PATRIOT ACT Trailer Released on YouTube

Things are getting interesting in the new trailer from the film PATRIOT ACT released yesterday on YouTube. We get a first look at James Hong (Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, R.I.P.D.) as 'Jin' and Mayra Leal (Machete, Arena, Playing House) as 'Madison'. Now if we could only figure out what's going on with that orb device! 

New PATRIOT ACT Storyboard Artwork Released Online

New storyboard images have been released on the Patriot Act Facebook page. The images reveal concepts for The Legion uniforms and a flashback scene with Madison portrayed in the movie by Mayra Leal (Machete, Playing House, Memphis Beat). 

Find all of the latest news on Patriot Act here on the film's official blog!

PATRIOT ACT Descends Upon the Bayou City

HOUSTON (KTRK ABC 13) -- Hotel Icon has been turned into a film set for a new independent movie being shot in and around Houston.When it comes to making movies, there are some independent filmmakers who say having Houston as a backdrop is much better than Hollywood, especially if you're looking for a futuristic-looking set. It's a closed movie set, but director Wayne Slaten allowed our cameras inside for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his new film "Patriot Act." "It's in the vain of 'Blade Runner' meets 'District 9,'" he said.

The cast and crew tells us the city of Houston becomes the backdrop in the year 2078. At the epicenter of everything in this country, Slaten says human and alien life forms are dealing with a lot of social issues. "We go beyond just the genre of sci-fi and we touch on a lot of social issues. It has tdo with issues of war, with immigration in this country and even the Patriot Act. It's a big part about how much privacy are we losing in our lives and where does that take us 60 years from now," Slaten said.

This independent film is not being made at some high-tech Hollywood studio. No, the scenes are right downtown, inside the Houston's Hotel Icon. "Throughout the property, you've got different personalities in each of the spaces, and I think it gives the film crew lots more flexibility to do a variety of things," Hotel Icon spokesman Stuart Rosenberg said.

In addition to the film's director and producer, all of the folks in the crew are Houstonians as well. And among the cast of talented actors, you'll notice a few big names. Veteran actor James Hong has starred in movies like "Blade Runner" and "Big Trouble in Little China." Hong plays a trouble-making hotel manager in Patriot Act. Patriot Act is still in production. But the director said in the coming weeks there will be contests for local filmmakers, costume designers and musicians. You just have to check out Patriot Act the movie's Patriot Act Movie Facebook.

WATCH THE KTRK ABC 13 NEWS SEGMENT HERE.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

The origins of the PATRIOT ACT script

In January 2009, writer-director Wayne Slaten completed the first draft for the short film, The Cabin. The story dealt with two brothers meeting at a family hideaway retreat to catch up on life after being separated for six years by the geography and demands of war during the Great American Civil Revolt. As the brothers begin to reminisce, Kane notices things are not quite right with his older brother Arthur. The bittersweet family reunion soon turns into a deadly cat-and-mouse game that ends with Kane killing Arthur only to find out that his brother was dead long ago. Kane removes his brother’s right ear revealing a serial number in the inner ear canal. Kane’s suspicions are validated, Arthur has been replaced with a Legion Model 12 android designed to bring Kane out of hiding. Kane’s role in the Underground Movement during the civil war had made him a target of the new American government. Within seconds the tiny cabin is surrounded with Homeland Security agents.

The story was developed to question how far would a government go to find out your inner most secrets and more importantly Slaten adds,"What price comes with freedom?" Researching the evolution of The Patriot Act by law enforcement and government agencies as the catalyst in an ever-increasing loss of privacy, Slaten used this as the inspiration for writing The Cabin. As the project progressed, the essence of the original concept grew far beyond the initial scope and soon Slaten realized there was a much bigger story to tell. "The storyline opened itself up to questions of war, immigration, greed and morality," said Slaten. "The ability to comment on these issues in the science fiction genre was perfect. By utilizing the Dropas as a catalyst for many of these events, it takes some of the human element out of the equation and opens itself to a wider audience. We see our mistakes through them." That was the birth of Patriot Act, which would result in a final draft of the feature length script two years later.

“The important thing to emphasize was the depth of the characters, the quality of the story and the strength of its underlying plot.”

                                                                                                                               Martin Delon - producer

During the process of writing Patriot Act, Slaten was busy finishing his first feature length film, Backroad, a supernatural thriller set in a small Texas town. After completion of that film, Slaten and producer Martin Delon began to develop the business plan for their next independent feature film venture, Patriot Act. “The important thing to emphasize was the depth of the characters, the quality of the story and the strength of its underlying plot,” said Delon. “Patriot Act is smart science fiction not fluff”. The simple pitch for the film soon became, Patriot Act was in the vein of Blade Runner meets District 9. The team collaborated with executive producer, Nick Nicholson, on potential avenues for developing the production. The trio immediately set to work on attracting and generating the initial financing to secure the film’s limited liability company, legal documents and shoot two scenes from the film as part of their investor package.

‘Blade Runner’ Actor Joins Cast of Sci-fi Thriller PATRIOT ACT

James Hong will play the character 'Jin' in this Texas based independent film, set for a Fall 2013 release.

James Hong, the veteran Asian-American actor who has appeared in iconic roles in cult classics such as Blade Runner and Big Trouble in Little China and more recently wrapped shooting on Ryan Reynolds’ new film, R.I.P.D. (2013), has joined the cast of the Texas based independent science fiction thriller Patriot Act written and directed by Wayne Slaten and starring Jason Douglas, Mayra Leal and Matthew Carter.

The story centers on Kane (Carter), a retired government assassin, who is brought out of retirement to hunt down an alien responsible for killing the members of his former team. Hong will play “Jin”, the manager of the Grand Hotel, who is best described as Kane’s “eyes” in the Lower Quarter of downtown Houston in the year 2078. Patriot Act will be distributed worldwide through Archstone Distribution with a Fall 2013 theatrical release.

Hong, with a career dating back to the mid 1950s, has astoundingly appeared in over 500 movies and television roles including Kung Fu Panda, Mulan, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Shadow and Seinfeld and was most recently seen this year in the Jason Statham action movie Safe. He is represented by Stage 9 Talent.

PATRIOT ACT Director Interviewed About Film Screening at Cannes

Patriot Act director Wayne Slaten sat down with KRIV Fox 26 News reporter Ned Hibberd to discuss the screening of his film Cold War next week at the Cannes Film Festival and the latest news on Patriot Act. 

Watch the Interview Here.

  Shayla Bagir and Donny Boaz in a scene from Cold War (2011) Courtesy of Moonlite Filmwerks.

PATRIOT ACT on IMDb

As things begin to ramp up on production for the sci i-fi action-thriller Patriot Act, we have been receiving more emails requesting information on who is involved with the film regarding the cast and crew. As information becomes available and is confirmed, it is posted to the Patriot Act listing on IMDb. There are still many big announcements to come over the next several weeks! So keep an eye (or two) on the IMDb site, as well as, here on this blog site for further news.