Caffeinated Clint
TV Doctors Unite!
Former “Scrubs” star Zach Braff has cast one-time “Chicago Hope” medico Mandy Patinkin in his new film, “Wish I Was Here”. The project, financed [largely] through Kickstarter, stars Braff as a 35-year-old looking for purpose and meaning in his life. As you do.
Los Angeles, CA, (May 14, 2013) – Actor/Writer/Director Zach Braff today announced that Tony® and Emmy® Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin has been cast in the film “Wish I Was Here.” The announcement was made on the film’s Kickstarter page where the film had already surpassed its initial $2 million goal in just four days.
Braff will direct and star in the film which is based on an original screenplay he wrote with his brother, Adam Braff. Academy Award®-nominated producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg (“Django Unchained,” “Contagion,” “Garden State,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Pulp Fiction”) are producing the film through their company Double Feature Films.
“Wish I Was Here” is the story of Aidan Bloom (Braff), a struggling actor, father and husband who at 35, is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he’d always dreamed he’d be as a little kid. Patinkin will play Braff’s character’s father.
Veteran of stage, film and the small screen, Mandy Patinkin currently stars on the critically acclaimed hit show “Homeland.” He won a Tony® Award in 1980 for his Broadway debut as Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita.” He also received a Tony® nomination for his starring role in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, “Sunday In The Park With George.” His feature film credits include his Golden Globe nominated performance in “Yentl,” “The Princes Bride,” “Everybody’s Hero,” “Pinero,” “Lulu On The Bridge,” “Ragtime” and “Dick Tracy.” Patinkin won an Emmy® Award for his performance on the long-running series “Chicago Hope.” Additional television credits also include “Criminal Minds,” “Dead Like Me,” “Strange Justice,” “The Hunchback” and “The Larry Sanders Show,” for which he also received an Emmy® nomination. Patinkin also has an extremely successful career as a recording artist. He has toured extensively performing to sold-out audiences across the US, Canada, London and Australia. He recently marked the 20th anniversary of performing solo concerts with a two-week run of all of his concerts in rep at New York’s Public Library, the very space he began his concert career.
The filmmakers launched a Kickstarter campaign on April 24 with a goal of raising $2 million in 30 days. Donor incentives range from personal copies of the script, to access to weekly behind-the-scenes video, invitations to the premiere, local screenings with Q&A’s, limited-edition vinyl copies of the film’s soundtrack and even a speaking role in the film. A contest was launched last week allowing fans to create and design a T-shirt with the winning design to be produced and distributed as one of the backer incentives. To date, the campaign has amassed more than 38,000 backers and has raised over $2.6 million. With nine days remaining in the campaign, the “Wish I Was Here” movement has also driven a remarkable 20,000 new users to Kickstarter.
For more information and updates on the “Wish I Was Here” campaign, please check:
Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1869987317/wish-i-was-here-1
Twitter: www.twitter.com/zachbraff
Facebook: www.facebook.com/zachbraff
