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Lonesome Soldier is the first in a series of films currently being produced by Military Movies, a studio that aims to become a well-known brand in the military marketing world by working with both active duty and retired military personnel to make character-driven authentic American motion pictures.
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Likened by Hollywood insiders to a "modern day Deer Hunter", Lonesome Soldier is an incredible true story about a community in middle America in the 21st century. The film, written by and starring Alexander Randazzo, depicts the journeys of an ensemble cast of characters upon the return of Jackson Harlow, high school rock star, from Iraq and his harrowing struggle with post-traumatic stress (PTS). Returning from the battlefield, Jackson is met at home by a financial recession, an opioid epidemic, a community embroiled in infighting, a wife who has abandoned him to drugs, an old job that can no longer pay, and a Veterans' Administration that is too congested and ill-equipped to treat his deteriorating condition.
Featuring an ensemble cast including both Oscar winners and nominees, as well as some fresh new faces, this film has a detailed casting strategy crafted to bring to life this story about love, family, pain, war, and community.
This film is a tribute to the sacrifice of our veterans and a testament to the enduring American spirit.
About the screenplay:
This powerful screenplay started as a text-message-of-a-screenshot-of-a-Facebook-post by the mother of the real life Jackson Harlow on which the film's protagonist is based. When a friend of screenwriter Alexander Randazzo read a heartfelt and impassioned Facebook post from our hero's mother explaining that she wanted to find a way to make a movie of her son's incredible true story and the broader issues of PTS stigma and healthcare in America, she immediately took a screenshot and texted it to Alexander, who set about optioning the rights for the story.
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Jackson Harlow's true-life heartbreaking story follows his decision to join the military. After witnessing traumatic battlefield events (unsuccessfully attempting to save a little girl in Iraq before his best friend, Ritchie, dies in his arms after saving his life), he returns home to American only to spiral into opioid addiction, finding himself in a coma for 4 years before making a miraculous recovery.
📝 Read an excerpt from the moving screenplay, written by Alexander Randazzo & Lionel Chetwynd.