Los Angeles, CA – For indie film distributor Hannover House, Inc. (OTC: HHSE), the idea of producing a family movie based on a #1 hit song seemed like a no brainer. ”WILDFIRE: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse” was envisioned as a mix of themes from the hit song by Michael Martin Murphey, and the spiritual legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse. But what was planned as a four-week filming schedule extended into eight-weeks spread over a three-year time-frame, due largely to unavoidable circumstances.
“It was the most challenging film out of the sixty-eight features that I’ve produced,” said director Eric Parkinson, who is also the CEO of Hannover House. “We lost a primary investor, we got shut down during COVID and one of our principal actors died. By the time we resumed after a year-and-a-half COVID break, some of our younger actors had grown so much that we had to reshoot their scenes. It was a long journey, for sure,” he concluded.
Legendary film star Anne Heche died in a tragic car accident in August of 2022, and some of her scenes as the rodeo-champion-turned-trainer had to be rewritten and reshot.
“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.
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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.”
“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.”
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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