Writer-director

Having built a solid reputation in television on acclaimed series such as Spooks, Jeremy Lovering confirmed his cinematic ambitions with Miss Austen Regrets, which screened on the BBC in April. A poignant drama about the Regency author, it had a broad filmic sweep and gave a contemporary twist to a period piece, with characters that felt modern and an emotional engagement that was very real. No wonder he caught the eye of development executives including Working Title's Rachael Prior. 'He's at the top of our list of directors from TV who is ready to make the leap to major features,' she says. Lovering is developing revenge thriller Child Soldier with BBC Films and Big Talk Productions, comedy horror Wicked Smart written by Robert Nelson Jacobs with Mandalay Entertainment and Big Talk, and human trafficking drama Nanny written by Braulio Mantovani with Fiesta Productions. 'I want to make the kinds of films I want to watch,' he says, 'films that have a broader canvas, that are entertaining but challenging, what the Americans define as 'elevated genre'. Child Soldier could be a piece of social realism but that's not what I want it to be.'

Contact: Casarotto Ramsay, (44) 20 7287 4450