Duvall to Direct and Star in TV project that will shoot scenes in West Michigan

UPDATED 9/17/08 4:00pm: Contrary to reports on other media website, Duvall is *STILL COMING*

Veteran actors Robert Duvall and James Caan are confirmed to be part of the project… Duvall will Direct and Star in the miniseries and Caan reportedly “begged” to be a part of the project after he heard about it.

Duvall has appeared in more than 75 movies and more than 50 tv shows and miniseries, his most recent tv miniseries project “Broken Trail” won 4 Emmys, and was nominated for 3 Golden Globes.

Jerry Zandstra from American Saga Productions says Duvall brought this project to them.

American Saga Productions is also working on “Station House”… a reality tv show about the life of Grand Rapids firefighters… filmed out of the LaGrave fire station in Grand Rapids.

Pre-Production was expected to begin this week on “La Linea”, but right now, Zandstra says that two broadcast networks are bidding on “La Linea”… so crews are waiting to start pre-production until the negotations finish.

They now hope to start pre-production October 15th.

“La Linea” is a contemporary story, set at the U.S.-Mexican border and Duvall plays a “tick rider” for the U.S. Department of Agriculture… a 2005 Washington Post article describes “tick riders” as someone who works “to keep the dreaded Texas cattle fever tick confined to 900 miles of winding riverfront along the Mexican border”.

Duvall’s “tick rider” character watches the border looking for any diseased animals coming across the border… he’s armed with a gun in case he has to shoot and kill the animals.

But his time on the horse roaming the border also pulls him into the immigration issues of today… after witnessing brutality along the border… including the rape of an immigrant girl by two “coyotes” (who smuggle and illegally transport people to the U.S.)… and Duvall’s character gets involved.

Zandstra says “La Linea” doesn’t take sides in today’s immigration debate, its more of an eye-opener to the world most of us would never know about along the U.S.-Mexico border.

When it begins, the production will include some filming in West Michigan, like small town scenes and interiors, while exteriors and locales on the Rio Grande will be shot in New Mexico or Arizona helped by similiar film incentives in those states.