Speed Kills / Hannibal Production in Association with Saban Films, the Pimienta Film Company and Blue Rider Pictures
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HANNIBAL CLASSICS PRESENTS A SPEED KILLS / HANNIBAL PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH SABAN FILMS, THE PIMIENTA FILM COMPANY AND BLUE RIDER PICTURES JOHN TRAVOLTA SPEED KILLS KATHERYN WINNICK JENNIFER ESPOSITO MICHAEL WESTON JORDI MOLLA AMAURY NOLASCO MATTHEW MODINE With James Remar And Kellan Lutz Directed by Jodi Scurfield Story by Paul Castro and David Aaron Cohen & John Luessenhop Screenplay by David Aaron Cohen & John Luessenhop Based upon the book “Speed Kills” by Arthur J. Harris Produced by RICHARD RIONDA DEL CASTRO, pga LUILLO RUIZ OSCAR GENERALE Executive Producers PATRICIA EBERLE RENE BESSON CAM CANNON MOSHE DIAMANT LUIS A. REIFKOHL WALTER JOSTEN ALASTAIR BURLINGHAM CHARLIE DOMBECK WAYNE MARC GODFREY ROBERT JONES ANSON DOWNES LINDA FAVILA LINDSEY ROTH FAROUK HADEF JOE LEMMON MARTIN J. BARAB WILLIAM V. BROMILEY JR NESS SABAN SHANAN BECKER JAMAL SANNAN VLADIMIRE FERNANDES CLAITON FERNANDES EUZEBIO MUNHOZ JR. BALAN MELARKODE RANDALL EMMETT GEORGE FURLA GRACE COLLINS GUY GRIFFITHE ROBERT A. FERRETTI SILVIO SARDI “SPEED KILLS” SYNOPSIS When he is forced to suddenly retire from the construction business in the early 1960s, Ben Aronoff immediately leaves the harsh winters of New Jersey behind and settles his family in sunny Miami Beach, Florida. Once there, he falls in love with the intense sport of off-shore powerboat racing. He not only races boats and wins multiple championship, he builds the boats and sells them to high-powered clientele. But his long-established mob ties catch up with him when Meyer Lansky forces him to build boats for his drug-running operations. Ben lives a double life, rubbing shoulders with kings and politicians while at the same time laundering money for the mob through his legitimate business. Desperate to free himself of mob obligations, he makes a bid to go completely legit: he negotiates a contract to build boats for the US Customs Department. But the more he tries to wrestle free of Lansky’s grip, the more trapped he finds himself, and soon he finds himself the subject of the DEA’s investigation into drug smuggling in Miami. Caught in the middle, he decides, once again, to run…but it may be too late. “Speed Kills” starring John Travolta, Katheryn Winnick, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Weston, Jordi Molla, Amaury Nolasco, Matthew Modine, James Remar and Kellan Lutz, is produced by Rionda Del Castro, p.g.a., Luillo Ruiz and Oscar Generale. The screenwriters are David Aaron Cohen & John Luessenhop. Executive produced by Patricia Eberle, Rene Besson, Cam Cannon, Moshe Diamant, Alastair Burlingham, Charlie Dombeck, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robert Jones, Anson Downes, Linda Favila, Lindsey Roth, Farouk Hadef, Joe Lemmon, Martin J. Barab, William V. Bromiley, Ness Saban, Shanan Becker, Jamal Sannan, Vladimire Fernandes, Claiton Fernandes, Euzebio Munhoz Jr., Balan Melarkode, Randall Emmett, George Furla, Grace Collins, Guy Griffithe, Robert A. Ferretti and Silvio Sardi, associate produced by Sebastian Boneta, Babak Etfekhari, Flexibon Films Limited, Hashem Kazi Shehabi, Pearlring, Simon Lewis, Umida Umarbekova and Patrick Josten. Additional crew includes Cinematographer Andrzej Sekula, Editors Randy Bricker and Yaira Lamela, Music Producer Laurent Eyquem and Composer Geronimo Mercado. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE FILM 4 THE CAST 7 THE FILMMAKERS 46 SPEED KILLS VR CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE 86 3 THE FILM Physical production of “Speed Kills” began on 19 June 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With accessible beaches and art deco architecture, Puerto Rico was the ideal location to double for Miami Beach. However, long before the cameras rolled, Richard Rionda Del Castro had been fascinated by the true story of Don Aronow, the legendary powerboat racer and manufacturer whose alleged mob ties led to his untimely murder in broad daylight on a street he built. "He was a man’s man, a champion, immersed in a life of privilege and wealth,” says Rionda Del Castro. “He was on top of the world, and he had it all, but was gunned down in the street under mysterious circumstances. His story fascinated me.” For the purpose of this film, the historical events surrounding Don Aronow’s life and tragic death have been definitively researched. While actual people are depicted in this in this film, it should be noted that many characters are an amalgamation and fictionalized. Richard hired John Luessenhop and David Aaron Cohen to research the story. Part of their research included an existing screenplay by Paul Castro, who shares Story by credit on the film. “We always knew we wanted to fictionalize the story,” says Richard, adding, “For any larger than life, almost mythical character such as Don Aronow, there are going to be inconsistencies among the various accounts of his life. Rather than reconcile these inconsistencies, we fictionalized it to make a stronger narrative.” Other research materials included the book Speed Kills, by Arthur J. Harris. Luessenhop also traveled to Miami and talked to men in the world of powerboats who knew Aronow very well. Once the research was complete, Luessenhop and Cohen quickly wrote the screenplay. John Travolta was the only choice for the role of Ben Aronoff, and he quickly agreed to perform in the film. Rionda Del Castro had worked with Travolta on Hannibal’s film “I Am Wrath,” and wanted to work with him again. Once Travolta was on board, Rionda Del Castro hired casting director Nancy Nayor to round out the cast. Katheryn Winnick was their first choice to play Emily Gowen, Aronoff’s second wife. “She is gorgeous and talented, and has a toughness that elevates the role,” offers Rionda Del Castro. 4 For other roles, such as Meyer Lansky and the triggerman behind Aronoff’s death, Rionda Del Castro called upon seasoned character actors James Remar and Tom Sizemore, both of whom had performed in Hannibal’s 2016 film “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage.” For Aronoff’s disillusioned and ultimately heartbroken first wife Katherine, Rionda Del Castro hired well-known actress Jennifer Esposito. Rionda Del Castro lobbied hard to cast one of his favorite actors, Jordi Molla, as Jules, Meyer Lansky’s enigmatic and sneaky-scary henchman. For the role of Shelly Katz, Aronoff’s in-over-his-head attorney, Rionda Del Castro needed an actor who oozed likability and innocence. Veteran actor Michael Weston fit the bill and agreed to do the film. Casting Amaury Nolasco as Agent Lopez was a no-brainer. He brings a likable charm to every role he plays, and he is from Puerto Rico. For the role of then-Vice President George Bush, the producers made one offer, and as suspected, their number one choice Matthew Modine brings Bush’s signature folksy, aw-shucks likability to life onscreen. Casting Aronoff’s nemesis, Robbie Reemer, was a challenge. He is much younger than Aronoff, and Rionda Del Castro had to find an age-appropriate actor with the gravitas to believably go toe-to-toe with Travolta in some of the more intense scenes. Kellan Lutz brings the necessary physicality and menace to the role. Preproduction took nearly six weeks. Hannibal partnered with Walter Josten, who introduced him to producer Luillo Ruiz Pimienta Film Company in Puerto Rico, who hired crew and found the locations for the film. Finding the boats was an enormous challenge. Executive Producer Joe Lemmon oversaw the production design of the film and helped to transform older boats into sexy, intense powerboats like “The Cigarette,” a popular boat Aronow built and raced. VFX played an important role in the most intense race sequence of the film. “It’s the race where everyone bails out, leaving only Aronoff,” says Rionda Del Castro. “In the middle of an intense, life-threatening storm, he powers through and is the only competitor to finish the race. It’s a key moment in the film, because it’s the moment when Emily falls in love with Ben.” The production schedule in Puerto Rico was arduous and challenging for a film of this scope. The film takes place over three decades, so wardrobe and production design were critical to help the filmmakers “sell” the three distinct periods. Amy Andrews Harrell, the costume designer, did a fantastic job in finding period-accurate clothes for the characters. Joe Lemmon and his design team, led by production designer Fernando Carrion, created sets that vividly evoke both time and place. And Andrzej Sekula’s team delivered sun-dappled exterior shots, which, when juxtaposed some of the darker interiors and night time exteriors, visually convey 5 Even as principal photography was taking place, editor Yaira Lamela had begun working on assembling the film. Once photography wrapped, editor Randy Bricker took over. Longtime Hannibal collaborator Robert Ferretti provided artistic counsel, and the filmmakers locked picture as work commenced on the sound design and scoring of the film. Composing the right feature score is important to a film’s success. Compose a well-written, well-performed and properly recorded score on a decent film it will move the film forward. Laurent Eyquem was hired to produce the music for the film, supervising composer Geronimo Mercado. The finished product gives the film its heart. The soundtrack also includes the original song Speed Kills, written and performed by acclaimed Toronto based DJ Miss Tara, with vocals by Columbian singer Jaycob Duque. For her first foray into the world of feature films, Miss Tara has created a catchy, Latin-infused theme song for the film with infectious summertime beats. Miss Tara’s recent releases have topped the charts on Billboard, iTunes and Beatport. Her contribution to the Speed Kills soundtrack recently won the Akademia Music Award for Best Latin Song in advance of the film’s upcoming release. The filmmakers also collaberated with Top Dog VR to create a virtual reality companion piece to the feature film.