NEWPORT, R.I. -- Playwright-author Ken Dooley Friday laid out plans for a feature film called "Bellevue Avenue," about the Gilded Age in early 20th-century Newport, which he hopes to shoot there in June.
Flanked by producers Eric Lutes and Arlene Violet, Dooley said he was inspired by TV's "Downton Abbey." Originally he had planned his 60-page script as an hour-long TV pilot. But when he found no takers, Dooley rewrote for a nearly two-hour movie.
Although Dooley said several investors are interested in the project, which he estimated would cost about $3 million, he said he could not name anyone until incorporation papers are filed with the secretary of state's office. Neither Lutes, who also plans to act in the film, nor Violet are investors.