IT IS an otherworldly landscape of lochs and rolling mountains.

Now Skye will star as a magical world in a new Hollywood blockbuster.

The island’s world-famous terrain will be used as the basis of Giant’s Land in a new Steven Spielberg adaptation of Roald Dahl classic The BFG.

The children’s classic tells the story of a girl called Sophie, whose friendship with a Big Friendly Giant takes her to places she had never dreamed of as he sets out to capture the man-eating giants invading the human world.

Starring Mark Rylance as the titular giant and Ruby Barnhill as Sophie, the film also features comic actors Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords, and Bill Hader, currently appearing in romantic comedy Trainwreck.

England’s Rebecca Hall, who appeared in Iron Man 3, will also star.

The Disney/DreamWorks Studios release, scheduled for July 2016, also teams director Spielberg with screenwriter Melissa Mathison for the first time since they made ET in 1982.

Working under the code name Big Valley Productions, the film crew shot in several locations in the Highlands and islands in late June and early August.

The project has now moved into its post-production phase, with the finished movie set to be released worldwide next summer and will see several famous Skye locations used to create Giant’s Land, including the Fairy Glen, The Quiraing and The Storr.

The resulting images will be transformed by acclaimed New Zealand digital effects company WETA, which also worked on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

The Scottish shoots follow extensive filming in Canada, where the interior scenes were captured.

Supervising location manager David Broder told The National: “We filmed scenes for BFG on Skye as plate shots to be part of our Giant’s Land.

“We also filmed on the Shiant Islands and aerial work was filmed from a helicopter through the Highlands. We also filmed at The Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys.”

The 2016 release coincides with the centenary of Dahl’s birth and comes 25 years after the author’s estate sold the rights to the film.

Robin Williams had been linked to the titular role in a 1998 screenplay adaptation, which has since been rewritten.

Spielberg says the finished movie “will add to Roald Dahl’s prolific legacy of entertainment”.

Dahl’s grandson Luke Kelly, managing director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate, said: “We are so thrilled and excited at this collaboration between two storytelling giants – Roald Dahl and Steven Spielberg.

“The fact that Steven is bringing one of my grandfather’s best-loved stories and characters to the big screen in the middle of the year in which we will celebrate Roald Dahl’s centenary is even more fantastic.”

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said the movie would boost tourism across the area.

He said: “The youngsters are going to badger their parents to visit Giant’s Land and when they come to Skye they’ll see the big stacks and superb mountains and see, of course, this is a land for giants. These things are really superb for our economy. This year Skye has so many visitors saying they have come here because they watched Outlander.

“Places like Skye are ideal for filming because there is very clear air and photographers love it. The scenery is fantastic.”

The BFG news comes after tourism agency VisitScotland released a cinematic map to attract more “set-jetters” to Skye and the Highlands.

Yesterday, Jenni Steele, Film and Creative Industries Manager at VisitScotland, said: “In recent years Scotland has taken a starring role in many well-known films, with our stunning landscapes acting as the perfect backdrop for hits such as Skyfall, Harry Potter and Captain America: The First Avenger.

“It’s fantastic to see that this trend is set to continue.

“Set-jetting, where people visit their favourite movie locations, is an increasingly popular travel trend, with research showing that 40 per cent of visitors to the UK come here after seeing the destination on film or on television.

“The BFG is such a well-loved story, that I’m sure this production will help inspire more people to come and discover the magical Isle of Skye for themselves.”