'Waco' film to shoot in Louisiana?

That's what Charles Ealy reports from the Cannes Film Festival. He says filming could start in a few months.

Ealy writes on the Austin American-Statesman's blog:

The news comes a year after a dispute erupted in Cannes over whether the movie would qualify for state incentives. At the time, Bob Hudgins of the Texas Film Commission said that Entertainment 7, the production company, need not apply for incentives because they would not be approved, citing what he called inaccuracies in the script about the government raid on the David Koresh compound near Waco.

Ferrari received the news about the Texas incentives during the festival last year and strongly rejected the contention of script inaccuracies.

On Thursday, Ferrari said that Kurt Russell has been cast to play Byron Sage, the key FBI agent at the siege of the Branch Davidian compound, which left 54 adults and 21 children dead.

Sage was one of the key sources for the Texas Film Commission’s determination that the script was inaccurate.

Other cast members include Adrien Brody as Koresh’s right-hand man, Steve Schneider, and Sharon Stone as Judy Schneider, his wife. The role of Koresh has not been cast yet, Ferrari said.

Three TV series to shoot at once in Dallas

Yes, we have confirmation that both Chase and Midland (possibly retitled Lone Star) will shoot in Dallas starting in mid-July. The Good Guys will get an additional seven (at least-expect nine in the end) episodes. More about this in my SHOT IN TEXAS column in the Dallas Morning News on Friday. It's the best news to come out of the Dallas film/television scene in years.

Fox picks up 'Midland'

Midland pilot picked up by Fox! The pilot shot in Dallas. Will the series? With the title expected to change to Lone Star, I'd bet on it.

Jon Voight stars in the show, which is an odd oil biz/polygamy drama.

SXSW ranks #4 on Indiewire film fest list

SXSW ranks #4 on Indiewire's best film fest list. Does this mean the lines will be even longer?

Minka Kelly stars in Fort Worth film

Minka Kelly of TV's Friday Night Lights is the star of Searching for Sonny, which started filming in Fort Worth this week. The script is from Fort Worth native Andrew Disney and it's produced by Cowtown's Red Productions.

And, yes, they want extras. Details are below.

Here's what they sent me about the film:

“It’s been a long time since a full-length feature film was shot here,” said Red Sanders, Sonny producer and owner of Red Productions. “We’re excited to use our lens to bring notoriety to the community that has supported us from the beginning and that has such a strong devotion to the arts.”

According to Sanders, scenes for Searching for Sonny will be shot at the following well-known local sites:

• Trinity Valley School
• Historic Electric Building
• Ol’ South Pancake House
• Caravan Inn
• Spinks Airport


“After combing the country for the right script, we ended up finding the perfect one in our own backyard,” continued Sanders. “Andrew Disney is extremely talented and shares in our vision to bring great filmmaking to Fort Worth; we’re excited to be teaming up with him for Sonny and beyond.”

The film will feature Kelly, known best for her role in the popular television series Friday Night Lights and for her recent appearance in the independent film hit 500 Days of Summer, as well as Jason Dohring, whose breakout role was in the critically-acclaimed show Veronica Mars. Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, who form the New York City comedy duo, BriTANick, will also play key roles in the film.

Members of the community who are interested in participating as extras in the film are welcome to send an e-mail to extras@redproductions.com and are asked to provide their contact information, age and gender.

About Searching for Sonny:

Searching for Sonny is a film that tells the story of Calvin, Elliot and Gary who return to their high school reunion to discover that their old buddy, Sonny, is missing under mysterious circumstances. After run-ins with the law, an ex-girlfriend and the corpse of the high school quarterback, the mystery turns meta when they realize that everything happening seems eerily similar to a play they performed in high school – a play Sonny wrote. To learn more, visit www.searchingforsonny.com

Spiderwood Studios gears up

Lots going on outside of Austin at Spiderwood Studios. Here's the latest from Tommy Warren:

The upcoming thriller/horror film Wilderness directed by Scooter Downey recently shot on the studio's back lot. The film stars Lance Henriksen and Sean Elliot.

Perhaps even more interesting, Bo Duke hisownself John Schneider will star in Doonby, a film to be shot soon at Spiderwood. The cast also includes Joe Estevez, Jennifer O'Neill, Ernie Hudson and Jenn Gotzon. The story is about Schneider as "Sam Doonby, a happy-go-lucky drifter who takes up residence in a small Texas town but seems suspiciously immune to the misfortunes that beset the other townsfolk."

Schneider has started blogging about the film over at the Huffington Post.

Make Watch Love Film

That's the title of the big fund-raising event Friday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Austin Studios featuring Richard Linklater, Mike Judge, Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellán at Austin Studios . The evening honors movie prop-meister Moody Anderson and celebrates CHAINSAWS, SLACKERS AND SPY KIDS: 30 Years of Filmmaking in Austin, the new book by Alison Macor.