'From Dusk Till Dawn' TV series fires up in Austin

Robert Rodriguez acknowledges he's the king of reworking the same premise, so why not TV, which is all about the series? His new El Rey network has started the engines for a From Dusk Till Dawn series for the network with local casting happening right now in Austin.

The network is English language, but will aim to discover new Latino talent both in front of and behind the camera. Chief among the latter is Robert Orci's untitled action series, which has been dubbed a Latin James Bond. That series will likely film in Los Angeles with a 13-episode commitment beginning in March.

Rodriguez says the network, which is paired with Univision and Comcast, is aimed at

--> "people who like irreverent, visceral action and comedy." Think Walking Dead and Breaking Bad with a lot more Latino faces.

It should be a boon to Austin, but will it mark a slowdown in Rodriguez's filmmaking? He says any future films will be somehow tied into El Rey.

El Rey will have a soft launch on television in December then go full force in 2014.

Oh, and here's the extras call from Beth Sepko Casting:

Third Coast Extras is taking general submissions for extras to work on FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, a new TV series (based on the 1996 film of the same name) and produced & directed by Robert Rodriguez, shooting in the Austin, TX area between November 2013 to March 2014.

-READ CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU SUBMIT-

You'll need a flexible schedule with ability to clear your schedule for the WHOLE day and/or night that we book you to work (we don't get call times or map until the night before a shoot!) & you'll need to have your own reliable transportation to get to the sets- either in Austin or outside of town on location.

Minimum pay guarantee for extras is $79.75 per shoot. If a shoot goes past 10 hours, overtime pay kicks in.

Who we need- Adults ages 18-80s of all ethnicities and ALL types and looks including great character faces.

To submit, email us at: thirdcoastextras@gmail.com w/ subject heading "Dusk Extras" and follow directions below exactly:

Men: include name, age, phone #, height/weight, jacket size, collar size, pants size (waist/inseam), and shoe size. Attach plenty of clear, well-lit, current photos in high resolution - including both close up photos and full length photos that show your body.

Women: include name, age, phone #, height/weight, dress size, measurements (bust-waist-hips), & shoe size. Attach plenty of clear, well-lit current photos in high resolution - including both close up photos and full length photos that show your body.

IMPORTANT: Must be Texas resident w/ valid Texas ID who lives in (or at least nearby) to Austin, TX since shoots days can change at the last minute. Please don't submit if you're not local to the area or nearby. Even if you've submitted or worked with us on a previous project, please follow directions and submit again for this project. We want your most updated info & current photos to show Director. Also, if you don't hear from us for a booking soon, we may need you later on in the project so keep submitting to our postings. Thank you!

'Serious' Adam Sandler headed to Austin for Reitman flick

This just in: Jason Reitman will shoot his adaptation of Chad Kultgen's book Men, Women, & Children in Austin in December with Adam Sandler starring along with Jennifer Garner and Rosemarie DeWitt. And don't expect funny Sandler in this naughty tale. News of the planned film first leaked during the Toronto Film Festival last month.

The story as described on the book, "explores the sexual pressures at work on a handful of troubled, conflicted junior-high students and their equally dysfunctional parents. From porn-surfing fathers to World of Warcraft-obsessed sons, from competitive cheerleaders to their dissatisfied, misguided mothers, Kultgen clicks open the emotionally treacherous culture in which we live—in his most ambitious and surprising book yet."

Scouting has been quietly going on in Austin since June, with some local crew already hired and a production office location set.

Casting agent Vicky Boone has been scouting for seedy area motels and trailer parks, according to her Facebook page. She's also on the lookout for high school students to work on casting with her:


Austin High School Students: I am looking for casting interns who are currently attending an Austin or surrounding area high school, to work on the Paramount Pictures feature film MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN, directed by Jason Reitman (JUNO, UP IN THE AIR, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING). Especially looking for students at: LASA, Anderson, Lake Travis, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Austin High, Crockett, Reagan, McCallum, Bowie, Griffin or other suburban schools. If you are currently a high school student and interested, please email me at vickyboonecasting@gmail.com. Thanks!

Time Warner's news channel YNN also reports a casting call this Saturday in Austin for some pretty meaty roles:

Casting agents are looking to fill six roles with real high school students. Local agency Vicky Boone Casting lists the following roles available with an open casting call set for Saturday at Austin Studios.

•    TIM: Age 15-17; Caucasian or Hispanic. Tall and athletic. Ideally over 6'2" tall with broad shoulders. He is the star of the football team.
•    DANNY: Age 15-17; African-American. Quarterback of the JV football team.
•    BRANDY: Age 15-17; Any ethnicity. A non-traditional beauty. She is smart, witty and thoughtful.
•    BROOKE: Age 15-17; Caucasian. Cheerleading captain and perfect looking.
•    RORY: Age 15 -17; Any ethnicity. Likeable, male cheerleader, spotter.
•    BRANDON: Age 16-18; Any ethnicity. Older, unsympathetic jock.

The open casting call is Saturday, October 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Red Building at Austin Studios, 1901 E 51st Street.

Casting agents said while it's not required people can email a picture in advance to mwccasting@gmail.com, and applicants will be seen on a first-come, first-seen basis.

Striking a nerve for (Southwest) Texas State

For several years I've been blogging college football over at The Austin Chronicle. (I'm a former Chron film columnist and have been writing for them for almost a decade.) For the most part it's been about the Texas Longhorns, but last year I decided to write weekly about Texas State University's first year in FBS football.

This year I've been lukewarm about continuing, but a Facebook back-and-forth led me to whip out this piece. Then I discovered the sports editor had changed in the interim and the new guy was already out at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It took  a few emails to even find out who he was, then a couple more to find someone to post it online.

In it I make a couple of points: It's time for Texas State to be taken seriously by the area media (both Austin and San Antonio), the Bobcats are a good team with a solid defense and a freshman quarterback who is capable of doing magic, and--most important--they play on Austin TV today against the Ragin' Cajuns!

Oh, and I urged Longhorn fans to consider watching because, frankly, their team is going nowhere this year. (For the record, I've been a UT football fan since age 8 when my Dad started taking me to games. I'm also a two-degree grad of the school that shall always be known as Southwest Texas State University, and that's my license plate above.)

Then BANG. The post spread like wildfire through Twitter and Facebook, particularly the latter where it has racked up 4.6 4.8 4.9 thousand likes as of this moment (the number keeps climbing). I can only credit that to a potential fan base (the team's, not mine) that is untapped and ripe for the taking. 

It's an interesting reminder of the power of social media. Thanks for reading. Now go watch the game!