$2.5 million raised for $5 million horror feature scheduled to film here next year

Writer/Producer L. Pat Williams’ SerpentWise Films is halfway to financing its $5 million horror movie “10,000 Doors” to shoot here next year.

“We’ve got $2.5 million in escrow,” said Williams, “but we’ve got a huge CGI requirement. We need the other half to come in” before setting a firm production date.

Williams credits actor Sy Richardson, who will reprise his cop role from “Colors” in “10,000 Doors,” with moving the film forward so quickly ? Williams wrote the script and began development in February. “Sy was phenomenal in bringing so many things together for this project,” Williams said. “He was responsible for bringing in Erica.”

Chicago native and Columbia College grad Erica Hubbard (“A Cinderella Story”) will act in the film and co-produce through her E. Hubbard Productions, along with Williams, her father and co-writer Robert A. Williams, attorney John R. McCulloh, and Charline St. Charles of Los Angeles.

Hubbard and Michael Mario play college students being hunted by a fallen angel sewing the seeds of destruction. Williams said she and Hubbard are in talks with Tom Welling (“Smallville”), Jason Ritter (“Joan of Arcadia”), Erika Christensen (“Traffic”) and Emily VanCamp (“Everwood”) to act in the film. They’re courting Vivica A. Fox (“Soul Food”) for a cameo as a college counselor.

Attached as director is Maryland filmmaker Joe O’Ferrell, whose horror comedy “The Wickeds” featuring Ron Jeremy and Karen Black is in postproduction. Bob Hudecek of RAH Chicago is in talks to shoot.

Williams met Richardson, O’Ferrell and Mario on her first film job, as associate producer on Lost Faith Productions’ 1999 Christian video release “Homesick”

A longtime journalist, Williams also associate produced Harold C. Caldwell’s 2003 film “Puzzle Love,” and wrote the narration for Robert Sengstacke Enterprises’ new doc “And He Became the Music: A Tribute to Malachi Favors Maghostut” about the Art Ensemble of Chicago co-founder.

Prospective co-production companies include Velvet Steamroller Entertainment and Olympia Entertainment/Taang! Films. Redbrick Recording Studios is onboard to do the soundtrack.

Reach Williams at serpentwisefilms@yahoo.com.

? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com