A VICAR who had to sell his motorbike to pay for his first book to be published has secured a £2.2m movie deal with a Hollywood film company.

Superstars Sean Bean, Donald Sutherland and Michael Caine have all been sounded out to star in the film version of Shadowmancer, by the Reverend Graham Taylor, 44, of Cloughton, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

The novel, a children's tale of sorcery, set in the 18th Century, was published last year and became a bestseller around the world.

Mr Taylor, who writes as GP Taylor, has signed the deal with Fortitude Films, a company set up for the Shadowmancer project. The contract gives him five per cent of box office royalties and 15 per cent of all merchandising.

He wants Sean Bean to appear as Jacob Crane and Justin Hawkins, from band The Darkness, to be an earthbound angel with attitude.

Fortitude wants Donald Sutherland to play the evil Reverend Obadiah Demurral.

"I wrote the character of Jacob Crane specifically for Sean Bean," said Mr Taylor. "It was always his voice in my head when I was writing."

Father-of-three Mr Taylor has stipulated that Shadowmancer must be filmed on the North Yorkshire coastline, between Ravenscar, Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby.

Ravenscar is the home and parish of Demurral and his vicarage is based on the village's Raven Hall Hotel.

Mr Taylor said: "It is important for me for Shadowmancer to make money for the local community.

"Hopefully, it will bring more tourism to the area and fill up the bed and breakfasts, cafes and shops."

Mr Taylor has also ensured that there will be a role for him in the film and has lined up the part of an evil creature.

He said: "I have always fancied myself as a bit of a thespian. But, hopefully, it will just be a laugh and we can get as many people involved as possible."

Mr Taylor has recently retired as vicar of Cloughton because of ill health.

He said he never imagined that the book would be so successful.

He said: "I wrote it for a small audience. I thought I might sell 2,500 books in ten years."

His second book, Wormwood, is due out this summer.

Published: 27/03/2004