EXCLUSIVE: Dean Cain (Supergirl, Lady Dynamite) is directing and starring in Little Angels, a family sports comedy that he also wrote. Helena Mattsson (American Horror Story), Carla Jimenez (The Mick), Torrance Coombs (The Originals), Juliet Donenfeld (The Big Show Show), Alex Jayne Go (Searching) and Ryan O’Quinn (Misperception, Church People) have signed on to star opposite Cain in his debut directorial effort, which is currently in production in Los Angeles.

Little Angels revolves around Jake Rogers (Cain), a Division I college football coach at the top of his game who uses a female placekicker as a publicity stunt. When the player misses a field goal, the coach makes an offhand comment in the media about female athletes and is immediately suspended by the university. In an effort to get his job back, Rogers must coach a 12-year-old girls soccer team for the remainder of the season.

The pic’s producers are Ryan O’Quinn and Heather O’Quinn at Damascus Road Productions. Mike Ilitch Jr. is on board as exec producer.

Cain previously directed 2012 short The Red Pill. His most recent films, as an actor, include Just Another Dream, The Story of Mother’s Day, The Man Who Went to Heaven, Break Every Chain, Override, Trafficked and Don’t Give Up. On the TV side, he has appeared in The Platform, Hit the Floor, Supergirl, Lady Dynamite and more.
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Cain, Mattsson and Donenfeld are represented by Vault Entertainment. Cain, Jimenez and O’Quinn are repped by Buchwald. Donenfeld is additionally repped by A3 Artists agency; Mattsson is additionally repped by Link Entertainment and Innovative Artists. Go is repped by Coast to Coast Talent Group and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

Last week, Little Falls hosted two Hollywood movie producers who were looking for locations to shoot anywhere from three to five family-friendly films.

Jay Stern, President of Boone Entertainment, and formerly with Route One Films, Rat Entertainment, New Line Cinema, and The Walt Disney Company, and Ted Farnsworth, CEO of Fortress Entertainment Group, and former CEO of MoviePass, spent last Thursday scouting locations in the City.

Dave Casullo brought the pair to Little Falls, hoping that they would find the kind of environment that would bring them back. Farnsworth is his cousin and is from Little Falls, growing up at Caroga Lake during his youth.

Farnsworth has entered into a three-picture deal with Damascus Road Productions, underscoring different aspects of World War II with an emphasis on the Holocaust, a subject near and dear to his heart.

The three movies will focus on courage and resilience with stories portraying the triumph of the human spirit.

The first movie, Resolve, is an action/adventure, telling the true story of Clay Conner, Jr., leader of a band of soldiers in the Philippines, who steered clear of Japanese capture and the horrific Bataan Death March. He formed a guerilla fighting unit composed of G.I.’s, Filipinos, and dangerous indigenous natives. Eluding capture for 34 months in the jungle, Conner and his ragtag crew fought mightily, playing a pivotal role in the Japanese surrender.

When Farnsworth was looking at some of the old buildings in Little Falls, he remarked, “these buildings really play well for us, where they look like they were from Germany in the 1940s.”
According to Farnsworth, they’ve done a lot of scouting in Syracuse, Utica, and now Little Falls. “There are a lot of buildings here where you can really see the visuals.”

Principal photography on Resolve is to begin after the COVID-related bans are lifted, potentially as early as August, with simultaneous production in Upstate New York as well as Los Angeles and Manila in the Philippines.

Farnsworth said, “It’s a pretty large budget for the three films, coming in at between fifteen and twenty million each. We’ll do a theatrical release, and Sony Pictures is our partner on this for distribution. It’s exciting.”

In the last couple of years, Farnsworth has done seven or eight movies with Sylvester Stalone, Bruce Willis, Al Pacino, and others. “This is the first time that I’m actually producing myself, so I’m bringing in other producers to help.”
 
Jay Stern has credit like The Rush Hour Trilogy, Mother’s Day, Horrible Bosses, Equals and Say My Name, under his belt.

He said, “I’m working with a company called Damascus Road, which is just a superb group of people that make family movies with positive messages. Ryan O’Quinn is the CEO and Heather O’Quinn is one of the main executives, along with Bob Whitmore, head of finances.”
Ryan O’Quinn is well known to the faith-based audience as the star and executive producer of the 2016 movie, Believe, distributed by Sony Pictures and Freestyle.

“It’s three great people and a number of support people. We’re trying to make a slate of movies that will appeal to the entire family that have very good positive messages, that will appeal to anyone from 5 to 100.”

Stern said, “what we look for, and what I’m really impressed by in Little Falls, is the variety, so that we can shoot the entire thing in one location basically.”
Photo by Dave Warner – Jay Stern peers out of the fourth-floor window of Stone Mill at the Mohawk River below.

“It looks like to me (in Little Falls) that there are a lot of beautiful old buildings and a lot of different sorts of beautiful scenery. So anything that’s suburban in nature, we can probably shoot here. Something that’s rural we can shoot here, something that needs old historical buildings, we can shoot here as well.”

Also working with the team is Jackelyn Viera Iloff, founder of Starlighter Films and Entertainment. Said Jackelyn Viera Iloff, “I am so thrilled to be working with this incredible team of film professionals. As a producer, my mission is to share hope, faith, and inspiration through the storytelling of the human condition. I can’t think of a better time to be out there sharing compelling stories in a world so uncertain and in such turmoil.”

Stern said that Little Falls is ideal for any number of movies that they plan on making over the next several years.

Mayor Mark Blask said, “Little Falls is a cinematographer’s dream. We’re excited about the interest that they’ve shown in our community. And like the production crew from the movie ‘A Quiet Place,’ discovered, we’re the perfect location for producers and directors to create Hollywood level feature films.”

At the end of the day, Farnsworth will be the Executive Producer and producer of all three of the first films.

Fortress Entertainment Group and Damascus Road Productions Join Forces to Produce Wholesome Entertainment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Financier Ted Farnsworth announced today that his company, Fortress Entertainment Group, Inc., has entered into a three-picture deal with Damascus Road Productions underscoring different aspects of World War II with emphasis on the Holocaust, a subject near and dear to Farnsworth's heart.

​The first movie, Resolve, is a $16 million-budget action/adventure, telling the true story of Clay Conner, Jr., leader of a band of soldiers in the Philippines, who steered clear of Japanese capture and the horrific Bataan Death March forming a guerilla fighting unit composed of G.I.'s, Filipinos and dangerous indigenous natives. Eluding capture for 34 months in the jungle, Conner and his ragtag crew fought mightily, playing a pivotal role in the Japanese surrender.

The movies will focus on courage and resilience with Holocaust connected stories portraying the triumph of the human spirit.

Principal photography on Resolve is to begin after the COVID-related bans are lifted, potentially as early as July or August, with simultaneous production in Syracuse, New York as well as Los Angeles and Manila in the Philippines.

Film distribution will be through Smith Global Media as well as Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for output deals including theatrical releasing, VOD, DVDs, SVOD, Cable TV and Digital.

Ted Farnsworth said, "We are looking forward to our association with Damascus Road Productions. We believe that their background in the faith-based movie sector is the perfect fit and we look forward to a long- term relationship and many more movie projects".
Ryan O'Quinn is well known to the faith-based audience as the star and executive producer of the 2016 movie, Believe, distributed by Sony Pictures and Freestyle. He is the founder and president of Damascus Road Productions headquartered in Westlake Village, California.

Ryan O'Quinn said, "Regardless of what happens within the 30-mile radius of where we're situated in the heart of Hollywood, our goal is to bring wholesome, high-quality projects to the big and small screen that appeal to a broad audience and present a positive world view."

Also working with the team are Jackelyn Viera Iloff , founder of Starlighter Films and Entertainment. Said Jackelyn Viera Iloff, "I am so thrilled to be working with this incredible team of film professionals. As a producer, my mission is to share hope, faith and inspiration through the storytelling of the human condition. I can't think of a better time to be out there sharing compelling stories in a world so uncertain and in such turmoil."  

​Contact: info@fortresseg.com 786.385.0532

Actors Ryan O'Quinn and Cory Oliver have finalized season one of a new talk show series dedicated to interviewing celebrities and others who live in and near the Conejo Valley and coastal cities of Westlake Village, Malibu, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks. 

Some guests in season one include Mariel Hemingway, Michael Berger and Rene Echevarria. 

Segments include an interview portion, cooking tips, DIY suggestions, home improvement and makeup tutorials. 

Distribution terms were not disclosed and will be forthcoming. 

Ryan O'Quinn will appear in the upcoming feature "Secret Agent Dingledorf and his Trusty Dog Splat". Film is based on a book by the same name from scribe Bill Myers. The film marks the second feature film collaboration for Ryan O'Quinn and director Billy Dickson. They last teamed for 2016's "Believe" from Sony Pictures and Freestyle Releasing.  

"Dingledorf" sees O'Quinn as the maniacal Dr. Chuckles who seeks to take over the world by zapping unsuspecting victims with a laugh gun. 

LOS ANGELES - October 24, 2019 - ( Newswire.com )

​​​​Australian-born Angus Benfield is an actor, director, producer and writer represented​​​​​​ by Thirdhill Entertainment in LA. Benfield was approached in 2019 by author Alan Duprey to adapt his book "HEAVEN: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS" into a feature film.
Duprey, part-owner of "MEDIA 14:36 Inc." and author of the book "HEAVEN: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS," reached out to Benfield after viewing the feature film "TRUST," also written and directed by Benfield.

“We loved Angus’ writing and directing style in ‘TRUST’; it dealt with real-life issues and struggles, it was genuine, authentic and heartfelt, and we wanted this authenticity in dealing with the subject matter within the book, as it can be difficult to talk about," Duprey said.
"HEAVEN" ventures into what happens after we die, for the one who has passed on and for those who are left behind afterward. It explores the lifelong question: If there is life after death, what is it like, and does this offer hope to all of us affected by the passing of a loved one?

The book by Alan Duprey titled "HEAVEN: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS" explores such a concept: "As I wrote the story of Heaven, I became more and more intrigued. The more I learned, the more I wrote. Even after the book was written, I continued to study, learn and share. I am still passionate about the subject,” Duprey said.

Angus Benfield joins the "HEAVEN" project as director, producer and writer, in collaboration with Westlake-based film company Damascus Roads Productions, headed by Executive Producer Ryan O’Quinn.

Set between Heaven and Earth, "HEAVEN" tells the story of Jonathan Stone, a middle-aged paramedic who struggles to find meaning in his everyday life, until he wakes up one day in "HEAVEN" and discovers that his life had more meaning than he could ever have imagined. It follows the life and afterlife of Jonathan Stone and the lives of those around him from his past, present and future.

“It's 'dreamlike’ but also grounded in a very real-world feel. I am looking forward to bringing a new and unique interpretation and visual palate of Heaven that encapsulates this to the screen,” Benfield ​said.
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Angus Benfield is an Australian-born, L.A.-based, accomplished actor, writer, director and producer and can be seen more recently playing "Willie ‘Super Fat’ Hollingsworth" opposite actors Vinnie Jones, LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell in this season of "NCIS LA," and as "Fatty Melvin" in the feature film "MOTORVATION," due to be released in early 2020.
Filming for "HEAVEN" commences in December 2019 in Los Angeles.