A new film which will explore the story of Gef the Talking Mongoose (or the Dalby Spook), has entered production in Leeds.
US entertainment news site Deadline has revealed that Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) have signed on to star in ‘Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose’.
The film will follow Nandor Fodor, the Hungarian-American para-psychologist, who investigated claims of a talking mongoose right here on the Isle of Man.
Pegg is set to star as Fodor, whilst Driver will play Fodor’s assistant Anne in the project, which is being described as a dark comedy.
Writer-director Adam Sigal said: ‘Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose is such a unique story that I couldn’t believe it was true.
‘There’s nobody else other than Simon who could embody this character and take us on this insane journey and I can’t wait to get started.’
The film will also star Tim Downie (Good Omens), Ruth Connell (Supernatural), Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones), Gary Beadle (In the Heart of the Sea) and Drew Moerlin (V/H/S).
Gef, the allegedly talking mongoose, was claimed to inhabit a farmhouse owned by the Irving family at Cashen’s Gap, near Dalby.
The story was given extensive coverage by the tabloids across Britain in the early 1930s.