MARINA DEL REY, CA – James Deen, star of Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader's upcoming film, The Canyons, is onto another project. To make it happen, he is taking to popular fundraising platform KickStarter.com.
Deen is producing Cowboys & Engines, a short film by writer / director Bryn Pryor. The future festival piece is a steampunk western starring Jeff Cannata (The Totally Rad Show) and Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5).
“From the moment I heard the concept behind Cowboys & Engines, I was hooked,” says Deen. “I am honored to take on the role of producer to try and make Bryn’s vision a reality. KickStarter is the perfect platform for us to win over fans and work with them to breathe life into the movie.”
KickStarter.com is a vehicle for emerging artists to finance projects from music to fashion to films. Visitors to KickStarter.com are able to view thousands of projects in various states of production and opt to donate money to support the completion.
Cowboys & Engines is a steampunk adventure following Cade Ballard (Jeff Cannata), the war-weary former ambassador from the nation of Texas, as he meets Guinivere Wheeler (Libby Letlow), a woman who proves to be as dangerous as she is charming. When they encounter Professor Nicholas Timéon (Walter Koenig) and learn his temporal engine, a machine with incredible destructive power, has been stolen by would-be conqueror Dr. Clay, Cade and Guinivere set off to save San Francisco from total destruction.
Per the creative team behind Cowboys & Engines, it is “an attempt to create something truly amazing; a dynamic, entertaining work of art for its own sake. A film that demonstrates without compromise that the people making it, irrespective of their professional backgrounds, are artists capable of working far beyond the narrow constraints of public expectation.”
One of the perks of KickStarter.com is that donors are treated to fantastic prizes depending on the size of their contribution. Prizes for Cowboys & Engines include a comic book one-sheet, original props and wardrobe, the opportunity to be an extra in the film, premiere passes, and joining Deen in a producer credit.
In addition to producing Cowboys & Engines, Deen will be appearing on the silver screen soon opposite of Lindsay Lohan in The Canyons. The feature film is written by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Paul Schrader.
Despite his mainstream success, Deen maintains his loyalty to the adult industry, which he calls “a dream job.”
Check out a YouTube teaser for The Canyons.
For more information about Cowboys & Engines, or to make a donation, please visit Kickstarter.
