Coming Soon: 'Will to Win' Movie Celebrates Oklahoma's Favorite Son Will Rogers
A movie that centers around a Native American teenage girl, baseball, and the life of "Oklahoma's Favorite Son" Will Rogers is set to start filming in the Tulsa area this year.
Consulting Producer, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry is also the great-granddaughter of Will Rogers and she joined us on the Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch to tell about the movie Will To Win.
Hello, Jennifer! Tell us a little about Will to Win. Where did this story come from?
It started as a book written by Tulsa author Jim Stovall and then it was adapted for the screen by another Tulsa writer and Cherokee Nation Citizen Aaron Fulkerson. Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer, Reagan) is set to direct the film and we couldn't be more excited.
It is a high school baseball movie featuring a rich Native American storyline — with a lead who is also Native American.
Skylar Forest moves in with her traditional Native grandmother in Tulsa after her parents die in a Florida car crash. Before his death, her father was a huge Will Rogers fan. While she was a softball star in Florida, softball has been canceled at Will Rogers High in Tulsa because of budget cuts.
Skylar pivots to baseball, and becomes the pitcher on the boys' team. Through her vivid imagination Skylar imagines Will Rogers assisting her through various high school drama that comes along, from competing with the boys, to figuring out relationships, and of course dealing with the loss of her parents.
Why is a film about Will Rogers so important?
Throughout the time since Will Rogers died in a plane crash in 1935, his memory is fading. The movie is an important project to ensure that current and future generations understand who Will Rogers was, and his impact in the world.
9) What do you think were the greatest contributions of Will Rogers' life?
There are myriad contributions Will Rogers made in the world… When the US was going through the Great Depression, he was the one flying around the country to raise money for those in need.
Will Rogers’ impact on the political discourse was critically important then, and now. Will Rogers had the character traits that so many people can emulate: things like humility, work ethic, integrity, and service.
What stage is the film in now?
The film is in the development stage as we finalize financing, casting, and other details before filming begins. We are scheduled to start filming later this year in northeast Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa, and the Cherokee Nation. We are working with the Will Rogers High School, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, various baseball fields around town, and multiple other locations.
You can follow updates for the movie at www.willtowinmovie.com and @willtowinmovie on Facebook and Instagram.
