'Duncan Edwards: The Boy Who Had It All' filming kicks off

Dudley Museum was turned into a film set as the cast and crew of Duncan Edwards - The Boy Who Had It All got the cameras rolling. They then moved on to film by his graveside at Dudley Cemetery on Stourbridge Road.

Cast in the leading role is 24-year-old actor James Ayling, who was all too aware of the importance of this local legend to the Black Country.

He said: "It was a bit overwhelming, being by the statue and the grave in his kit, with people from Dudley watching. There was a lot of pressure, but it felt like an honour."

The film has been made possible thanks to the efforts of Dudley filmmaker Marcus Distant, who managed to raise more than £5,000 through kickstarter, which helps fund creative projects by allowing multiple people to make contributions.

The writer and director has spent more than a year conducting in depth research about the Manchester United and England player's life.

Marcus also has his own personal connection to the iconic footballer, as Edwards once babysat for his uncle John Ball and other members of the family.

Although not local to the area, living in Chelmsford in Essex and having grown up in Sheffield, actor James also knew about the legendary story of Edwards, and the tragic circumstances of his early death in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958.

James has plenty of experience in front of a camera, with his previous acting credits including an episode of hit TV show Downton Abbey and an apocalyptic film called The Border.

He added: "I hope I have done him justice. I got good feedback. It's difficult to know exactly what he was like, but people have told me things, like that he had a crooked smile. I hope they accept my version."

Marcus is also delighted with how the first day of filming has gone. He said: "It's gone amazingly. We have a great cast and crew.

"And to be able to film in Dudley Museum just before it closes was amazing. I've grown up knowing about the shrine to Duncan Edwards in the Museum, so it was great to have this opportunity to film there."

Instead of focusing on the tragic end to Edwards' life, the film centres upon the footballer's childhood growing up in Dudley on the Priory Estate.

The project has the consent of Edwards' family, as well as a seal of approval from Dudley Council. The plan is to upload the completed film, which should be between 10 to 13 minutes long, to YouTube so it is available to the public. They will also enter it into competitions, with the ultimate aim of developing it into a feature film.

The next stage of filming will take place in January, which will focus on Duncan Edwards' early years with a child actor.

Once completed, as well as being on YouTube the film will be available for digital download.

A blue plaque to Edwards was unveiled at the Pavilion in Priory Park, in October by former teammate Sir Bobby Charlton.