Production Aiming To Get Underway In July
Yeah, so you might have heard that Kevin Smith debuted his latest film “Red State” at Sundance recently. Anyway, chuffed by the experience of going out on his own and making a film, the director is eager to recreate that experience by bringing back the principals for his next and reportedly last film, “Hit Somebody.”
Inspired by a Warren Zevon song, “Hit Somebody” is a script Smith has been working on for a while, and late last summer, he confirmed that it was something he would make after “Red State.” Prior to the screening of his horror film at Sundance, the director was on Twitter as usual and revealed one of the final title cards of “Red State” which stated: “Almost this entire cast will return in Hit Somebody. Coming across the boards in 2012.” Of course, deals aren’t in place just yet but Smith does have actors already in mind for roles, revealing that “Michael Parks will be playing ”the French Canadian coach of Buddy’s first pro team”; if John Goodman returns he would “be playing Blue Jay Jennings – Buddy’s first coach” and Melissa Leo will have a role if “she’s not too tired from double-fisting awards all year, GOD YES!.” They will join Nicholas Braun, who has secured the lead role of Buddy McCracken that was once linked to Seann William Scott (who has moved on and shot Jay Baruchel‘s hockey movie “Goon” instead), while Kyle Gallner will make a late appearance in the film as a Wayne Gretzky-like character. Now one more actor has confirmed his appearance in the film.
Speaking with MTV at Sundance, Michael Angarano revealed that Kevin Smith has approached him for a part in the film. “[Kevin”] said, ‘Learn how to skate and learn how to speak in a Russian accent,” Angarano said. As MTV notes, in the original Warren Zevon song there is a lyric that references “A Russian with a stick heading straight for his head” which presumably means Braun and Angarano may butt heads on the ice.
But with all this steam building for “Hit Somebody,” Gallner offers a word of caution saying, “It’s nothing more than just a conversation with Kevin being like, ‘Hey, I’d like you to be in my movie’.” So it’s likely contracts aren’t signed just yet, but things do seem to be moving ahead. Braun revealed that there is a tentative start of July in place for the production that will run through to November. “I think what he wants to do is shoot all the hockey stuff first, the action sequences first, so we get that out of the way,” Braun said. “Then he can just shoot story the rest of the time.” At any rate, lensing won’t be begin until Smith’s long time collaborator, DP David Klein, finishes shooting the next season of “True Blood.”
So will Smith descend on Sundance next year with another movie? It remains to be seen, but “Red State” will hit the road starting in March.