Cirque du Freak film's on the way

The best-selling Cirque du Freak horror books are being made into a film.

The first of Irish author Darren Shan's scary tales is due to start filming in February 2008 in New Orleans, America.

The Cirque du Freak books are all about a young boy who gets caught up in a world of vampires after meeting a mysterious man at a freak show.

A release date for the film hasn't been set yet, but Darren said he's delighted about it all: "There's not much more for me to add, except whoopee!"

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He said fans had been writing to him about the chances of a Cirque du Freak film hitting the big screens, since the book was first published way back in January 2000.

"Now, at last, the dream is poised to become a reality," he said. "There's no telling how the film will turn out, but I think it's in very safe, capable hands."