AN ALL-STAR cast has been signed up to star in the Manx film Lassie.
Peter O'Toole and Samantha Morton will feature in Charles Sturridge's movie, which starts shooting in the Island for three weeks on June 18.
Isle of Man Film development manager Hilary Dugdale said: 'The Lassie script fits some of the Island's mos
t beautiful locations perfectly. It's a marvellous opportunity for us to show off the Island's natural beauty.
'It's a pleasure to be working with such quality material and with such an esteemed director and cast. I know the Island will rise to the challenge admirably.'
O'Toole has been on our screens since the 1950s. His films include The Last Emperor, Lawrence of Arabia, Troy and Romeo and Me.
It will be Samantha Morton's third visit to the Island. The Minority report and In America star also featured in The Libertine, with Johnny Depp, and Dreaming of Joseph Lees.
The production will also star John Lynch, of the 1999 Manx film Best, Peter Dinklage, Jemma Redgrave, Steve Pembridge and Gregor Fisher.
Sturridge, whose works include Shackleton, Longitude and Brideshead Revisited, wrote the script based on Eric Knight's classic 1938 novel Lassie Come Home.
It is the story of a family in financial crisis who must sell their dog, but hundreds of miles away Lassie escapes and sets out on a journey home.
Entertainment Film Distributors has secured the UK rights to the film and sales agent Odyssey is in deals with Taiwan, Turkey, Benelux Eastern Europe, Portugal, France, Middle East, Thailand, Iceland, Israel and Greece.
