Sir Ed heading for 'Higher Ground'

A long-awaited dream to make a big-budget movie on Sir Edmund Hillary is heating up as three prominent Kiwis - including Hollywood director Roger Donaldson - seek funding for the big-budget film.

Based on a script written by Wellington satirist Tom Scott, the movie is in the early stages of development. Waitakere mayor and New Zealand Film Commission member Bob Harvey has just returned from Los Angeles where he spent a week with Donaldson who insisted he read the script which has a working title of Higher Ground.

"It's a dazzlingly, beautifully observed and brilliant script, and I personally feel that I'll do anything to see this film made while Sir Edmund is alive and that's important," said Mr Harvey.

"Roger and I couldn't stop talking about it. We thought 'My God this is good.' It's a matter of money because we're looking at a big budget film - maybe twice as big as The World's Fastest Indian."

Mr Donaldson chewed through US$25 million ($40 million) to make The World's Fastest Indian, the story of Invercargill motorbike enthusiast Burt Munro who broke the world motorbike land speed record. But Mr Harvey is undeterred by the magnitude of the project. A lot of energy would be put into the script in the next six months, he said, and he hoped the film would be made within the next two years.

The film project was really about a group of life-long mates of Sir Edmund's coming together late in life to make a film "that will dazzle the world", he said.

"It would find a huge international audience."

Mr Donaldson wasn't giving much away when spoken to at his Los Angeles office. Mr Scott's script was "in development", he said.

There was still a long way to go in terms of raising money and getting the story right.

"It's a wonderful subject. I know Ed and he's had an extraordinary life and it would make an extraordinary movie. But it's a long way from being a movie right now."

Sir Edmund and Lady Hillary say they have heard nothing about the movie although they are aware of the Higher Ground script.

Mr Scott, speaking from Los Angeles yesterday, said the Hillary movie was a big, ambitious film which was dear to his heart. Sir Edmund was a man he deeply admired and he would rather that no film be made than it be done badly.

"It needs to be worthy of Ed's tremendous life."

The script of Higher Ground opens with a young Sir Ed about to make his attempt on Everest.

At the centre of the drama is the battle to be first to reach the summit of Everest in 1953.

The expedition was led by British mountaineer John Hunt and while he was pleased that Sir Edmund and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit, the victory was tinged with disappointment for Hunt who had hoped to be the first to the top.

In the 1970s Mr Donaldson directed and Mr Harvey produced a television series called The Adventure World of Edmund Hillary.

"We've both had a long and very happy association with Sir Ed and I think Sir Edmund would feel very positive about Roger directing this film."

Who's king of the hill?

So who would play Sir Ed? Finding the right actors to play the young and old Ed could be an Everest-sized poser. The craggy features, toothy grin, jutting jaw and height rule out Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. And Michael Hurst.

Sam Neill and Clint Eastwood might do for the older Ed. Russell Crowe might need to lose some beefcake. Kiwi agent Robert Bruce said he would opt for Neill or the long, lean John Bach to play the older Sir Ed.

And agent Karen Kay said Auckland actor Craig Hall or former Shortland St actor Martin Henderson were her picks for the young Edmund.