Angry Boys’ Clyde Boraine has joined the cast of Final Four, a feature drama inspired by the true story of a group of Aussies who played in the US college basketball league.
Neophyte actor /producer Josh Howlett came up with the idea after watching a story on ESPN’s Aussies Abroad which chronicled how five Aussies were recruited by Saint Mary’s College near San Francisco and contributed to the team’s greatest success in 50 years.
Robert Lewis Galinsky is writing the screenplay and serving as executive producer. Howlett will produce via his new company Handmade Media in league with a US producer whom he declines to name until the project is fully funded.
He said roughly half the development budget has been raised from private investors and the plan is shoot the film next year, two-thirds of it on location in the US. Howlett and Galinsky have a short-list of US directors.
The plot will focus on four basketballers, all fictional characters, and the team’s coach and assistant coach. Boraine, who portrayed Danthony, best friend of Chris Lilley’s American rapper S.mouse in Angry Boys, and Howlett will play two of the quartet, the other two still to be cast.
Chris Kirby (Iron Sky, The Matrix Reloaded) is attached to play the assistant coach, whom Howlett describes as the film’s “meatiest” character. He hopes to attract an actor of the calibre of Nick Nolte or Woody Harrelson to play the coach.
“Final Four is shaping up to be a $15 million – $20 million production that we are hoping will successfully mix Australian and American talent and hopefully open up the door for more Aussie/US productions, " Howlett said.
“I want Handmade Media to be the go-to production company for people trying to make films that get big commercial releases in the US.”