Photo by Laura Wilson / Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Left to right: (back) Preston Porter, Woodrow Luttrell, Sampley Barinaga, Jacob Lofland; (middle) Levi Dylan, Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Manuel Tapia, Austin Shook, Michael Gohlke; (front) Slade Monroe, Jake Austin Walker, Bailey Roberts, Tyler Silva
The anticipated sports flick telling the story of Fort Worth's Mighty Mites football team will open in theaters this summer — and Texans will get a chance to see it before anyone else.
Advanced screenings of Sony Pictures Classics' "12 Mighty Orphans" will take place at Texas theaters starting June 10, with the film also releasing in New York on June 11 before a wide release on June 18. According to a spokesperson for the film, there's no announcement as to whether the film will release on streaming platforms.
"12 Mighty Orphans" puts a major spotlight on Fort Worth with a big-name cast that includes Texas native Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. Directed by Ty Roberts and shot in here in the city, the film tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, a football team of 12 orphans who went from playing without shoes to reaching the Texas state championships during the Great Depression. Wilson plays their coach, Rusty Russell, an orphan himself, who turned his scrawny team into contenders by developing strategies that would give rise to those utilized in modern football.
The story is based on author Jim Dent's book of the same name. Roberts, Lane Garrison, and Kevin Meyer penned the script; while the film was produced by Houston Hill and Roberts of Santa Rita Film Co., along with Fort Worth's Michael De Luca and Angelique De Luca of Michael De Luca Productions. Producer Brinton Bryan of Greenbelt Films helped arrange the financing, while The Forest Road Company provided additional funding. George M. Young, Jr., J. Todd Harris, Rhett Bennett, and Greg McCabe are executive producers.
Watch the trailer here:
