! Resplendent Pictures presents Chasing Comets/ In cinemas 23 August 2018 Directed by Jason Perini Produced and Written by former Football Legend Player Jason Stevens Starring Isabel Lucas, Dan Ewing, Stan Walker, Rhys Muldoon, Beau Ryan, Kat Hoyos and George Houvardas Check out our “conversation” with Jason & Beau: https://youtu.be/2ThfuYP8l6I Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySDNB-kgyr4&t=4s PUBLICITY REQUESTS: Rebecca Stevens [email protected] IMAGES High res images and poster available to download via https:// www.jasonstevensproductions.com/films/ Distributed by Resplendent Pictures SYNOPSIS Wagga is a country town that loves its sport but is divided over its loyalty for the rival codes, AFL and NRL. It’s in this setting that we find our hero, Chase Daylight. Chase’s dream to play in the NRL is falling by the wayside, just like his relationship to Brooke. Chase seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his unfaithful Dad. At his lowest point, Chase takes a leap of faith to sort out his life. Living this out is a far greater challenge than he imagined. Chase gets dropped from the team and dropped by his girlfriend. His leap of faith might possibly be the worst decision ever he has ever made. Former Rugby League player turned TV host, Jason Stevens, has written and produced his first feature film, a comedy drama set in Wagga called “Chasing Comets”. The film is loosely based on the life of Jason Stevens, and stars a host of great Aussie talent, including Isabel Lucas, Dan Ewing, Rhys Muldoon, Stan Walker, John Batchelor, George Houvardas, Peter Phelps, Kat Hoyos, Gary Eck, Gemma Pranita and more. The film also marks a welcomed return to screen for Justin Melvey who played the role of Dr Colin Murphy in Days of our lives, as well as showcasing the acting debut of DJ Havana Brown and Footy Show favourite Beau Ryan. DIRECTOR – JASON PERINI Vision My introduction to this project came through the writer and producer Jason Stevens. I had grown up watching the colourful football career of Jason, however, I was always less interested in his ‘on the field’ stats as I was about his life off the field. I was always struck by the way he excelled in rugby League and yet lived his life ‘against the grain’ of the sporting culture he was surrounded with. It was hard not to be curious about a guy who had lived the cocktail of being an elite sportsman in a tough, athletic and at times brutal sport, whilst within that culture living a gentle life and outspoken Christian faith. My journey was similar to Jason’s (barring the good looks and physical prowess) but I had my own huge, personal wrestles with faith when I was a young adult, which was at a time when Jason was in the spotlight for his faith. He was actually a personal inspiration for me growing up as I had to work out whether I was going to ‘own’ my faith, or hide it due to the social difficulties of it. Jason proved to be an encouragement to me as I dealt with my own personal journey of faith. A faith which often felt out of step with the culture I grew up in. Having this distant affection for Jason meant I was all too eager to read his script. My first reaction to Jason’s script was how funny it was. I knew we had a comedy on our hands from the opening pages. What then continued to get me excited about this story was how Jason dealt with humour and faith and how all this was explored through the characters he had created. It’s a great ensemble piece with a really enjoyable and honest journey of the protagonist ‘Chase’. The Jason Stevens’ story is a real, lived one, so who better than to write the story of Chase Daylight - a guy who's trying to figure out what to go after, what direction to head in, what to value, what to prize, and who to be. The script is funny, the script has heart and the script deals with faith issues. What I am excited about is finding ways to make these themes exist in the same film, and that we tell the one story but give equal love, playfulness, humour, heart and weight to all parts of the film. This isn’t a faith story with some laughs, nor is it a comedy with some faith chucked in. It’s the story of Chase who lives in a world where life is confusing, messy and fun, where faith and funny exist side by side. Added to that I’m excited in the way female audiences are represented, in how they will connect with the themes of faithfulness and commitment in a way that is in tune with the current diversity that makes Australia so great. I feel Jason has crafted a strong script that explores the journey of a group of young men moving into adulthood and what they need to learn about sacrifice, honour and mate ship in order to become men. This is something I am passionate about. After spending time this year in America working in Los Angeles with Dana Brunetti and Maggie Gyllenhaal on a short film I wrote and directed, I am itching to take the lessons and experiences gained from my time in America and make something distinctly Australian and community based. Lastly, you don’t say no to Jason Stevens…Have you seen the size of him? PRODUCER/WRITER – JASON STEVENS About Jason Stevens was not your average sports star. Jason completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UNSW and is an author of 2 books, one of which, Worth The Wait, became a best seller in Australia. Jason had a successful Rugby League career where he played at the highest level (NSW and Australian representative) for 14 seasons with both the Cronulla Sharks and St George Dragons. Since retiring from the game in 2005, Jason’s charismatic, warm and witty nature catapulted him onto our TV screens when he featured and had his own segments on The Footy Show, ABC’s The Fat, Ch 7’s Matty John’s show and currently Sydney Weekender with his wife Beck. In 2010, Jason hosted his own lifestyle/variety show on 7Two called “Big J’s Place”. Jason’s various roles on TV have seen him swap smack down stories with The Rock, flex his muscles at a blushing Nicole Kidman on the red carpet, sing with The Village People, talk a good plan with Liam Neeson. He learned dance moves from Carmen Electra, though it didn’t help him, as he finished last in the 2010 Dancing with the Stars series. In 2006 Jason hosted The Disposable Ones, a documentary that explores the amazing strength and survival of Colombia's underprivileged children and child soldiers struggling to live amid harsh conditions, abuse and disease. Keen to discover how they survive, Jason travels to Colombia to explore what challenges they face daily and find out what he can do to help. In 2010, Jason’s “wait” was over and he married Rebecca. Their ceremony was televised on Ch 7’s Sunday Night program. Jason has also undertaken various film courses at NIDA and performed as Pharaoh in Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and The Cowardly Lion in The Wiz both at the Seymour Centre. How did you get into the film industry? I’ve been in the entertainment industry for a while but I stumbled into the film industry. I still remember my brother Paul (who makes a cameo in the film in the opposition team) taking me to the city to see my first film - Star Wars - and am extremely excited and privileged to have made one. I remember in 2006, the year after I retired from Rugby League, I started writing my first script. Did I know how to write a script? No. Did I know what to write a script on? I used a pencil and pad! But I had a good concept. I started going to script writing courses and then it was a process of writing and re-writing, then re-writing. At the end of the day, a good concept is really only the start - to execute that concept is the grind of screenwriting. I actually never thought I’d be in the film industry. For me the focus was on TV as I love to entertain. Over the years whilst I was playing, I had contracts with Ch 9 and 7 to do sport based entertainment shows. I would get great opportunities to travel and do movie junkets. But after my last year, the show I had a contract with, stopped doing the entertainment side of the show and I wasn’t needed. I was pretty devastated. I mean, I had a commerce degree but there was no way I was going back to accounting! I eventually got a job with Fox Sports, who were great to work with, but they probably sensed, as did I, that it wasn’t my passion. I’d be watching the game at half time in the green room and whilst other panellists were preparing what to say, I’d be stuffing my face with Thai food. Needless to say, that ended. I then began a longer and more intense journey with film to find my feet. How did this film come to be made? I initially wrote Chasing Comets as a pilot for a TV series set in the US in the competitive field of NFL.