THE remarkable story of how a determined Bromsgrove woman overcame many obstacles to mastermind the removal of a Red Indian chief's body from an overgrown grave in London to his tribal homeland, is to be made into a film.

Elizabeth Knight's campaign, in the mid 1990s, to locate Long Wolf's grave and his eventual reburial in the Black Hills of South Dakota made local and national headlines.

Now Elizabeth, from Sidemoor, has signed a contract with Andrew Findley, a British screenwriter and director, living in Los Angeles, to have her story made into a movie, provisionally entitled Ghost Dancing.

"I'm absolutely delighted and was very surprised when I got the phone call from the States," she said.

Elizabeth was a patient in the Alexandra Hospital when Mr Findley phoned.

By coincidence, she was receiving treatment for an old leg injury she suffered when she fell while attending Long Wolf's reburial.

Elizabeth is due to fly to California, probably in May, to meet Mr Findley, when it is likely a company willing to shoot the film will have been found.

Already stars names such as Richard Gere and Dustin Hoffman are being bandied about, while Elizabeth said award-winning British stage and screen actress Brenda Blethyn may play her in the film.

She added that the sudden interest from movie moguls in the world's film capital and incessant phone calls at all hours had "knocked her sideways."

The deal, which could make Elizabeth a very rich woman, has been arranged by the same agency which launched the careers of the likes of mega stars Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer.

The story began in the unlikely setting of Bromsgrove market, when Elizabeth, who has always had an interest in Red Indians, bought a second hand book from Ivor Simpson's stall.

She was immediately intrigued by a reference to Long Wolf, who died in London from a fever in 1892 while touring with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

He was buried with a 17-month-old Red Indian girl called Star and lay forgotten until Elizabeth read his story.

She discovered the grave in Brompton cemetery, in London, which is still registered as owned by Col William F Cody.

Elizabeth then got in touch with a Red Indian newspaper asking for any relatives to contact her and, eventually, received a letter from Long Wolf's great, great grandson.

The Home Office later gave permission for Long Wolf's body to be exhumed and sent back to the America so that, after more than a century, he could at last rest in peace with his ancestors.