NEWEST Update:

02-09-2005
'WINTER ANGEL' Gets Shelved Again!
By Taylor Fogarty
Apparently, those who fund the flicks aren't recognizing the tremendous contribution this Western film would make.  Sadly, we've learned from a source closely involved with this project that filming is delayed—yet again. 
However, on the bright side... perhaps by next year they will have gathered the funds needed to get this baby made.

12-05-2004
HOLEDIGGER SAYS GO!
TO 'WINTER ANGEL'
By Taylor Fogarty
     It was learned today that the new western WINTER ANGEL will begin filming in February 2005!  If you want to get a sneak peek into the storyline, we do have a limited number of "THE KID" available for sale (and currently out of print), on which the movie is based. Whether you know it as "THE KID" (novel) or as WINTER ANGEL (the film), you'll agree this unforgettable story is destined to become a Western film classic.

OLDER NEWS ITEMS...
02-20-2004
HOLEDIGGER SAYS WHOA TO 'WINTER ANGEL'
By Taylor Fogarty
     It was learned today that Holedigger Films has recently "postponed the filming" schedule for WINTER ANGEL.  
      Although the production company's spokesperson declined to cite why the reins were pulled in on this project, a slight glimmer of hope was offered, as ReadTheWest.com was told the delay in production will be at least "several months" which, on the bright side, is several syllables shorter than 'indefinitely.'
     Hope is a nice gesture, but then there are those who deal with reality. Given the story is set in the early spring, requiring at least some snow on the ground, it seems more likely the delay could be a good deal longer than a few months.
     Let's hope for a freak summer snowstorm in the Land of Enchantment (where filming was to take place).
     In the meantime, genre fans may want to prepare for the worst. WINTER ANGEL could suffer the same fate as "The Outfit" a twenty year-old western project that has been lost in the Land of Soverynotlikelytohappen.
     The good news is, things seems to be happening for another Holedigger film, OFF THE MAP, which also stars Sam Elliott. New Films Intl. recently picked up the International sales rights.
     Filmed in 2002, 'MAP' debuted at Sundance 2003, and has appeared at several more film festivals this year. The film's theatrical release continues to be jockeyed around. More news will follow (along with our OFF THE MAP interview with Sam) once a firm date has been set.

(MOST RECENT NEWS APPEARS FIRST)

12-15-2004 NEW PRODUCTION DATE SET!
ReadTheWest.com has learned filming for WINTER ANGEL will at last begin in FEBRUARY 2005! This timing should add some winter authenticity to the project, as opposed to the   !

01-29-2004 Production Update:
ReadTheWest.com has learned the filming schedule has been pushed back from March to April, as the production company intends to build a set in New Mexico (standing in for the story's setting of 1887 Wyoming Territory).

ReadTheWest.com is 1st to break this news:
10-28-2003 - Western fans will be thrilled to learn that it looks like one of the genre's most beloved on-screen cowboys is finally on the trail back home. And this time the news comes directly from the man himselfSam Elliott... [ Read full story ]

ReadTheWest.com's Pre-production Analysis:
by Taylor Fogarty
Judging from the key players coming into this project thus far, this period piece, dark as it may be, seems destined to offer a rare and brutally honest contribution to the Western in film. Should the script stay fairly true to the novel (The Kid), WINTER ANGEL will certainly be in the position to make its mark artistically and perhaps challenge the established cinematic notion of the genre itself, while delving deep into such issues as racism and mob violence. In order to fully appreciate the major talent surrounding this film, we have provided expanded bios (see below) for those involved with the project to date.

PLOT:
The story is based on the novel "The Kid" by John Seelye: "Here we have a skilled hand working with broad humor in a lusty, free-wheeling vernacular and with a story that emerges as a kind of American tragedy, Western style."Philadelphia Inquirer.
Film's summary to follow later.

Story's Setting:
Wyoming Territory, Spring, 1887

Who's in it:
SAM ELLIOTT for starters, taking on what he says will be perhaps the darkest character of his career. BRUCE WILLIS has been cast as The Judge.  More cast announcements will be provided soon.

Filming Location:
Begins filming February 2005

Director: Alan Rudolph
Rudolph's filmmaking mentor is Robert Altman. Rudolph's contribution to this project should prove to be a remarkable one, considering he has nearly thirty-five years of filmmaking experience and is a said to be a true maverick with great vision. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for thirteen of his own films, as well as for Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians, which won the Golden Bear at the 1976 Berlin Film Festival.
Among the recent films directed by Rudolph are Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions (1999) starring Bruce Willis, and the critically acclaimed The Secret Life of Dentists (2002) starring Campbell Scott. However, since both of those endeavors received only fair-to-lukewarm reception from the movie-going public, it will be intriguing to see which direction Rudolph takes this western.
Rudolph quote: "My film school was going down to the theater and watching Truffaut, Fellini and Bergman. I thought Wow, I'm learning about life and film. The great films to me are the ones where you walk out and you're still in them. You can't shake them."
Rudolph is described by movie buff David Bleiler as "a maverick who neither seeks nor needs the approval or support of the Hollywood filmmaking community, Rudolph has never strayed from his unique cinematic style of original, fluid character studies rich in mood and emotional truths."

Producers: 
Holedigger Films, Inc.   Formed in 2000: "...with the sole intent of giving today's most talented filmmakers, writers and actors the ability to work in a true independent system and in the highest form of their creative abilities."
Films of Note:
Roger Dodger starring Campbell Scott
Blizzard directed by LeVar Burton starring Brenda Blethyn and Whoopi Goldberg
Secret Lives of Dentists directed by Alan Rudolph starring Campbell Scott
Off The Map - selected as the prestigious opening night film of Critic's Week at the 2003 Cannes International Film Festival. Directed by Campbell Scott and starring Joan Allen and Sam Elliott. [read related report about OFF THE MAP]

Screenwriter: 
Darryl Ponicsan. Two of Ponicsan's novels were made into successful films, each nominated for various Academy Awards: Cinderella Liberty (1973) starring James Caan and The Last Detail (1973) starring Jack Nicholson.
Ponicsan's screenwriting credits include Random Hearts (1999), Nuts (1987), Vision Quest (1985), Blade Runner (1982) and Taps (1981).

About the book's author: 
John Seelye is Graduate Research Professor of American Literature at UF. He was Distinguished Alumni Service Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and also taught at the University of Connecticut and the University of California, Berkeley. Seelye received a Guggenheim and two NEH Fellowships for his ongoing work on the river in American culture.

• Reviews of the Book:
  "The Kid is in the best myth-shattering and rambunctious Twain tradition." Jack Conroy, the Chicago Sun-Times
  "Seelye is not only up to something unusual, but perhaps something quite profound."New York Times
• The Kid was originally published by Viking Press [1972] and then reprinted in 1982 by University of Nebraska Press (Bison Books). The Bison Books imprint is dedicated to publishing "original works and reissues of books of permanent value in all fields of knowledge." Examples of some of the enduring titles under the Bison Books imprint include: The Log of a Cowboy by Andy Adams, Black Elk Speaks as told through John G. Neihardt by Nicholas Black, Cheyenne Autumn by Mari Sandoz, Saga of Chief Joseph by Helen Addison Howard, and Monte Walsh by Jack Schaefer.