The turning of The Luminaries into a television miniseries could result in film crews coming to Dunedin, with parts of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel set in the city.
Author Eleanor Catton revealed at the weekend she had insisted the adaptation, being brought to the screen by producer Andrew Woodhead, be filmed in New Zealand.
While the majority of the book is set in 1866 Hokitika, parts of it are set in Dunedin, including at a fictional Cumberland St brothel called the ''House of Many Wishes''.
Film Otago Southland executive manager Kevin Jennings said he hoped the film crew would come to Dunedin.
''We would love to have them come and shoot it here and we will encourage them to do so, but as yet I haven't had any contact from them directly,'' Mr Jennings said.
The book being set in Victorian times was a plus for Dunedin, with the city's old buildings one of its '' real strengths'' as a filming location.
Whether Dunedin was chosen as a location would ''come down to what the needs of the production are, their budget and where they are going to be based''.
It would be ''great'' for the city if it was chosen.
''It depends on the scale and size of it, but every time a production comes down it's of great benefit to the community, and there is the ongoing potential benefits for tourism.''
Ms Catton told the Greymouth Star she did not expect the adaptation to be completed any time soon, as it still needed a screen writer, then a director.
She was unsure what control she would have over film locations, but said the West Coast would lend itself well.
''The thing about the West Coast is there are so many stretches that are untouched. To create a 19th-century location on the West Coast wouldn't be hard.''
