“The Genesis Code” debuts first trailer online

We’re still waiting for the Grand Rapids premiere and release of “The Genesis Code”, but here’s a good sign.. our first official look at scenes from the movie that filmed at Calvin College and around the Grand Rapids area for five weeks last summer (Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Lowell).

The premiere and opening was planned for the first week of February in Grand Rapids, but is being postponed to later in the month while the crew finishes up visual effects… some of those can be seen in the trailer.

In the trailer for “The Genesis Code” you can see the scenes shot on the campus of Calvin College, at the Patterson Ice Center, at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the River Walk along the Grand River, and at the Silver Bullet shooting range in Wyoming.

The movie stars Logan Bartholomew and Kelsey Sanders as lead characters “Blake” and “Kerry”.  

In order of appearance in the trailer:
Jerry Zandstra, Pastor at Wayland CRC and Vice President of American Saga Productions (the local production company) plays the pastor and Kerry’s father.   
Ben Murphy is the Professor in the class teaching about Darwin.
Adam Chambers is Marc” the physics guy talking about science versus faith in scenes at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
C.R. Lewis is one of Blake’s best friends and hockey teammate.
Catherine Hicks plays “Myra” (trying to give Kerry some advice in the trailer).
Rich Franklin and Roger Garcia are the hockey coaches.
The movie also stars local actor Armon York Williams plays a legal adviser to Blake (brief cameo in the trailer).
Oscar Winners Louise Fletcher and Ernest Borgnine are Blake’s grandparents.
Fred Thompson plays the judge presiding over the family battle of life support.
Lance Henriksen is the doctor in the trailer, Rance Howard’s character also has “Dr.” in the title.
The movie also stars Susan Blakely, Michael William Freeman, Jamie Kramer, Chris Yen, and more.

Here’s a link to 4 minute, 33 second online trailer, the first trailer for the movie on twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

The movie is directed by C. Thomas Howell.

I’ll post images from the trailer as soon as I can.

Previous posts on “The Genesis Code”: (more…)

As production wraps, props to be sold

The crew of “The Genesis Code” is wrapped production Monday.   The movie shoot started earlier this month at the campus of Calvin College.   Jerry Zandstra, CEO of American Saga Productions (the local production company), will be selling off some of the props and set pieces used on the movie this week.

Zandtra says “we end up getting rid of many of the props – some to cast members, sell what we can, and then donate the rest to local charities”.

The sale is today September 3rd, 2009 from 8:00 am-8:00 pm at John Hyatt and Associates in downtown Grand Rapids:

John S. Hyatt and Associates
420 Alabama NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

http://www.jshaa.com/pages/GR.html

(616) 451-9245

(more…)

The producers of the new movie project “The Genesis Code”, that is set to shoot in just a few weeks in West Michigan is now looking for production crew.

Here’s how to get involved (from the producers):

“The GENESIS CODE movie is crewing up for an April 20th Principal Photography start date with Pre Production starting March 30th in Grand Rapids. 
Please send electronic submissions to crew@thegenesiscodemovie.com YOU MUST include in the subject line the position you are applying for.”

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Originally posted February 26, 2009:

New local film project “The Genesis Code” coming soon, “La Linea” is on now hold

Attention hockey and movie fans…. its the next big movie project to get excited about… but this one may have more local involvement than the last.

“The Genesis Code” is coming and will be spending several million of its $8 million to $9.5 million dollar budget in West Michigan.

The movie is a drama about a college hockey player and his relationship with a female reporter at the school newspaper.   The story revolves around their struggle to balance their spiritual faith and what they are learning in their science classes. (more…)

New local film project “The Genesis Code” coming soon, “La Linea” is on now hold

Attention hockey and movie fans…. its the next big movie project to get excited about… but this one may have more local involvement than the last.

“The Genesis Code” is coming and will be spending several million of its $8 million to $9.5 million dollar budget in West Michigan.

The movie is a drama about a college hockey player and his relationship with a female reporter at the school newspaper.   The story revolves around their struggle to balance their spiritual faith and what they are learning in their science classes.

.

Jerry Zandstra, Vice President of American Saga Productions says that “The Genesis Code” was approved Tuesday for Michigan’s film 42 percent tax refund incentives by the Michigan Film Office in Lansing.

Shooting is set to begin in April in Lowell and Grand Rapids, but since the movie needs some scenes with snow, a second unit will be shooting some exteriors sometime in the next three weeks while snow is still on the ground.

When principal photography begins in April, scenes will be shot on the Calvin College campus with hockey scenes at the Van Andel Arena or the DeltaPlex.

A director will be hired soon, then the production company will confirm the cast, but they can’t name names until they are actually under contract… the word is that some of the actors/actress being considered are names we would recognize.

Zandstra tells me “We’ve taken a lot of photos already and sent them on to the producers. They review them, narrow the list, and then will come to make their final decisions. I can tell you that two of our executive producers are Jerry Offsay, former president of Showtime and Garry Hart, former president of Paramount Television.”

American Saga Productions is the company behind “Station House,” a reality-TV show about firefighters that was shot in Grand Rapids last year at the LaGrave Avenue fire station.

The production plans to hire local residents to take part, including an eventual casting call for people with Screen Actor’s Guild credentials.   Zandstra, a Christian Reformed pastor, will be one of the local actors, he’ll be playing a preacher in “The Genesis Code”.

 “La Linea” is now on hold

As for the other movie project that was planned from American Saga Productions, “La Linea” the TV movie miniseries starring Robert Duvall is on hold for the time being.

The story was to be set at the U.S.-Mexican border with Duvall playing a “tick rider” for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, watching the border looking for any diseased animals coming across the border.

(more…)

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 (more…)

“Station House” editing and looking for a network

In August, we told you about a new reality TV series “Station House” that was filming inside the LaGrave Avenue fire station in Grand Rapids.

Now we know that crews have completed shooting the documentary about the lives of Grand Rapids firefighters.

Zandstra says they are hoping for a mid-October Premiere for the documentary… and trying to work out something in conjunction with Loeks Theaters for a benefit to raise money for the firefighters.

The “Station House” documentary will be for TV and also released on DVD.

Producers are having initial discussions with multiple broadcast and cable networks, inlcuding CBS, ABC, NBC, Zandstra says FX and Discovery Channel are also “natural fits”.

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