Orlando Bloom to Star in Sarajevo Film

British actor Orlando Bloom, star of the hit blockbusters Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, is departing from big-budget productions to star in a film about the siege of Sarajevo.

"This is a departure from the very big Hollywood productions," Bloom told reporters in Sarajevo during his visit to the city this week.

"This film is a very specific and personal account of Bill Carter's experience in Sarajevo during the war and we would very much like to make the film here," Bloom said.

The film will be based on American author Bill Carter’s book Fools Rush In, an account of Carter’s experiences working for an aid organization called “The Serious Road Trip”, an off-coloured group from the United Kingdom that delivered aid to Sarajevo during the siege.

Carter made his own film in 1995, Miss Sarajevo, from footage he had collected during his stay in the besieged city. It won several awards for its portrayal of everyday Sarajevans searching for normalcy during the siege.

Bloom will not be playing the role of Carter in the upcoming film, he told reporters, "but I read the script and the very human story at the very core of this film spoke to me very clearly".

Sarajevo’s mayor, Semiha Borovac, has promised financial support for the production. "Hopefully, we can get this movie made at the end of this year," Bloom said. "To come here and shoot would be just wonderful".