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The Wreck Comes Ashore
A new comedy set in Rhode Island? Maybe...
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Former Hollywood motion picture art director Wayne Holmes of Vernon, CT had been developing the idea for a new Rhode Island-based TV series for many years, quietly polishing the concept and characters, and assembling locations, connections, and a crack team of professionals. Over the last twelve months Holmes and his partners, Caswell Cooke, Jr., Kam Ghaffari, and Jim Blanchard, have carried his concept "The Wreck" closer to reality. The pilot script is finished, investors are coming on board, talent has been approached, and a top-notch Hollywood producer is set to direct the test episode that industry pros call a pilot.
The Wreck is a comedy/drama centering around a brackish little bar on Misquamicut Beach, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. (Think Cheers meets Northern Exposure with Seinfeld flair.) It is the story of the fascinating, varied characters, both employees and patrons, who are drawn to this rustic beach bar. According to Holmes, “bathing beauties, sirens and sailors, blue bloods and bastards, lobstermen and mobstermen, young and old, rich and poor, all convene at the Wreck and their lives intertwine in the briny atmosphere of the New England shoreline.” Crisp, sharp writing, a fascinating backstory, and a supernatural layer combine to create a dark, smart dramedy and what Holmes calls “a soulful, enriching experience” that stands out from the crowded TV lineup.
The main characters include Robert Jordan, the hard-luck, philosophical bar owner who likes to play the old salt for tourists, growling in pithy pirate lingo. He struggles to keep the Wreck financially afloat until his friend, Carl Dittalini, comes aboard as a partner. Carl is everything Robert is not: handsome, charming, and wealthy. He comes to the Wreck from the successful Dittalini’s Ristorante that he managed with his large, boisterous Italian family. Shannon Gurley, the head barmaid, is the heart and soul of the Wreck. A buxom Irish charmer in her mid-40s, she has a quick wit and an irresistible smile. Noted German physicist Manfred Wurlitzer is one of the bar regulars, a child-like intellectual genius with a love for beer. And living in the back room is Duncan, the Wreck’s bar-back/handyman. Besides harboring a secret love for Shannon, Duncan sees visions: sometimes ghosts and spirits that others can’t see and sometimes outright fantastic hallucinations. Thanks to state-of-the-art computer graphic imaging technology, the audience gets to experience this wild fantasy world through Duncan’s eyes.
RI location director and show publicist Caswell Cooke, Jr. explains that the producers feel the allure of the show to the public will be the quirky, offbeat, intelligent humor mixed with compelling drama and poignant conclusions, and a cast of characters and local feel only Southern New England could provide.
Therein lies the uniqueness of the show. Under normal circumstances, Holmes would shop his now-completed script to Hollywood, looking for the show to be picked up. Then it would probably be filmed in LA or Canada with a cast picked by the studios. Holmes has another more unique idea. He and his partners firmly believe that the show should be filmed in Southern Rhode Island for location shots and in Southeastern Connecticut at the state-of-the-art Sonalysts Studios in Waterford, a short distance from Misquamicut Beach, for all interiors.
The New England Film Association, made up of Holmes, Blanchard and a host of local show biz talent is determined to make the New England region compete with Hollywood and keep the pool of talent local.
The big news is that the first review is in. Royce Toni, a Hollywood producer and director (also a New England native) has read the script and is on board to direct The Wreck pilot. Toni stated he would be working with the producers “to develop the correct model of how this pilot will look” in selling it to an interested network. Toni has been in television for nearly a decade. He was hired straight out of the University of Michigan by NBC Sports for the Atlanta Olympic Games under the mentorship of multi-Emmy-winning producer David Michaels. In 1997 Toni was promoted to the role of feature producer, making his the fastest promotion in the history of NBC Sports. In 1999, Toni did his final event for NBC Sports, the Gravity Games, and was nominated himself for a Sports Emmy.
In January 2000, Scott Mesick hired him as his Associate Producer for a new CBS experimental summer show entitled Survivor. This show revolutionized prime-time television, and Toni’s main responsibilities involved all the multi-camera segments. Toni also helped with the overall feel of the show, working with the music composers and the director of photography for the main title sequence. “Being a part of Survivor was the single most exciting experience I have had in television. It was thrilling to see some of my ideas make a lasting impact to the brand which became Survivor.”
Since Survivor, Toni has worked as a producer/director on such hits as HBO’s Project Greenlight, Fox’s Boot Camp and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He is currently finishing his first feature-length documentary. He is excited at the prospect of adding The Wreck to his impressive resume. While reading the script, Royce told Holmes, “I found myself laughing out loud” at several of the scenes. He also stated, “I see the Wreck pulling parts from the best of television’s past.”
Currently the Wreck is in pre-production. Several investors have signed on. The casting for the pilot already includes Mark Atlas, AKA “The Flame-Boyant Chef” as one of the two chefs in Carl Dittalini’s move to the Wreck. No kitchen is too big for Luigi and Marco, the bickering chefs. The “Flame-Boyant Chef” will even be using his trademark pyrotechnics in the first episode. Daryl Blonder has been selected as Duncan from casting tapes submitted to Lynn Britt, director and Master Teacher of Acting Arts, who works out of Sonalysts Studios. The Beach Bums, fronted by Holmes and Cooke, will be the Wreck house band, and will represent the soundtrack of the show.
Guest cameos will be a frequent trademark of The Wreck. Stars such as Davy Jones of The Monkees have been sent scripts for consideration. Singer-songwriter Roger McGuinn of The Byrds has been asked to guest star, and Pete Best, original drummer for The Beatles, on his visit to Misquamicut this summer expressed interest in playing a small role in an episode.
Will we ever get to see an episode of "The Wreck"? Nothing is certain in Hollywood, even if Hollywood is in South County Rhode Island. Mr. Holmes and company are currently working on final investors to button up for filming and sale to a network in 2006.
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