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Wrestling for Success
With big bangs on a small budget, indie film Sleeper aims for the big time.
Some producers would do anything to save a buck or two on set - even agreeing to blow up his own car, as Judd Tilyard, of the upcoming independent action/horror Sleeper, did to bring his film in on its tiny $50,000 budget. In fact, the majority of this scene's $1,000 cost came from the presence of the fire brigade on set.
However, despite its on the cheap ethos, Sleeper has the potential to become a smash hit when it's released next year. Stepping into the casting ring is long time WWE star, Scott "Raven" Levy, who plays the film's psychopathic villain, Resnik. Raven brings a global fan base of millions, which is good news for the Australian film.
"This film is giving me the chance to explore a lot of the matches I never got to fight and to try ideas I had in the ring. In a way it takes what I did as a wrestler to a whole new level," he says. The fictional, romantically named seaside town of Moonlight Bay is the site for bloodshed as Resnik, a heavily disturbed jail escapee fixates on his target, Kelly (Kym Jackson). Hunted by Detective Raynor (Bruce Hopkins, Lord of the Rings), Levy will run through moves choreographed by respected stuntman, Darko Tuskan, who doubled for Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.
Writer/director Dru Brown has returned from a long stint in Asia and the Middle East working with MGM, HBO and The History Channel to bring Sleeper to the screen and reckons the atmosphere was a welcomed sea change. "Independent film in Australia has a raw and unique feel about it," he says. "Working on such a low budget and with limited crew and a six week shooting period in the dead of winter was sometimes trying but always rewarding."
Inspired by his time in Asia, Dru returned to Australia wanting to prove he could create a Hollywood level action film, with an actual story, on a budget. "With only $50,000 on the table, high concepts and little time, Sleeper has been a success in every sense of the word," he claims. Sleeper hopes to spread its success overseas, targeting a sale in the American film market in November.
Three previous action/horror movies starring WWE wrestlers have been shot in Queensland - The Marine and The Condemned on US$20 million a piece, and See No Evil for US$8M - which has grossed a collective $120 million-plus in the US alone. Brown hopes Sleeper becomes the biggest independent action film to come out of Queensland, even with a budget less than See No Evil's catering allotment.
"This film is giving me the chance to explore a lot of the matches I never got to fight and to try ideas I had in the ring. In a way it takes what I did as a wrestler to a whole new level," - Sleeper star Scott "Raven" Levy