U.S. Marshal Biopic Begins Production In South Texas

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 04, 2009 – SAN ANTONIO – Prolific independent filmmaker Brett William Mauser (the ten-film "Innocence Saga", "Green", "After the Day 2: Before the Knight" – all filmed and released between 2007-2010) and indie screen queen turned producer Amanda Nutting ("The Ballerina", "A Dawg’s Life", "The Fear") have begun production on yet another feature, this time a biopic about Bass Reeves, one of the first African-American Deputy U.S. Marshals. The Western adventure, which reunites Mauser and Nutting for their third collaboration with Nutting as executive producer, will be shot entirely on location in South Texas (including many locations throughout San Antonio and the Hill Country). "Bass Reeves" will star James A. House ("The Watchmen", "Tag", "Divine Intervention") in the title role.

From his escape from slavery during the Civil War, to the manhunt for outlaw Bob Dozier, to the most amazing and death-defying arrests of his career, the film chronicles the life of real-life American lawman Bass Reeves. Considered the most courageous and awe-inspiring U.S. Deputy Marshal of all time, Reeves arrested over 3,000 felons in his long career while policing the deadly Indian Territory from 1875 until Oklahoma received statehood. Bass Reeves devoted much of his life to law enforcement until his death in 1907.

For Mauser, the road to "Bass Reeves" followed the path of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.  “We made a short film called 'OK', about the gunfight at the OK Corral,” he explains, “and it got a great response when it screened at the San Antonio Film Festival.  With that success, we knew it was time to move forward with a feature-length Western.” “After working in action-adventure, the Western genre is a new area for us, so it was important to find the right story to tell.  We wanted it to be a story that hadn't been explored onscreen before, and when we learned about Bass Reeves, Brett said, 'This is the one,'” adds Nutting.

Joining House for the sure-to-be enlightening film are regulars to the Ponderous Productions film library: Craig Rainey as Bob Dozier, Santiago Villalobos as Reeves’ trusted posseman Martinez, Ernest Martinez as outlaw Jim Webb, and Gary Minter as outlaw Tom Story.

Shooting will take place for 3 weeks beginning late October. A screening of the film is slated for February – at the new Alamo Drafthouse – in celebration of the SA Stock Show & Rodeo and African-American History Month.