 Director Ryan Little is on the set of "Butch Cassidy" in Payson.  Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News |
It was a chance to bond and to get to know each other.
"I cherish that," he said. "We need movies for parents and kids to go to and do that."
So with that background, Little, who also directed "Saints and Soldiers," took on his latest project under the working title, "The Outlaw Trail."
It's a family action film for general release (possibly next year) based on the legend of famed outlaw Butch Cassidy and the search for Ortega gold he may have brought back from Bolivia, if, indeed, he ever returned.
"This is a kids' movie, for sure," Little said. "I wanted to make it because I have a 9-year-old son (Bryton). This is something he would enjoy."
The movie stars Ryan Kelley ("Mean Creek") as Roy Parker, the lead, and grand-nephew of LeRoy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy. He wants to clear his great-uncle's name — and find the gold. Bruce McGill ("Cinderella Man") plays Garrison Place, the antagonist and the only son of Etta Place, the female in the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" outlaw trio. Others are James Gammon ("Cold Mountain") as Grandpa Sam and James Karen as LeRoy Parker himself. Also Dan Byrd ("A Cinderella Story"), Arielle Kebbell ("The Gilmore Girls") and Brent Weber ("Point Pleasant") are featured in the film.
Kelley describes "The Outlaw Trail" as an action adventure that places his character in harm's way riding horses and jumping on trains.
 Ryan Little directs (from left) Bruce McGill and Ron Melendez in a scene for "The Outlaw Trail" at Peteetneet Academy. Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News |
In one scene he falls off a roof.
"I actually get to do that," he said.
"It's a great script. It has a lot of humor in it, and the characters are well-written," Kelley said.
In the story line set in 1950, Roy Parker, a Boy Scout, inherits a belt buckle from his famous outlaw great-uncle, and on the reverse side he finds a treasure map, ingeniously stashed in the buckle. So he, Kebbell's character Ellie and two other Boy Scouts set out to find the outlaw gold. Meanwhile, Garrison Place believes the gold is his birthright, so he wants to find it, as well.
Written by David Pliler, the film is set in the fictional town of Jefferson City, just outside Circleville. It was shot completely in Utah using such locations as the century-old Peteetneet Academy in Payson as the Jefferson City Museum where Garrison Place is curator, Provo Canyon, Alpine, Park City, Heber City and the Heber Valley Historic Railroad. Many of the artifacts used in the museum scenes are actual items from the Old West kept in the Peteetneet's Western Room, created with a donation from Lee Staheli. Many of the artifacts came from the Henry and Albert Huber family.
"They found nearly everything they needed right here," said Peteetneet staff member Helen Scott.
McGill gave up a role in an upcoming Al Pacino film to take the part as the antagonist in this film. He was sent the script and the video of Little's "Saints and Soldiers." The script intrigued him so he watched the video. That convinced him to take the role.
 Little, standing at left, who also directed "Saints and Soldiers," directs a run-through of a scene with Bruce McGill, seated, Brian Peck and Ron Melendez during the filming of a new movie, the working title of which is "The Outlaw Trail." Filming this day was at the Peteetneet Academy in Payson. Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News |
As the credits were rolling to "Saints" he was on the phone accepting his part in "The Outlaw Trial." The role was better than the one in the Pacino film, he said.
"I wanted to work with Ryan Little for his ability to tell a story on film. I can be picky now," McGill said. "A large part of what I decide (to take) is who's doing it."
He also chose to do "The Outlaw Trail" because it was inoffensive. And he was impressed with what Little did in "Saints" with a comparatively low-budget film.
"The Outlaw Trail" has a similar budget, although the amount remains undisclosed.
"This is a kids caper. It's 'The Goonies' meet 'Indiana Jones,' " McGill said. "That's how it was presented to me."
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com
© 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company