KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The life of Sir James Brooke, the first Rajah of Sarawak, is set to be made into a Hollywood movie titled The White Rajah, The Borneo Post reported today.
British film producer Simon Fawcett, the man behind several critically acclaimed Hollywood blockbusters, has teamed up with American film producer Rob Allyn for the movie’s production, the daily reported, adding that the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the film’s production team and the Sarawak state’s Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry would be held at the Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching today.
“The project will be launched with Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg. The state government is fully behind this project, we have producers from the United States and United Kingdom involved in the project as well,” Brooke Heritage Trust chairman Jason Desmond Anthony Brooke was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post.
The film’s production team had paid a courtesy visit to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem at his office in Wisma Bapa Malaysia.
The Borneo Post reported that the courtesy call was to discuss the project, which is a working partnership between Allyn’s production house, Margate House Film and the Brooke Heritage Trust.
Jason Desmond is the grandson of the last Rajah Muda of Sarawak, Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke.
The Borneo Post reported that The White Rajah will tell the story of how James Brooke was attracted to the culture, people and Sarawak’s wildlife.
The daily reported that the producers are also planning to build a full-scale replica of the ship on which James Brooke sailed to Sarawak and the vessel would be left in the state as a heritage attraction.
