"THE LOST WORLD"

The movie..

Elaine Cassidy to play the love interest, in the form of a beautiful niece of a missionary.(Peter Falk).

Elaine's FELICIA'S JOURNEY co-star Matthew Rhys is to play reporter Edward Malone.

"But the screen version, sanitised to remove offence to native peoples, will not be exactly as Conan Doyle wrote it - and has already upset Conan Doyle aficionados.

The news of the epic production comes hard on the heels of director Peter Jackson's announcement that the main filming in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy is coming to an end.

Conan Doyle's story, a tale of dinosaurs and empire builders, will be almost entirely shot in New Zealand over a period of about two months, beginning in February.

Film New Zealand manager Jane Gilbert said the two-part mini-series would use remote locations around the upper west coast of the South Island, Tongariro and Rotorua".

According to BBC production representative Lee Morris, New Zealand has been chosen because of its established film industry and its "excellent talent pool".

"Ms Gilbert said it was too early to know or give details, but the shoot was expected to generate up to $5 million in the local economy".

"We've been working with the BBC for several years now, and their most recent production out here, Walking With Dinosaurs, was a marvellous showcase for the originality of our landscapes and the skill of our crews."

"Meanwhile, British reports have described the production as" "one of the highlights of next year's schedule".

"The BBC's version would be notable for eliminating Conan Doyle's" "tone of racial superiority", 'respectfully replacing it with a portrayal of strange tribes encountered by English explorers as' "equals". 'The tale is crammed with references to" "sub-human natives" noted for their "savage behaviour and low intellects".

"Another innovation to tart up the story will be the introduction of a love interest, in the form of a beautiful niece of a missionary".

"The president of the Arthur Conan Doyle Study Group, Philip Webber, said the book was a classic that should not be altered".

"It may not be politically correct but to judge Conan Doyle for this is to be anachronistic - you are applying standards that did not apply then."

The cast.

Peter Falk
Bob Hoskins
Matthew Rhys
Elaine Cassidy
James Fox

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