An ambitious sci-fi author hopes to turn his bestselling book into a cinema classic – and is shooting most of it in Luton.
Abdul Ahad, from Selbourne Road, Luton, will be director, screenwriter and producer of First Ark to Alpha Centauri.
The book, which was top seller in its category when it was released in 2005, told the story of the world’s first human colony space flight for sending communities from our planet to the nearest stars in the year 2275 AD.
But Mr Ahad, 40, is struggling to raise funds for the film, which has a small budget of £10,000. So far only £2,000 has been pledged.
Mr Ahad said: “It’s quite a big project. We’re going to shoot most of it in Luton, and some of it in Toddington.
“The challenge is to be as creative as possible in terms of how we put the film together.
“It’ll take around a year to shoot and edit, and we will be using mostly unpaid actors.
“We’ve advertised nationally for actors, but will be holding auditions in Luton so local people are welcome to try out for roles.
“We’re a bit short of funds. So far we’ve got a couple of people interested.
“We’re hoping people will sponsor us. We will give them a share of the profits from the film. We are aiming for the cinema. Who knows what the possibilities are?”
A drop-in audition workshop will be held on September 3 between 10am-6pm at Harvey’s Function Rooms in Park Street, Luton.