In February 1996, Britt Allcroft was approached by Barry London, then vice-chairman of Paramount Pictures, with an idea for the "Thomas" film. Britt signed a contract to write the script for the film with the working title "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". London's interest is thought to have stemmed from his three-year-old daughter, who was enthralled by "Thomas". According to a press release, filming was to take place at Shepperton Studios, in the United Kingdom and the United States, with the theatrical release date set for 1997. However, later that year, after London left the company, Paramount shelved the plans for the film. This left Allcroft to seek other sources of funding. Discussions with PolyGram about the film were held, but not for long, because of the company being in the middle of a corporate restructuring and sale.