A NEW blockbuster starring Lord of the
Rings star Sean Bean has
snubbed Wales to film on the Isle of Man.
The Dark is set in the North Wales countryside,
but producers picked the Isle of Man as the location for the
multi-million-pound shoot.
Welsh film chiefs yesterday revealed
they were "disappointed" to lose
the film to the Irish Sea island.
Mike Wallwork, national co-ordinator
of the Wales Screen Commission,
said, "The producers have not been in touch with us.
"If they had expressed any interest
we would have found the ideal
locations for them.
"It's a real shame - to have a
big film like that here would have been
a real boost to the film industry in Wales and to the local economy.
"But the Isle of Man can offer
tax breaks to people filming there that
we can't here in Wales.
"It is disappointing to lose films
when there are perfectly good
locations they could have used in Wales. It's unfortunate."
Bean, 45, stars as contractor James
Tullian in the chilling haunted
house film.
Based on the novel by Brit author Simon
Maginn The Dark follows the
family, who move to the Ty-Gwnyeth estate after the tragic drowning
of their
daughter.
James finds a pile of charred bones
near their home, wife Adele,
played by Coyote Ugly star Maria Bello, starts painting disturbing
pictures
and son Sam suffers fits and visions.
But they fear history is repeating itself
after discovering the
previous tenants on the farm went mad and killed each other.
But the "moody" Welsh landscape
plays an important part in the
original novel.
One review said, "Through the stark
moody Welsh landscape Maginn
creates an atmosphere of dread."
Sharpe actor Bean played warrior Boromir
in the first Lord of the
Rings film.