Director Ty Roberts and actor Luke Wilson pose with the proclamation declaring June 7 as "12 Mighty Orphans Day" in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth has a bit of Hollywood in town this week as "12 Mighty Orphans" gets set to hit Texas theaters this Friday.
On Monday, cast and crew, along with family, friends, and Fort Worth officials, gathered at the Masonic Temple downtown for a panel discussion with Mayor Betsy Price — and the proclamation of June 7 as "12 Mighty Orphans Day."
"[The film] employed hundreds of locals and featured great locations throughout the city and our surrounding area," Price said during the event. "We're very proud of '12 Mighty Orphans.'"
The film tells the true story of Depression-era football team, the Mighty Mites, a scrappy group of orphans who reached the Texas state championships thanks to the innovative playing schemes of coach Rusty Russell, played by Luke Wilson. Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall also star in the film, with Ty Roberts directing.
The Masonic Temple served as one of several filming locations — "This building was amazing for the UIL hearings [scenes] and the exterior of those hearings. We also used the men's room here. It's quite roomy," Roberts says — alongside other places like Farrington Field and the Texas Pythian Home in Weatherford.
Roberts says filming almost took place in Oklahoma due to its generous tax breaks, but with prodding from the Fort Worth Film Commission, "we just couldn't leave Fort Worth." Filming took place in 2019.
Wilson, who hails from Dallas, says he enjoyed working close to home — especially in Fort Worth, which carries a distinctly different atmosphere compared to places like New York or Los Angeles.
"There are those places where you can shoot, like Los Angeles or New York, where they have a seen-it-all attitude, but then you come to some place special like Fort Worth, where there's a real feeling of goodwill toward a production," Wilson says. "It couldn't be more fun to have shot here and have the world premiere here."
Laura Wilson
Luke Wilson (center) and supporting actors who played Fort Worth's Mighty Mites football team in the film, "12 Mighty Orphans"
Russell's grandson, Russell Morton, who helped with the film's development, says "12 Mighty Orphans" is a heartfelt homage to his family's story: "[Wilson] put those glasses on, and I got all choked up ... Vinessa [Shaw, who plays Russell's wife, Juanita], I met her on her first day on set as well ... I took a picture of that, and I sent it [to my mother]. My mother just cried. She said, 'I'm just looking at my parents right there.'"
The proclamation event took place a day after filmmakers gathered to celebrate the opening of the "Twelve Mighty Orphans – Behind the Scenes: Laura Wilson" exhibit at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The exhibit runs Tuesday through Aug. 8 and features film props and behind-the-scenes images taken by Luke Wilson's mother, acclaimed photographer Laura Wilson.
The film hits theaters nationwide on June 18. What happens after that is yet to be seen — Roberts says not to rule out the possibility of the filmmakers ever returning to Fort Worth.
In fact, they may be back "in a Fort Worth minute."
"We asked about a couple of projects that would be fitting for the area," he says, "so keep your fingers crossed for us."
