A plumber who landed an unexpected record deal shoots a Hollywood movie about his life

A plumber who landed a record deal after being heard singing while working in a music mogul’s bathroom is making a Hollywood movie about his life.

Kev Crane secured his life-changing music deal after singing on the radio while working at record producer Paul Conneally.

The 50-year-old spent six weeks installing a new bathroom without knowing Conneally was a music boss – until he offered her a new job.

Crane then made an 1980s-influenced album under the New Reality Records label and it proved so successful that he released a second album in April.

Her dramatic rise to stardom has also seen Los Angeles-based film producers reach out to secure the rights to her story, which first made headlines last September.

Award-winning screenwriter and director Stacy Sherman and American screenwriter and producer Billy Ray are currently working on the script for Crane’s life.

Ray wrote the 2012 blockbuster “The Hunger Games” as well as the latest installment in the Terminator franchise “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.

Meanwhile, a screenplay was penned by legendary British sitcom and film screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

The couple are behind hit comedies such as ‘The Likely Lads’, ‘Porridge’, ‘Auf Wiedersehen’, ‘Pet’ and ‘The Commitments’.

Crane says the past six months have been a complete whirlwind as he continues to juggle fitting out bathrooms in the East Midlands while working as a singer.

And for the next film, due out in two years, Crane and Conneally say they would like to be played by British comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Crane, who lives with his wife Karen in Quorn, Leicestershire, said: “It’s like watching this happen to someone else.

“Not for a minute did I think this could happen to me.

“I’ve had sleepless nights thinking about this whole thing – the record deal and now the movie. It’s so exciting.

“We grew up watching shows like ‘Porridge’ and ‘Auf Wiedersehen’, ‘Pet’ and movies like ‘The Commitments’.

“So it seems unreal to now be working with the creators of these and having Zoom calls with them in LA and thinking that this is our story that they’re working on.

“My wife has been so overwhelmed by it all – in tears about it. I’m just going with the flow.”

Crane was part of a cover band called “The Reprise” in the 1990s, covering bands like Depeche Mode, and writing his own music.

But after two unsuccessful auditions for “Fame Academy” and “Stars in Their Eyes” in the early 2000s, he decided to give it up.

But his big break came when he got a call from Conneally for a quote to install some bathrooms in his home last year.

Crane added: “I started working at Paul and I like to sing while I work and he pulled me into the living room one night for a chat about my singing voice.

“I started telling him that I loved music and that I was in a band and had written an album – more of a hobby actually.

“I was shocked when he said he wanted to hear it. Later he showed me into his office and told me, to my surprise, that he really liked my album.

“He offered me a chance to sign on his label – that was it.”

Conneally, 62, from Loughborough, Leicestershire, said he noticed his plumber had a “good voice” while singing on the radio with Meatloaf and David Bowie.

He added: “Never in a million years did I think this would happen when I first heard Kev sing.

“It’s been a steep learning curve for both of us, but the Los Angeles team is so supportive of us.

“We know the story won’t follow our life stories exactly but will be based on it and we can’t wait to see exactly what they do with it.

“We’re learning how much work it takes to make a feature film, especially if it’s made in LA”

When asked who could play them, Paul replied, “I think actors like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost could work.

“Not because they look like us but because, like Kev and me, they work well together and are English.”

Crane added, “Other names suggested by various people we work with include Jude Law, Colin Firth, Jason Statham and Ricky Gervais.”

US-based writer, producer and director Stacey said, “It’s a story about the human spirit and music.

“What could be better? Sinks fixed, dreams shattered, heartache, hope and British music.”

This story was provided to Newsweek by Zenger News.