Artwork for Grahame classic-based “Wind in the Willows” revealed

PanARMENIAN.Net - Brendan McCarthy has revealed concept art for a Wind in the Willows film. The movie based on Kenneth Grahame's childhood classics was put in development in the mid-'90s before it was abandoned.

According to Digital Spy, McCarthy provided development art for the film, which was to be directed by his Jim Henson's The Storyteller collaborator Steve Barron.

"These have been gathering dust, unseen, for twenty years... it's good to give an airing to what could have been a decent British film, from that 'handmade' era," the artist wrote on Facebook (via Robot 6).

"Sadly I have lost most of my film visuals material. I never thought it very important... I always considered my comics work to be the real deal...

"I noticed directors like to be able to show stuff to producers and investors before things are shot... It keeps them calm!"

The project was cancelled when it was eclipsed by a Wind in the Willows film starring Monty Python members John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, which was released in 1996.

McCarthy's collaborations with Peter Milligan will be collected in a hardback from Dark Horse Comics in September.