“Anne’s death was a shocking development that obviously no
one anticipated,” said producer Chris Large. “She was so great during her first
two weeks that we wrote new scenes for her character in the film. Still, what we got with her was cinematic
gold, and the film is a touching legacy performance for a legendary talent,” he
continued.
Eric Parkinson relayed his favorite story of working with
Anne Heche.
“On the first day of Anne’s scenes in the horse arena, she
came up and asked if she could try the barrel racing herself, instead of
filming with a stunt double. I was
concerned, of course, but felt that I needed to defer to her request. So, Anne
ran the barrels in record time and the footage was spectacular. She rode the
horse right up to me and said ‘did I do good, Eric?’ I responded that ‘your agent told me you were
not an experienced rider,’ to which Anne replied, ‘I’m not, but my character is
a champion!’ To me, that attitude perfectly captured Anne’s professionalism and
commitment to the role,” Parkinson concluded.
ANNE HECHE rides up to director ERIC PARKINSON after flawlessly performing a high-speed "barrel racing" rodeo stunt during the production of "WILDFIRE" in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
* * * * *
But challenges and delays also impacted the post production
of “WILDFIRE.” With hundreds of hours of raw footage – from herds of wild
horses to dramatic thunderstorms – the edit assembly took over a year when most
indie features are assembled with only three months of editing. Then, the
process of adding music, visual effects, color-corrections and sound effects added to
the production time, but ultimately delivered the best possible product.
“We could have finished and released the film sooner,” said
Parkinson. “But with this being Anne’s final performance, we felt an enhanced
responsibility to do our very best with the music and other post-production
issues. We think it was worth the wait.”
Principal producer CHRIS LARGE (Cherokee Nation) with MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY (in character for his role as Pastor Micah) - on location at the Franklin Castle Chapel in Tahlequah, OK.
* * * * *
“WILDFIRE: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse” will
finally hit theatres starting Friday, Sept. 26. Initially, it will be playing
in local markets where the film was shot (Arkansas, Oklahoma and New
Mexico). But during the month of October, the release to theatres will
expand to additional markets, including New York and Los Angeles.
“There is a lot of great music in the film, including a
powerful original song,” said Parkinson. “Adaygayudi is a Cherokee language
track co-written and performed by Cherokee flutist Gaby Nagel. It’s got a Native-style
stomp rhythm with a haunting flute melody and lyrics in Cherokee. We think the
song has a legitimate chance for Academy Awards consideration in the category
of Best Original Song.”
Final post-production mastering and sound mixing for "WILDFIRE" were performed by the prestigious 424-Post in Hollywood, CA, under the direction of Studio co-owner Kami Asgar and project coordinator & mixer, Jessica Parks. Pictured above are Wildfire cinematographer ANDREW PARKE, post-supervisor JON McCALLUM, 424 Post's JESSICA PARKS and director ERIC PARKINSON.
* * * * *
The movie also features 45-minutes of original music score by
Michael Martin Murphey, with additional music by Travis Fite and a remake of
the “Wildfire” song featuring Murphey and co-star Chevel Shepherd on vocals.
Cherokee Flutist GABY NAGEL shoots a scene from the promotional music video supporting the song, "ADAYGAYUDI" from the movie "WILDFIRE." The song features a Native-style stomp rhythm, with Gaby's haunting flute melody and lyrics in Cherokee.* * * * *
The popular song, “Wildfire” was originally written and released by Michael
Martin Murphey in the summer of 1975 and soared to #1 status around the world–
exactly fifty years before this new film, inspired by the song, is being
released.
Other principal stars in the film include Mo Brings Plenty
(“Yellowstone”), Adrian Paul (“Highlander”), Thesa Loving (“Second Chances”)
and Cara Jade Myers (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). The film was shot primarily
in and around Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Other locations include Fayetteville,
Arkansas, Farmington, New Mexico and New Braunfels, Texas. The production received significant
assistance in terms of content consultation and cultural accuracy from the
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.
.jpg)
“The release of ‘WILDFIRE’ is the first in a series of major
events and announcements from Hannover House,” said Parkinson. “We have an
impressive slate of new productions and completed acquisitions, as well as our
stock uplisting to move off the Pinksheets exchange. We have organized the
activities to launch following the material development of getting our first
in-house facilitated feature production into release. Watch for big things from
Hannover House over the upcoming weeks,” he concluded.
For more information on the movie, or to see a trailer and
other clips, visit the film’s website at:
www.WildfireMovie.com
Title Fact Sheet / LISTINGS
INFORMATION
Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee
Ghost Horse
Initial Release Launch: Sept. 26, 2025 (USA &
CANADA THEATRES)
Family-Drama, 105 Minutes, 1:1.85 Aspect Ratio (Flat) Color, Dolby ,
rated PG
Studio listing: HANNOVER HOUSE / HEMDALE FILM CORP.
Official Movie Website: www.WildfireMovie.com
USA TRAILER:
One Liner:
A young girl finds
solace to her grief when she befriends a wild horse in this uplifting film,
inspired by the hit song by Michael Martin Murphey and a Cherokee legend.
Synopsis:
Inspired by the #
1 worldwide hit song by Michael Martin Murphey - and the legend of the
Cherokee ghost horse - WILDFIRE tells a story of redemption and
forgiveness as a young girl deals with her guilt following the tragic death of
her parents.
With the family facing
financial ruin, the survivors move from Texas to Oklahoma to live with Grandma
Bette on her horse farm. Emotionally lost and distraught, young
Samantha (CHEVEL SHEPHERD) finds peace from the attention she
receives from a mysterious wild horse that seems to be following her as she
walks home from school each day. Eventually, Samantha is able to contact
and ride the horse - and with training help from a champion rodeo cowgirl (ANNE
HECHE) - she enters competitive rodeo barrel racing and begins to
accept her new situation.
But her guilt remains,
as Samantha hides the dark secret that she feels responsible for her parent’s
death. She cannot forgive herself. With the help of a local Cherokee
spiritual leader (MO BRINGS PLENTY) and the wisdom of the
town’s local pastor, (MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY) Samantha comes to
realize a greater truth and a solace to her worries. Was the horse real? Or was
it a spiritual messenger to help guide Samantha? Wildfire: The
Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse combines a tale of native
spirituality with Christian doctrine and family values to create an enchanting
film for all audiences.
PRINCIPAL CAST:
ANNE HECHE – One of the
top screen stars of the 1990’s and 2000’s, Anne brings her charm to the role of
Diana Jones, the horse trainer who helps Samantha learn competitive
rodeo. WILDFIRE represents Anne’s final feature film release, due to her
tragic death by a car accident shortly after finishing this role.
MO BRINGS PLENTY – This
popular Native American actor is best known for his role on five seasons of
“Yellowstone” and the new Taylor Sheridan spin-off series “Y-Marshals.” Moses
portrays Udeli, a Cherokee spiritual leader who helps Samantha find a path for
her life.
ADRIAN PAUL – Star of the
hit television series, “Highlander,” Adrian brings a stable sensibility and
charm to his role as Parker Nichols, father to Samantha and a tech industry
invention wizard.
CHEVEL SHEPHERD – Winner of NBC’s
“THE VOICE” – in the lead role of Samantha Nichols, a 16-year-old girl from
Plano, Texas, who finds her life completely upended after the sudden, tragic
death of her parents;
MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY – Country
music legend and writer of the #1 worldwide hit song (1975) that inspired this
film, Murphey portrays Pastor Micah, the town’s religious leader and community
pillar.
OLIVIA
SLATTON-FITE – Olivia enlivens every scene in this impressive screen debut,
including the performance of her original song, “The Land.” She is now working
extensively now a high fashion model.
THESA LOVING – A veteran
of the New York Actor’s Studio, Thesa has the performance skills to handle the
difficult role as Grandma Bette, who takes in her two grandchildren and Aunt
Susan to live on her horse farm.
CARA JADE MYERS – Cara’s
stunning performance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is her
consistent style - and she brings her abundant screen charm to the role of
Shari Nichols, Samantha’s mom.
PRINCIPAL CREATIVE TEAM:
Director: ERIC
PARKINSON - (“Future Shock”)
Producers: CHRISTIAN
LARGE - (“Cowboys of Cannabis”). ERIC PARKINSON - (“Grizzly Mountain”). KYLE MARTENS - (“Topper”)
Writers: ERIC
PARKINSON - (“Savage Land”), MIKE SNYDER – (“Strike
a Pose”)
Editor: ANDREW
BOWCOCK – (“Eclipse”)
Composers:
MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY, TRAVIS FITE & ERIC PARKINSON
Cinematographers: ANDREW
PARKE, BRETT REYNOLDS
Cam. Ops
Team: JOSHUA IRWIN, DAVID HUFF, SACHA
THOMAS
Exec.
Producers: MORTEN STISEN, DAN
SCHOLEFIELD, JONATHAN CHENG, KEITH BLASINGAME, MICHAEL
MARTIN MURPHEY, MIKE SNYDER and DR. YOOJIN LEE WILLIAMS
ABOUT HEMDALE FILM CORP.
& HANNOVER HOUSE – Established in the 1960’s in London as a talent management
company, HEMDALE FILM CORP. grew into one of the most respected names in the
field of independent feature film production and distribution. To this day,
Hemdale remains the only company to have won the BEST PICTURE Academy Awards
two years in a row (for “Platoon” and “The Last Emperor”) and
is world-renowned for their powerful and commercial hits, including TERMINATOR,
HOOSIERS and family fare, including LITTLE NEMO: ADVENTURES IN SLUMBERLAND, THE
MAGIC VOYAGE, THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN, SAVAGE LAND, and GRIZZLY MOUNTAIN.
The Hemdale releasing brand was resurrected by CEO Eric Parkinson, as a premium
releasing brand for Hannover House, Inc., a publicly-traded entertainment
company (OTC: HHSE).
FOR BOOKINGS, MATERIALS OR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT:
ERIC PARKINSON, 818-481-5277 / EnterLinkMedia@gmail.com
.jpg)
.jpg)
