tony sage - movie mogul, page-2

MINING entrepreneur and Perth Glory owner Tony Sage plans to add movie mogul to his repertoire.
He has revealed he is in talks with a US filmmaker to bankroll a film.

Mr Sage told The Australian he was looking at two scripts for romantic comedies to kick-start a career as a Hollywood producer when he pulls out of the resources sector in a few years' time.

"I can't see myself doing what I'm doing forever. After three big deals that I'm doing in the next two years, I think my companies will be capped well over $2 billion-$3bn and I need an exit," he said.

"I want something to do after that and, other than cars and the football club, one of the things I most love is movies. Sitting on aeroplanes, I get to see a lot of movies. It's my only escape; I love watching movies."

The colourful executive of a string of resources companies, including his flagship Cape Lambert Resources, said it was too early to name the filmmaker.

"It's only in the pipeline now; no investment has been made," he said. "At the moment they're saying the best way to make money is romantic comedies, so there are two I'm looking at that look like being produced before the end of next year and made into a movie the year after.

"All up I'd be the cornerstone investor for a $20 million shoot -- it's not a blockbuster first up; I just want to do a small movie."

Mr Sage, who names Pulp Fiction as his favourite movie, said the scripts were a "test run" for a more substantial project later. "I'm 50 now, so in a few years what I'm doing now, all the travelling, you'd want to have an end date," he said. "I've already got one business (African Petroleum) capped at over $1bn, and I've always said I'd quit after a billion. That was my dream, my goal.

"I just want to get the return to Cape Lambert shareholders into the billion-dollar-mark."