The Forgiven’s Lawrence Osborne on transition from books to blockbusters – and filming in Hong Kong, Macau and Cambodia
- Osborne is the brains behind novels such as the Ballad of a Small Player and Hunters in the Dark, both of which are being made into films
- Starring Ralph Fiennes, the film adaptation of The Forgiven will begin shooting in Morocco later in the year
British writer Lawrence Osborne has often been called a modern-day Graham Greene, so it seems only fitting that he is wearing the great novelist’s suit. Yes, his actual suit, given to him by Greene’s nephew.
“I’m wearing a dead man’s suit. I’ve also got a couple of pairs of his pinstriped pyjamas, too,” says Osborne, who is based in Bangkok.
He’s looking so dapper that a couple of tourists who know nothing of his books ask if they can take a photo with him during a recent visit to Hong Kong. Osborne obliges; he’s in a good mood. Having just celebrated his 60th birthday in Japan with his son, he flew into Hong Kong for a couple of days to have a suit fitting. Then it was back to Bangkok to get some writing done.
Bangkok – home for the past six years – has given him the space (chiefly a 2,000 square foot flat) and the peace (away from the New York social scene of his previous life) to produce some of his best work. Much of that work – as well as earlier novels – have been recently optioned by film companies or are in production. Osborne is involved in one way or another, usually as executive producer.
The Ballad of a Small Player (2014), set in the Macau casinos, is a gripping thriller that follows the story of an English con man who goes by the name of Lord Doyle. It was optioned by Mike Goodridge, former CEO of Protagonist Pictures in London and now the director of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao.
