Big screen beckons
Film version of author’s tale in the works
PROLIFIC author Barbara Hannay lives in the sleepy Tablelands town of Tarzali but one of her stories is ready to splash across the small screen as a movie.
Ms Hannay’s Harlequin Romance novel Molly Cooper’s Dream Date was picked up by producers earlier this year and has been given the green light to be turned into a film.
But there will be a few changes to the story.
“The novel was first published in 2011 and the original story involved a young woman from Magnetic Island who swaps houses with a London banker, who’s suffering burnout after the global financial crisis,” Ms Hannay said.
“The movie is being made by a Canadian company, Brain Power, and I’ve been sent the script, which is faithful to my characters, but plays around a bit with some plot details and with the setting.
“Instead of Magnetic Island, Molly now lives in Connecticut and it’s Christmas time. Instead of toad races on the island, there are dog-sled races, but I’m really happy that the original feel of the story hasn’t really changed.” Ms Hannay said this was the first of her novels to be turned into a movie.
“In fact, it’s the first book from the Harlequin Romance imprint to have this honour,” she said. Now it’s a waiting game for Ms Hannay as she waits with the rest of the Tarzali community to see the film.
“As for when it will be released and whether it will be readily available in Australia, I’m afraid I still don’t know,” she said.
The film comes after a series of successful Harlequin movies, including My Perfect Romance, which was picked up by Netflix.