<P> There had been many attempts to turn the novel into a film . In 1973, 20th Century Fox paid Goldman $500,000 for the film rights and to do a screenplay . Richard Lester was signed to direct and the movie was almost made, but the head of production at Fox was fired and the project was put on hiatus . Goldman subsequently bought back the film rights to the novel with his own money . The movie was almost financed several times over the next decade--at one stage in the early 1980s, Christopher Reeve was interested in playing Westley--before Rob Reiner managed to secure funding from Norman Lear . </P> <P> The film was shot in various locations in Great Britain and Ireland: </P> <Ul> <Li> Carl Wark, Sheffield, England </Li> <Li> Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England </Li> <Li> Lathkill Dale where it meets Cales Dale (the' Battle of wits' scene) </Li> <Li> Cave Dale, Castleton, Derbyshire, England </Li> <Li> Bradley Rocks and Robin Hood's Stride, Birchover, Derbyshire, England </Li> <Li> Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland (for the Cliffs of Insanity) </Li> <Li> Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England </Li> <Li> Penshurst Place, Kent, England </Li> </Ul> <Li> Carl Wark, Sheffield, England </Li>

Where was the movie the princess bride filmed