Suchismita Ghosh
The filming of Jessica Alba-starrer ‘Flash Before the Bang’ will begin in Salem, Oregon, and Washington on July 28. The sports drama, set in the 1980s, revolves around a bullied yet motivated deaf track runner who tries to look for opportunities at a high school that caters to the deaf. However, all his hopes of finding glory and salvation remain crushed when he realizes that the team at hand is highly unmotivated and is being led by a deaf coach who is going through a mid-life crisis of his own. The “underdog, ragtag deaf track team and their checked-out coach must overcome their school’s indifference, outsiders’ low expectations, and their own self-doubts to make it to the Oregon State Track & Field Championship,” the film’s logline discloses.
The movie is written and helmed by deaf writer-director Jevon Whetter, who used his own experiences to shape the film and give it a realistic touch. The filmmaker made his directorial debut with ‘Signs of Your Heart,’ starring Kelli McNeil and Kyle Leatherberry.
Alba, whose latest credits include performances in ‘Killer Anonymous,’ ‘Entourage,’ ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ and the television series ‘Honest Reservations,’ is also an executive producer of the film. “I was deeply moved by this script based on the true story of the filmmaker Jevon Whetter, which shows the little-known reality of what life was like for deaf and disabled people who were cut off from society in almost every way prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I’m so excited to be a part of this groundbreaking story about deaf people, made by deaf filmmakers, with a primarily deaf cast for mainstream audiences,” the actress shared in a statement.
Alba is joined by a group of deaf actors, including Russell Harvard, known for playing Justin in ‘Causeway‘ and Mr. Wrench in ‘Fargo,’ and Daniel Durant, who portrayed Leo Rossi in ‘CODA‘ and Max in ‘Florida Man.’ Exodus Film Group’s Delbert Whetter, the brother of director Jevon, and John D. Eraklis will produce the film along with Mary Aloe from Aloe Entertainment and FitzHenry Films’ Tiffany FitzHenry. The executive producers of the movie include Ben Affleck and Matt Damon along with Fanshen Cox, Nat McCormick, and Brian O’Shea.
Delbert and Jevon belong to a multigenerational deaf family and having watched the events of the film in real-time, in a statement, said, “I watched with my own eyes as Jevon’s younger brother and as a fan on the stands. This story is one of the most profound life-changing moments that I ever experienced, and I cannot wait for the world to see this story on the screen and be inspired by it too.”
Salem is a significant location for films such as ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘Bandits.’ Washington, on the other hand, previously hosted the shooting of ‘Twilight’ and ‘Captain Fantastic.’
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