Hollywood whistles up artist's dog caper

Move over Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Benji, Hollywood is about to get a new canine hero.

Warner Bros has snapped up the film rights for an unusual picture book, Alveridgea and the Legend of the Lonely Dog, developed by Queenstown artist Ivan Clarke.

The story, and the whimsical world in which the lead character lives, evolved from Clarke's painting of his dog, Arthur Snout, looking dismayed as the family drove off on a holiday several years ago. The painting, Bon Voyage, depicted Arthur dressed in a suit, standing on a wharf waving at a ship steaming away.

Clarke said the parallel world of Lonely Dog developed from that "spontaneous" painting.

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