HOLLYWOOD film producers yesterday promised to bring a host of A-list stars to the region as they sounded out locations for a movie blockbuster.

Lisa Marie Butkiewicz and Steve Delaportas, of Fortitude Films, have spent the past two days in and around Whitby, North Yorkshire, with retired vicar Graham Taylor, writer of Shadowmancer.

The book, a children's tale of sorcery in the 18th Century, has been an international bestseller and in March, Fortitude Films snapped up the rights to put the story on the big screen.

Mr Taylor, who retired from his parish of Cloughton, near Scarborough, earlier this year on health grounds, stipulated that the movie had to be filmed on the North Yorkshire coastline where it is set.

Yesterday, the producers said they were hugely impressed with the area.

Mr Delaportas said: "It is breathtaking. To capture this on the big screen is going to be so important to the future of Shadowmancer.

"We are getting a lot of help from the surrounding area. The Mayor of Whitby has been showing us around and we are getting all the support from the town. That is 90 per cent of the battle of making films."

The company is now deep in negotiations with actors, directors and writers.

Ms Butkiewicz said: "We are talking to people, but nothing has been signed - but it will definitely be A-list people.

"I know that Graham has expressed what people he would like, such as Sean Bean, and people have been talked about for the part of Jacob Crane.

"He is a fan of Mel Gibson and I think he would make a great Jacob Crane, but it has a lot to do with commitments.

"We are looking at Academy Award winners and nominees for director and writer."

She said they were thinking of returning to Whitby to find youngsters to play the key parts of Thomas and Kate.

Mr Taylor's second book, Wormwood, is also a bestseller. He said: "It has been really exciting. Fortitude has just bought Wormwood as well and they want two sequels to Shadowmancer."