'My book was turned into a film starring Bill Nighy'

An author whose novel has been turned into a film starring Bill Nighy and Maisie Williams said the spirit of his book had been retained "beautifully".

Mark Lowery, 46, is an award-winning author originally from Preston in Lancashire but now lives in Kesgrave in Suffolk.

In 2018, he released Charlie and Me, which follows the journey of two brothers on a very special trip full of challenges and surprises. It was later picked up and adapted by a film company.

The film, called 500 Miles, stars other big names and will be released in the UK on 26 June.

Lowery said some of his other books had come close to being adapted before, but this was the first time a film company had taken it all the way.

While it took several years for things to really take off, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, filming started in 2024 with BAFTA-winning director Morgan Matthews at the helm.

Lowery said he "really hit it off" with Matthews, and the film team had ensured they kept parts of the book that Lowery felt were important.

"I said, I'm not precious about anything in the book, but you've got to capture the spirit of it," Lowery, who also works at Bealings School in Little Bealings, explained.

"Because I think when you read the book and when you see the film, there's definitely a very particular kind of spirit to it or a sort of a feeling around the book."

The film's main characters, Charlie and Finn, are played by Dexter Sol Ansell, known for his work in the Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Roman Griffin Davis, known for the film Jojo Rabbit.

Lowery said they were exactly how he pictured the characters.

"All those years ago, coming up with the story, they're exactly the same as the people who I invented, and they look the same, and they talk the same," he continued.

"So that was really lovely, and then the two parents as well are fantastic — Michael Socha and Claire Dunne — are brilliant in it.

"It's just really lovely to see these wonderful actors breathing life into people who just once existed in your brain."

Nighy plays the boy's estranged grandfather, a casting which Lowery said was "pretty cool" to see.

Williams, meanwhile, plays a musician called Kait who joins the boys on their journey.

Lowery attended the film premiere in Ireland with his family back in February.

Reflecting on the film, he said the plot and some characters had differed slightly.

"But somehow they managed to do that whilst retaining the spirit of the book really beautifully," he added.

"I actually think that the film has done a really beautiful job of encapsulating what I was trying to achieve with the book in a different way and in a different medium, and it's really fantastic.

"It's a brilliant, beautiful film."

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