BLACKBURN businessman Frank Kay is feeling the force of Hollywood's spending power after securing a lucrative deal to supply guns for a new Star Wars movie.

The 43-year-old, who runs a gun shop on King Street, Blackburn, has made a fast buck from a film props company believed to be working on behalf of legendary Star Wars producer, George Lucas.

London-based Baptie Stage Productions contacted Frank last month enquiring about his space-age Framar Hammerli guns and have just snapped up 30 models in a deal worth thousands of pounds.

As the sole UK supplier of the Swiss-made weapons, the self-confessed R2DT fan was over the moon about his part in the sci-fi blockbuster.

"Supplying the guns is the next best thing to having a part in the movie," said Frank. "I even prompted the company to buy more 162 models because the bad guys always have more guns than the good guys.

"It would cost the company a lot more to make the guns than buy them from me. There is simply nothing which comes near to Framar for its space-age look."

The .22 calibre guns are made from carbon graphite and would be ideal for firing laser rays similar to that of the famous light sabre.

The movie is still under wraps but Frank believes it will be released before the end of the millenium.

He added: "I've been told the new movie will be completely new and could feature new characters.

"I'm lead to believe it's not a sequel to the trilogy and will be as revolutionary as the original Star Wars."

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