‘To the Last Man': Big-Budget Porn Meets Zane Grey

SAN FRANCISCO - Raging Stallion Studios said Tuesday it has budgeted $200,000 for its next blockbuster gay-porn epic, To the Last Man.

Based on the Zane Grey novel of the same title, To the Last Man is rife with classic western violence and conflict as two rival gangs of cowboys battle to see who ends up on top -literally and figuratively. Inspired by the films of Quentin Tarantino, To the Last Man ends in a dramatic shootout that leaves blood and guts spilled across the screen.

"Not to worry," said RSS president Chris Ward. "There is a non-violent, all-sex edit for consumers who do not want to see all the mayhem. This movie is going to go where no porn film has gone before. It's really a gay marriage between adult and mainstream product that tells a story and shows lots of amazing sex.

"Some of the scenes will be pretty controversial. There is one scene in particular that is very upsetting," he added, declining to elaborate about the nature of the scene.

More than 100 performers were considered for parts in the movie, according to Ward.

"Almost every major performer in the industry angled to be included in the cast," he said.

Heading the cast of To the Last Man are Ricky Sinz and Scott Tanner, each playing the head of rival ranches that battle for access to water rights. Co-stars in the project include GAYVN Performer of the Year Jake Deckard and Raging Stallion exclusives Damien Crosse, Logan McCree, R.J. Danvers, Tristan Jaxx, Bo Matthews, Antonio Biaggi and Damian Rios. Guest performers include Antton Harri, Jackson Wild, Jimmy Tripps, Rick Powers and Scott Fremont.

To the Last Man will be directed by Chris Ward, Ben Leon and Tony Dimarco. Dimarco also serves as head writer, and Leon will hold the reins as head of cinematography.

"I'm very excited to be working on this film with such a stellar cast and crew," Dimarco said. "Rugged and handsome, the models for this film look like they could be right out of a Sergio Leone western - with the added bonus of being incredibly sexy and well hung.

"The unspoken emotions of the mythic cowboy mixed with a brooding sexuality makes writing this type of film rich with possibilities," he added. "Minimal, yet complex, the western genre is full of drama and story."

According to Ward, To the Last Man shares many traits with Raging Stallion's previous high-budget film, Grunts, which received multiple honors including GAYVN and Grabby awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

"We really enjoy shooting blockbuster films," Ward said. "All of us are really looking forward to doing a real, honest-to-goodness western. It's a sexy genre, and it really goes with our company name."

Raging Stallion has rented two ranches - one in New Mexico and one in California - for principal photography. Horses and cattle, together with wild elk, will be featured in the film.

"Just like Grunts, we are going to be true to the genre," Ward said. "This is not going to be a film about pretty boys riding horses. It's rough and rugged and will look like the real deal."

In part, that's due to an equipment upgrade Raging Stallion accomplished in order to do justice to the project, according to Leon.

"In the process of planning next year's blockbuster, we decided to significantly upgrade our shooting equipment," he said. "We have added a few expensive but essential pieces to our arsenal. As we move toward shooting more large, narrative projects, we've upgraded our sound equipment by buying new lavaliere microphones for recording dialogue on horses and additional boom mics for group scenes. We also bought a new steadicam, a dolly track and a camera crane that will allow us to mix handheld work with smoother camera movements, adding depth and weight to many of our shots."

Principal photography for To the Last Man is scheduled to begin July 31 and wrap Aug. 18. The movie is set for release during Thanksgiving weekend in both standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats.