Plans are afoot to get Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson to shoot his next fantasy blockbuster in Scotland.

The filmmaker behind the juggernaut box office smash Lord Of The Rings bought up the rights to a series of fantasy novels set in the Scottish Highlands and is adapting it for the big screen. Once obscure fantasy writer Naomi Novik sets her story about dragons in the Great Glen area and has expressed her desire to see the film stay faithful to the book. As a result, Scottish Screen is already planning a full charm offensive to win the film for Scotland.

 Spokeswoman Celia Stevenson said: "We fully appreciate that Peter Jackson may want to film a lot of it in his native New Zealand, but we will be fighting our corner to be involved in what would be an incredible project for Scotland."

Scotland's national tourism agency, VisitScotland, said: "There is considerable evidence to show that having big blockbuster films that capture the beauty and character of a country provide inspiration, and are a real draw for visitors from all over the world and in Scotland. We have seen this with the success of Braveheart 10 years after it was filmed and most recently with The Da Vinci Code phenomenon."