'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's story to be made into a movie in Canada

'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's rags to riches story is to be made into a movie in Canada.

The film based on Rowling's rise from struggling single mum in Edinburgh to multimillionaire author of the Harry Potter book series is set to begin shooting next month.

Scotland's The Herald newspaper reported that film producers initially toured Edinburgh in their search for shooting locations, but decided to move production to Canada to save money because they found similar buildings there that could be used as backdrops.

Rowling, 45, has not authorised the television movie, reports News.com.au.

She refused to comment on the film, which has the working title 'Strange Magic'.

Australian actor Poppy Montgomery, who stars as FBI agent Samantha Spade in the hit US television series Without a Trace, will play Rowling.

JK Rowling may win Oscar

Novelist J. K. Rowling has been credited for the first time as producer on the latest film adaptation of her Harry Potter series, which possibly leaves the author in line to win an Oscar.

This means Rowling – worth an estimated 800 million pounds– could walk down the red carpet to collect an Oscar for 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1', should the film win the Best Picture category.

Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards will be announced in January, ahead of the ceremony in February.

The film earned more than 210 million pounds when it opened last weekend, and is likely to be the highest earner in the seven-film series.

"Jo had the option of taking a producer credit as early as the fourth film, but she chose not to until the final two films," the Daily Mail quoted David Heyman, who has produced all the films, as saying.

"Things were coming to an end and she wanted to put her stamp on it," he said.

However, the mother of three has always influenced production, insisting that the films be shot in Britain with an all-British cast.

Rowling, 45, who was once a struggling single mother, has sold more than 400 million books worldwide since the first Harry Potter was published in 1997.

Harry Potter is the most successful film franchise in history, selling 3.7 billion pounds worth of tickets.