Australian production company Bigger and Better Productions is looking at bringing a “large-scale Hollywood production” to Australian shores, the company has announced.
The local production company, which is relatively new in the independent film industry, has optioned supernatural thriller, The Highwayman, and is looking at filming in May, 2013, if the project goes ahead.
The film will be written by Glenn M. Benest (who co-wrote Wes Craven’s 1981 film Deadly Blessing) and his writing partner Dale K. Pitman. It will be their third project together.
Benest and Pitman will join Ramona Rai on producing duties and negotiations are continuing for a director. According to IMDB, Benest produced and co-wrote independent dark comedy Hungry Hearts. He has also taught at the American Film Institute and UCLA. Rai has produced mainly short films, as well as low budget feature Alien Sons and documentary Jumping Puddles – both of which, she co-wrote.
Most of the leads for The Highwayman have been set-aside for “well-known USA actors”, according to the production company, but it says there will be opportunities for Australian cast and crew. Casting is expected to commence in early-2013.
“We have full confidence in the Australian film industry, and we are really excited to see what it can offer,” Californian-based Pitman said in a statement.
The film itself follows a reclusive writer who is forced to confront his own anti-hero creation when it sets out on a vigilante rampage.
Bigger and Better Productions currently has a few projects in development, including Ghost River Station, which is currently scheduled to go into production in March, 2013.