In horse racing terminology, Emilio Estevez’s harness racing film Johnny Longshot has been put on the shelf for a variety of ailments.
Production, which was set to begin this month, has been postponed until April because the movie popped a curb, flipped its palate and got the thumps – or as they say in Hollywood – faced financing issues, came up with script rewrites and faced construction issues at River Downs and Lebanon Raceway where shooting was to take place.
Last October the Ohio Film Commission announced a $3.8-million state motion picture tax credit. At that time, Estevez stated that filming for Johnny Longshot would start in sometime in Spring 2013. In May, Estevez said he would begin shooting at this past Saturday's $1.2-million Hambletonian at The Meadowlands. That didn’t happen.
“Movie delays happen all the time,” said Kristen Erwin Schlotman, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission executive director. “What people don’t realize is that pre-production is also an important part of filmmaking. We are grateful for Estevez’s enthusiasm and commitment.”
Scholtman also indicated Estevez, who will play aging Cincinnati jockey-turned harness racing driver John West, has revised the script several times. He also noted the climax of the film will be set at the Delware County Fairgrounds – the home of the Little Brown Jug.
(With files from cincinnati.com)