Castle Howard has long traded on its Brideshead connection

The film company behind the new venture says it is "unlikely" to return to Castle Howard, near Malton, North Yorkshire, for the remake.

Instead, independent film company Ecosse Films seems to favour Chatsworth in Derbyshire for the production.

It told the BBC that it wanted to "distance itself" from the TV version.

Castle Howard has been synonymous with Brideshead Revisited for the many visitors to the stately home since the 11-part TV series starring Anthony Andrews and Jeremy Irons was first shown in the early 1980s.

Castle Howard House created by Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle Built in 1699 by Sir John Vanbrugh Houses paintings by Canaletto, Holbein, Gainsborough and Reynolds Gardens include world-renowned rhododendron collection

The new version of the Evelyn Waugh novel is being developed by Ecosse Films, the small independent company behind Mrs Brown, which starred Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria.

It will concentrate on a different part of the story - the doomed love affair between Charles Ryder and Julia Flyte.

Screenwriter Andrew Davies, who adapted the BBC's version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice for the small screen, has just completed the script for the film version of Brideshead Revisited.

He said Chatsworth was the front runner for the film's location because of its sheer size compared to Castle Howard.

Chatsworth House Built in 1560s by Bess of Hardwick, widow of Sir William Cavendish Rebuilt in Classical style by the first Duke of Devonshire between 1686 and 1707 The park was designed in the 18th Century by Capability Brown

The film's producers have toured Chatsworth twice in recent months but stressed that work on the project was at an early stage and no final decisions had yet been made.

Losing out on the deal would be a blow for the North Yorkshire home, which has long traded on its association with the hugely successful TV series.

The connection is thought to have generated millions of pounds for the home over the past 23 years by transforming it into one of Britain's top tourist attractions.