MARINA DEL REY, Calif.—The James Deen-produced, Bryn Pryor-directed steampunk western short Cowboys & Engines has already exceeded its Kickstarter goal of $100,000—and now, with actors Malcolm McDowell (O Lucky Man), Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), and Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5) joining the cast of the steampunk adventure, there's a good chance they might meet their "stretch goal" of $120K before the March 9 deadline.
"I am extremely excited to have these amazing actors join the cast of Cowboys & Engines," James Deen said. "They are icons, and their participation will add vitality and depth to our movie."
"We aren’t hiding the fact that many of us who are working behind the camera to bring Cowboys & Engines to life have risen to the top of the adult film industry," stated Bryn Pryor on the project's Kickstarter page. "Our director and one of our producers have both won the most prestigious awards and accolades that business has to offer. It certainly isn’t a secret, but it’s also nothing to do with this project in any way," he cautioned.
Malcolm McDowell has made indelible impressions in his career, from his debut as the rebellious student Mick Travis in if…. to ultra-violent Alex in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange to Caligula to the villainous Dr. Tolian Soran, who kills Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations. McDowell is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood.
Cast as the quintessential scoundrel Bester on the beloved television series Babylon 5 and Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series and movies, Walter Koenig is a fan-favorite in the sci-fi community.
Richard Hatch is best known for his role as Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica television series. Hatch was also cast as Tom Zarek in the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Like McDowell and Koenig, Hatch is well known in by sci-fi fans and a welcome addition to the cast of Cowboys & Engines.
Cowboys & Engines is an ambitious steampunk adventure following Cade Ballard (Richard Hatch), 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 that his temporal engine, a machine with incredible destructive power, has been stolen by would-be conqueror Dr. Clay (Malcolm McDowell), Cade and Guinivere set off to save San Francisco from total destruction.
"For several years I have traveled around the country attending and appearing at many mega events and multi-media conventions, and I have discovered that the most popular genre among fans 18 to 49 and the most underserved marketplace for the past few years has been steampunk," stated Richard Hatch. "But what makes Cowboys & Engines unique and special beyond its steampunk credentials is its blend of great characters you can both love and hate."
"Its richly layered story by talented director/writer Bryn Pryor ignites the imagination and satisfies our penchant for epic adventure, while evolving the ever-popular Jules Verne post-apocalyptic retro/futuristic style of storytelling," he continued. "Our explorations into the future mirror mankind's earlier sojourn to the West in the 1800s, and so it is that Cowboys & Engines marries our love of great Westerns with our passion and love of visionary sci-fi and our world’s forthcoming journey to the stars. What a powerful and artistic fusion of two highly loved and respected genres. I'm in and soon, so will be the rest of the world."
Cowboys & Engines has reached its initial $100,000 funding goal through KickStarter.com, a vehicle for emerging artists to finance projects from music to fashion to films. Visitors to KickStarter.com can see thousands of projects in various states of production and elect to donate money to support them to completion. The Cowboys & Engines KickStarter website page can be accessed here.
Contributors to Cowboys & Engines through KickStarter.com can receive prizes depending on the size of their contribution, including a comic book one-sheet, original props and wardrobe, the opportunity to be an extra in the film, premiere passes, and joining James Deen in a producer credit.
"I'm happy our film has passed the $100,000 mark in contributions, and grateful to those who supported it," James Deen said. "We hope everybody who wants to participate in this adventure gets their chance in these final five days."
The Cowboys & Engines website, which includes cast bios, production designs, and inside information about the film, can be found here.
