I am currently working on a few major film projects, as well as my local film networking efforts (Film Bar Mondays), and a few new projects unrelated to film. I feel that my biggest film project should come first, which is my current mythopoeia project (mythopoeia is my life's focus, I believe). The current iteration is inspired by John Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, while not being a direct interpretation. This is true in the sense that it's not to be fashioned so much as a piece of allegory (or in other words, not as an extension of the 16th century religious commentary that his allegory symbolizes) as it is meant to be a timeless and mythical tale, rendered through a timely film adaptation. This means that the deep inner meaning of the myth itself is to be astutely translated to inspire and speak to the needs of a modern audience through the film medium. This must take great skill, not simply desire.
One could say, "Hey weren't the other Pilgrim's Progress attempts meant to accomplish the same?" And I'd say, "Well, maybe they thought they were, but they did not keep their eye on the ball, and as a result did a mediocre job of it. But more likely than this is that they did not know what they were really trying to accomplish, except to make a movie. So, to them, they succeeded. But to me, if one wants to bring true myths into the public consciousness, via the film craft, this is certainly not going to be enough. One must try harder." And this is something that some people simply cannot do. I guess they feel that they have more important things to do? I can't say. But to me, almost nothing in life is more important.
So, to cut it short, it is not meant to be a direct interpretation of the book. For example, it is to be called "Pilgrim" and the lead character will be referred to simply as "Pilgrim". His journey is meant to symbolize a pilgrimage of life of the "spiritual man" as opposed to a protestant political and symbolic religious journey through the opposition that a 16th century Calvinist might come across in Cromwell's revolutionary England. It IS fashioned, instead, to be a more universal and accessible rendering, while not being altogether without its mystical and primordial story-telling devices, so things like the divisions between Catholic and Protestant will be eliminated in this telling.
If the story of Pilgrim does well, then the story of his wife, Christiana, could occur after this as well.
The smaller film projects I am working towards include two shorts "Something to Lose", and "Paradise Beach" which can work up to a feature called "Beach Baby" and two proofs of concept shorts which can work up to two other features called "The Foster Family Fire Pit" and "The Good Grief". The remainder of which are all planned to be shot locally in the Tampa Bay area. These projects will likely happen before the Pilgrim project will, depending upon when funding is fully acquired.
I also have quite a few projects still planned for the future (twenty years of work) with my mythopoeia focus. Fantasy, Sci-fi, and epic adventures. Some of which include:
2020 - Roxy by Proxy (retro 80's cyber comedy thriller)
2022 - American Savages (anime-inspired American biker war movie)
2023 - Trinity (sci-fi epic)
2025 - Children of the Reeds (sci-fi fantasy)
2027 - The Inheritance (sci-fi epic)
2029 - The Double Edge (super hero horror assassin action)
2030 - Punishment (Lynchian horror)
2031 - Artefact. (epic fantasy sci-fi conspiracy)
2032 - The Knight's Pilgrim (medieval action drama inspired by The Seventh Seal)
2033 - The Nibelung (epic mythical action)
2034 - The Shadows (fantasy christmas carol adventure)
2035 - The Light Princess (fantasy fairy tale)
2036 - Arthur (epic fantasy adventure inspired by King Arthur)
2037 - Patrick (legendary epic adventure fantasy inspired by St. Patrick)
2038 - John Tully's "Starpol" (sci-fi ensemble action mystery)
2039 - CS Lewis' "'Til We Have Faces" (mythical epic fantasy)
2040 - CS Lewis' "Cosmic Trilogy" (sci-fi fantasy)
(and more...)
The projects unrelated to film include "house flipping", a podcast called "Terra Nullius", a garage conversion, a third baby (who is a boy), and an ambitious goal to be a traveling family which makes films, art, and literature.
Projects currently shelved: Floridiana, The Demon's Head, The Dark Cinema, The Darkened Door, Pirate Planet, In This Sign Conquer, The Grand Fury, The Christmas Killer, The Cursed Strangler, Florida Man, Bad Day, The Ice Cream Man, Beks, Cinema Sinestra, Deadman's Caye.
These projects can and may return if a combination of miraculous events occur to return them to life, including script-work, finding the right resources, and acquiring the right people, etc. I also have a slew of horror/thriller stories that can happen once the ball is moving forward more quickly financially. These projects could put thousands of people to work in Florida and abroad.
This slate of projects would most certainly frighten a lot of people. But if we take our plans a day at a time, don't expect each one to be successful, and stay on course even when our goals fail... we will still accomplish much. I might not direct each of these films. I might not get funding for most of them. But if I even write and fund one of them, that is a success for me.
I plan to write each one in the year planned, to pitch it and seek funding for it the year after, and to expect it to get produced from between 2 to 5 years after that (if funding is acquired). Additionally, one of these feature scripts have already been written, and eight of them will be adaptations to currently existing work. Having produced and worked on numerous films, this is not unrealistic whatsoever. I don't count my chickens before they hatch. I only have the audacity to count eggs. Audacious goal as it is.
Please contact me if you wish to discuss Pilgrim, or any other projects I have slated.
