New generation of Scottish storytellers to bring country’s mythology to the big screen in Call of the Laoich |

A new generation of Scottish storytellers is bringing the country’s mythology, folklore and forgotten legends to the big screen.

Call of the Laoich is an ambitious Scottish fantasy feature film currently in development from writer and producer Fraser Coull, creator of the award-winning Faithful, and cult web series Cops and Monsters.

As a planned international co-production between Scotland, Ireland and Canada, it is set against the backdrop of the Highland Clearances. The film follows Freya Maxwell, a young farm girl who discovers she possesses the power to cross into the Otherworld — a realm inhabited by the legendary protectors of Scotland, the Laoich.

Trained by Mackenzie, the heartbroken Goddess of Storms, Freya must become Scotland’s next Champion and embark on a dangerous quest to find the mythical Axe of Alba before it falls into the hands of her own father — a man determined to use its power to purge Scotland of magic, and destroy the creatures who live alongside humanity.

Blending Scottish history with ancient folklore, Call of the Laoich is a story about identity, belonging, inherited conflict, and the choice to understand the “other”, rather than destroy it.

“I grew up with Scottish myth and folklore as living things — not museum pieces,” says Fraser Coull. “I’m not adapting a legend. I’m continuing one, with the responsibility and care that demands.”

The film’s themes feel particularly relevant in an era defined by division, fear and inherited conflict. At its heart, Call of the Laoich is about a new generation refusing to carry the sins of the past forward — and choosing empathy over annihilation.

Fraser’s previous work includes the Scottish supernatural police series Cops and Monsters, which gained international distribution, and Faithful, his award-winning short film which premiered to a sold-out audience, and went on to screen internationally at WonderCon California and San Diego Comic Con.

Call of the Laoich is now being developed with an international production team that includes BAFTA nominated director Amy Coop and BAFTA winning writer Debbie Moon, alongside executive producer Anna Engel and producers Ellie Wake and Vaida Nairn, with the ambition of creating a major Scottish fantasy film rooted firmly in the country’s own mythology.