Using Pozible (a crowd-funding platform for creative projects and ideas) Hunter filmmakers Zachary Garred and Tom Arthur have raised $3205 to help kickstart the project.

“We gave ourselves six weeks to raise $2500 to put together a teaser for the movie but we’ve attracted $3000 in pledges in just five days,” Garred said. “Which just goes to show how incredibly important the story of Les Darcy is.”

Garred and fellow filmmaker Tom Arthur bought the screen rights from Peter FitzSimons to make a feature film based on his book The Ballad of Les Darcy.

“This concept has been bubbling along for quite some time and I know it sounds ridiculous but basically I had this dream and someone was yelling Les Darcy’s name at me,” Garred, 26, of Newcastle, said.

“Soon after I got in contact with Peter FitzSimons and it turns out we were the first people to approach him about making a film based on his book. So I think it’s all meant to be.

“Also, my grandmother is from East Maitland and she grew up with Darcy’s youngest sister so there’s another connection there.”

Garred will go to Los Angeles in September to set up meetings with potential producers and investors for the film.

The young rugby league player has also started training to play the lead role of the Maitland Wonder.

“I’ve been training since January and before then I had never boxed in my life,” Garred said. “But it has taught me how much stamina boxing requires, especially in Darcy’s day when it was less scientific and more about heart and soul.”

Garred said there is no doubt part of the film will be shot in Maitland and he and Arthur are on the lookout for locations.

“As far as I’m concerned the movie can’t be filmed anywhere else because Maitland is where his story all began,” he said. “I know we have a long way to go but there is already a great story here . . . in fact it’s epic. 

"The characters are colourful, the story is sweeping and heartfelt and it will have a massive appeal across a huge audience.”

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