Murder of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe to be depicted in upcoming Hollywood film
Hollywood cinematographer and Academy Award nominee Dean Cundey is expected to visit Queensland next month to begin scouting locations for the upcoming thriller, Where is Daniel? based on the notorious disappearance of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe in 2003.
Cundey, who is best known for his direction of photography in Back To The Future, Apollo 13 and Jurassic Park, has described the chronicling of Daniel’s story as “a must do” project.
Working alongside Australian director Peter Cousens, Cundey has recently announced that filming for the motion picture is expected to start in the first half of 2017.
Depicting what police have referred to as the most extensively investigated crime in Australian history, Cousens hopes that the film will encapsulate the family’s decade-long search for answers.
Scheduled for release in early 2018, producers have revealed that the true crime feature film will dramatise the story of Daniel’s parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, to tell the tale of their passionate demands for justice.
Bruce Morcombe has described reading the screenplay as “surreal”, and has said that he is certain filmmakers will tell the story with sensitivity.
With a budget of roughly $7-10 million, producers have newly launched a ‘Kickstarter’ crowd-funding campaign in an attempt to secure $300,000 in community donations to help advance the film.
The website for the crowdfunding campaign notes that the producers are hopeful to receive contributions from the “very community that has been a part of the Morcombe’s journey for so many years”.
In 2014, Brett Peter Cowan, a former Sunshine Coast resident, was found guilty of Daniel’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole in August 2031.
To find out how you can help, head to whereisdanielmovie.com
