By Rory Reynolds
A spin-off to British blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire is to be made by the BBC in India – and will be written by a Scottish GP.
Bafta award-winning writer John Hodge – who is also a practicing doctor – will screen-write Six Suspects, a mystery thriller set in New Delhi.
Hodge – who has worked alongside Danny Boyle – has also worked on Shallow Grave and The Beach and was nominated for an Academy Award for his Trainspotting screenplay.
Hodge will team up with BBC Films and Rogue Trader producer Paul Raphael – who acquired the rights to the new book from Slumdog author Vikas Swarup. At £10million Six Suspects will be one of the largest budget British films of the year.
Raphael, who produced Rogue Trader, reckons that Six Suspects will be a smash hit.
He said: “The success of Slumdog has transformed interest in the project. I read about a hundred pages and just knew I wanted to do it. It’s a great whodunit in a very unusual setting – it’s Agatha Christie meets Elmore Leonard – in India.”
Millions
“It’s very original and has a distinct voice and sense of humour and John Hodge will bring something amazing to it.”
Six Suspects is tipped to make millions after the global success of Slumdog Millionaire.
Dr. Hodge, who was born in Glasgow, studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and still practices between film productions.
Six Suspects is the first in a series of productions to be set in India. Also in development is White Tiger, which will be adapted from the Aravind Adiga’s Booker prize-winning novel about corruption in modern India.
Britain’s largest film production firm, Working Title, are producing the historical drama Indian Summer. The plot will focus on Lord Mountbatten, who oversaw the handover of independence to India and the subsequent war with Pakistan.
