A group of British students have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a "Harry Potter" fan film called "Mudblood: The Book of Spells." They set a goal of £40,000 ($63,000) that they hope to raise by Dec. 1
Manchester student Cameron Cairnduff wrote the 30-minute "fan fictional" script and enlisted the input of "Potter" fans across the web on sites like Pottermore and Mugglesnet. The young auteur wants to start filming early next year and has already assembled a large ensemble cast and professional crew.
"We want to make something people will want to watch and we want to create our own [job] opportunities," Cairnduff told the BBC. "There are no good 'Harry Potter' fan films - they're all American and have low production values."
The first British-produced "Harry Potter" fan film will focus on a Muggle-born wizard named Charlie and begins 17 years after Harry Potter defeated Voldemort at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Charlie also attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like Potter and friends, but was expelled after the Ministry of Magic condemns and imprisons him for crimes he didn't commit.
Charlie finds a way to break out and is befriended by a group of "unseemly wizards." They need his help to recover an artifact "so ancient and powerful it will bring the Wizarding World to its knees," according to the story synopsis.
"Having grown up with the 'Harry Potter' series, it's only natural we would want to keep the magic alive," Cairnduff wrote on the Kickstarter page. "However, we're not looking to make something low budget and run of the mill - the fans deserve more!"
The movie will film around northern England including "the windswept Yorkshire moors, the craggy summits of the Peak District and the Lakes," according to Cairnduff. The film has also found support for possible on-site locations from building owners who are "excited" about the project.
Students from six different universities in the Manchester area are involved in the project. They hope to premiere the film in Manchester and London by the end of 2015.
