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The leading actor of "Harry Potter" movies, Daniel Radcliffe, has been signed to play in "Journey". According to Observer.guardian.co.uk, the 18-year-old has nailed the part of slain photo journalist, Dan Eldon, beating out other major actors in Hollywood, including Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Phillippe and Joaquin Phoenix.

His success of getting the part was reportedly helped by Eldon's family as Kathy, Eldon's mother, revealed that she has rejected numerous bids for film rights to the story before meeting the "Equus" stage star and his parents at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. The journalist, producer and activist explained why she chose Radcliffe instead of the other notable actors eager to play the part stating, "We resisted a lot of older actors because Dan was a boy emerging into manhood."

Meanwhile, about her change of mind, she confessed, "The timing is right and the person is right and I couldn't ask for more. He has portrayed a magician for years and my Dan was a different kind of magician. There are parallels in the two Dans' lives. Daniel Radcliffe is a poet, he keeps journals and he's half Jewish. He has a puckishness, sense of humour and energy inside him which remind me of Dan."

"Journey" is based on the compilation of Eldon's diaries, The Journey is the Destination, which has been sold nearly 200,000 copies since being published 10 years ago. It tells about the experience of Eldon who was one of four journalists that were stoned to death by a mob in 1993 during a civil war in Somalia. The movie, which is expected to be produced in 2009 in Kenya, will be directed by Bronwen Hughes, while the script will be written by Jan Sardi.