The disappearance of Queensland teenager Daniel Morcombe in 2003 is to be adapted into a feature film.
Daniel’s parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe announced a deal with Heritage Films at a Daniel Morcombe Foundation fundraiser in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Bruce Morcombe told the Sunshine Coast Daily,”Denise and I feel we have reached a place where we can finally reveal our story in a different way. We have found a production company and director we trust and with whom we have a great connection.”
The film, which currently has a working title of Where is Daniel?, is to be directed by Australian actor-turned-director Peter Cousens, who recently directed Freedom starring Cuba Gooding, Jr which is slated for release some time in 2016. At this stage, a script has not been developed.
Heritage Films founder and producer of Where is Daniel? Rod Hopping expects the film to have a wide appeal, saying, “We believe a story of this magnitude will attract some of Australia’s finest international actors.”
Bruce Morcombe told media that the Morcombe family will be working closely with writers and producers.
“We feel very comfortable that the project will be what the Morcombes want, it’ll be what the viewers want and at the end of the day it’ll be a great package,” he said.
“But it’s not a documentary, it is a feature film and we appreciate that artists see the world very differently to the parents of Daniel Morcombe.
13-year-old Daniel’s disappearance while waiting for a bus in 2003 sent shockwaves around Australia. In 2014, Brett Peter Cowan was convicted of his murder, and sentenced to life in prison. Cowan has appealed the conviction.
Watch: Trailer for Where Is Daniel?
