The Isle of Man Film has published a page about “Me and Orson Welles” on their website. It reveals that the IoM filming will take place in the Gaiety Theatre from 24 February to 14 March 2008. That will at least partly include filming on the weekend – at least one of the extras casting calls was scheduled for a Sunday. Zac has also been seen leaving LA on Sunday – most likely for London to do pre-production stuff. After the IoM part of the shoot, they are supposed to move to the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire (close to London).
The website also has a longer synopsis of the movie:
New York, 1937: RICHARD SAMUELS (17) is bored with school and dreams of treading the boards on Broadway. After a chance encounter with a theatre company outside a derelict theatre, The Mercury, Richard soon finds himself inside chatting with Orson Welles, the Director of Broadway’s first Shakespearean production, Julius Caesar. Welles is a bullish, competitive character who is having an affair with the leading lady, MURIEL BRASSLER, despite his wife VIRGINIA’S pregnancy. Richard plays on Welles’ egotistical nature and manages to bluff his way into the role of Lucius; Welles swiftly couples him with the gorgeous production assistant SONJA JONES (20), to rehearse. Richard, along with the rest of the crew, is captivated by Sonja’s vivacity and ability to manage everything behind the scenes by schmoozing all the right people. It soon becomes apparent that she is willing to do anything to get her ‘big break’. As rehearsals progress Richard’s total lack of acting ability becomes increasingly apparent and the rest of the company begin to express their concern over the state of the production. However, the wildly flirtatious Orson is too busy conducting radio interviews and seducing young women to take note, whilst Sonja seems more intent on furthering her career and her relationship with Richard. When Orson decides the company would benefit from a team-building ‘game’ which involves everyone pairing off and going for a drink, Richard cheats to ensure he is paired with Sonja. Their date goes well and after spending the night together Richard declares his love for her at the theatre, the following day. His declaration is met with an indifferent response from Sonja and at the preview matinee she tells him she is to spend the night with Orson. The day of the opening, Richard is distraught to discover that Sonja slept with Orson because he promised to introduce her to Selznick, the producer of Gone With the Wind. After an argument Orson fires Richard and he storms out. Orson finds him on a park bench and apologises and Richard agrees to return to the production. The opening night is a success but it’s short-lived for Richard as he soon learns that Orson’s apology was merely a ruse to ensure a successful first night and Orson has secured a child actor to take over Richard’s role. To add insult to injury, as Richard sees Sonja waiting outside the Theatre for Selznik to pick her up he learns that Sonja knew of Orson’s plan all along. Richard’s return to normality hits him hard: he tells his family he quit because it didn’t pay and he returns to school and decides to pursue a career in writing instead of acting: he has an idea for a novel about a celebrity genius.
13 February 2008
Me and Orson Welles