a fair degree of lead-up work to get it off the ground. Some of those attempts are just not going to make it. But Peter Craven obviously doesn't think that the film will be made without direct senior government intervention. And given the fact that we're now in an election year, I can't see the Federal Government ponying up a few millions to make it happen. It would just be too easy a target for the Opposition.
I'll keep an eye on developments.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if it did get off the ground? It might even generate a bit of interest in PW's books too...
Lisa