** Currently in movie development! **
An original screenplay set in modern day London, the movie will be shot on location in central London. The production is being handled by Wentworth Media, Ltd.
The Raven of St. James’s Park is an fun, uplifting, modern day class-conflicted romantic comedy (and wonderful story of redemption) set in central London.
A social commentary on modern London, this multicultural, multigenerational romantic comedy is an inspiring story of goodness and redemption for all four principal characters: a bitter old soldier, a gutsy young immigrant waitress, a buttoned-down fourth generation public servant, and a raven freed from captivity and determined to do good deeds.
Having first visited London in 1986 and again in 1993, I spent a significant amount of time there from 2007-2010 and have returned several times since. London’s transformation has been dramatic; it has reinvented itself into a melting pot of tradition and immigration, finance and fuss, gloomy outlooks and spectacular possibilities, beautiful sights and struggling lives.
During the time I was shuttling back and forth from the States I was forced to endure a freak surgical demand on each leg five months apart. Limited by leg braces, I spent many post-surgery recovery hours sitting on a bench in St. James’s Park near Trafalgar Square.
It was here, watching the sights and sounds of a busy and beautiful city park, where The Raven germinated. I wanted to write a testament to the the city, as so many great stories serve to entertain while date-stamping a moment in time.
British filmmaker Madeleine Farley was a friend I’d known since her expressed interest in my Rise and Fall of Piggy Church project. One morning over breakfast I described this new story I had visualized while recuperating in the park and watching the world go by.
“I love it,” she said. “Write the screenplay.”
“I don’t write screenplays,” I replied. “I write books.”
She looked at me and said, “You’re writing this one.”
I laughed. Maddie is nothing if not blunt. Her confidence relieved any thoughts of uncertainty.
I thought more about the story on the long flight back to the States. Within a few months the initial draft of The Raven was finished. I had the story I envisioned. I was anxious waiting for Maddie to read it after she returned from filming BBC programming about gorillas being released back into the wilds of Gabon.
She loved it. Exhalation. Burden relieved. I had successfully downloaded what I’d seen and felt onto the written page.
The project is now in the hands of a great team — Wentworth Media — with plans to be shot on location.
This film project represents exactly what I live and love to write: a multicultural ensemble comedy with a happy ending. It is a “feel good” film with a great lead character (George Datchet) and a marvelous supporting cast of quirky, loveable personalities.
Our shared vision is to make sure that people walk out of the theater happier than when they walked in. The Raven of St. James’s Park should do just that.
Hopefully sometime soon we will invite you to a local theater and prove it.