While the actors’ union hopes to resolve the strike next week, a western production starts filming with a waiver in place.
While the writers are back at developing projects, film and TV productions have not yet returned in full swing with the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, still on strike. There are a few projects that have been given the go-ahead to start principle photography during this time with a waiver from SAG-AFTRA. This includes a Kevin Smith film titled The 4:30 Movie, as well as some projects from M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana, Sam Raimi and Mel Gibson. According to Deadline, a western starring Ron Pearlman and Esai Morales titled, Cottonmouth, has also started production in Oklahoma with a waiver.
The film stars an ensemble featuring actors Martin Sensmeier, from Westworld, Ron Perlman known for Hellboy, Esai Morales, who can recently be seen in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Eric Nelsen, seen in Paramount+’s 1883, Jonathan Sadowski from Chernobyl Diaries, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who can be seen in Peter Pan & Wendy, James Landry Hébert, also from 1883, and Kimberly Guerrero who can be seen in The Glorias.
According to Deadline, the synopsis reads, “Set in 1895, the film follows friends Ed and Frank (Sensmeier and Sadowski) who become brutal enemies in Oklahoma frontier territory when a rivalry develops over a woman (Wapanatâhk) who is set to inherit a prominent saloon. After a bounty hunter (Nelsen) makes Ed disappear to a tortuous prison run by a sinister warden (Perlman), he must learn the ways of an outlaw from a prison-mate (Morales) to escape and exact his revenge.”
Brock Harris of Wild Game directs the film from a script he wrote alongside Jared Bonner. Randy Wayne and Talia Bella will be bringing us the Western under their production company, Rebellium Films. It will be made in association with not only Lucky Number 8 Productions but also Watch the Footage Productions and Concourse Media alongside executive producer Vance Howard. Matthew Shreder will also be executive-producing for the company Concourse Media.
The director shares his enthusiasm for starting filming of the classic American genre, “Making a western in my home state is the ultimate blessing. With these legendary performers, we’re delivering a tall tale on sacred land. Revenge is a dish best served with a smoking gun.”
