8:27am Monday 16th June 2008
FILM bosses have rejected Southend in favour of Great Yarmouth as a location for a Hollywood movie starring actress Mischa Barton.
Southend had been the choice the producers of Malice In Wonderland, a modern-day version of the Alice story.
Now they have decided to go to the Norfolk seaside resort for the film, in which the star of TV show, The OC, plays Alice, in a nightmare world of drugs and prostitution.
Producer Albert Martinez-Martin, of Future Films, had been impressed by locations in Southend, particularly the pier and its trains.
However, Great Yarmouth boasts two piers, which Mr Martinez-Martin said gave him "a bigger choice of locations".
The producer's movie credits include the 2007 film, Flawless, staring Michael Caine and Demi Moore. The movie was first set to be shot in Sunderland, but that proved too expensive.
Government agency Screen East offered funding for a location in the region - putting both Southend and Yarmouth in the frame.
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