Every once in a while, rumors start spreading across town that a movie’s being filmed in our area and that the producers are looking for extras. If you were one of the many who showed up at the FHS baseball stadium a few years ago because you heard such a rumor, tonight’s your chance to see the fruition of all that excitement. If you were one of the few who were picked to sit in the stands and cheer, well, your fifteen minutes have arrived.

War Eagle, Arkansas premiers tonight but it isn’t just a movie that was filmed in our area. It’s also set in our area for the specific reason of showcasing how beautiful our neck of the woods really is. Its producer, Vincent Insalaco, is a Little Rock native.

From the release:

War Eagle is an emotionally charged and driven drama about a young man’s choice of whether to leave his family and friends for a career in baseball or stay and redeem his 
struggling community. The story takes place over a few pivotal weeks in the summer after Enoch Cass’s senior year, and is set against the backdrop of Arkansas’ beautiful  Ozark Mountains.

Besides Luke Grimes and Dan McCabe, who apparently steal the show with incredibly great acting, the rest of the cast includes Emmy and two-time Tony Award winning actor Brian Dennehy as well as Mary  Kay  Place (HBO’s  Big Love, Being John Malcovich, The Big Chill),  James  McDaniel (NYPD Blue, Sunshine  State, Malcolm X)  and  Mare  Winningham (The War, Wyatt Earp, St. Elmo’s Fire).

Tonight’s 8pm premiere at the Malco Razorback 12 is a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas and therefore, tickets are $50. For $75, you can also attend a VIP reception at Shogun along with some of the cast and crew before the screening. Call 957-2022 if you’re interested.

Regular showings (with regular prices) begin tomorrow when the film is released to the rest of the state and in Memphis, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and a few other major cities across the country.

Anybody going tonight?