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Since 2017, Bloomington-based Pigasus Pictures has carried the torch for making feature-length films in Indiana.
Zachary Spicer, CEO and co-founder of Pigasus, starred in the company’s first film, “The Good Catholic,” along with castmates Danny Glover and John C. McGinley. Netflix purchased “The Good Catholic,” and Pigasus continued its mission to make independent movies in Indiana—including 2022 thriller “So Cold the River” set against the backdrop of the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick.
New film “The Duel” represents a “big jump” for Pigasus, Spicer said, because global content platform Lionsgate is scheduled to release the comedic drama in 500 U.S. theaters on July 31.
Lionsgate, known as the distributor of “The Hunger Games” and “John Wick” film series, acquired “The Duel” after the movie starring Dylan Sprouse and Callan McAuliffe screened at northern California’s Mammoth Film Festival in March.
“This is a huge stamp of approval,” Spicer said. “Now Lionsgate is talking to us about other projects that could be made here in Indiana and released on a wider stage.”
Shot at Indiana locations such as Carmel’s Asherwood estate, “The Duel” will have a red-carpet premiere Sunday, July 28, at Hilbert Circle Theatre.
Sprouse, known for his work in Disney Channel sitcoms “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and “The Suite Life on Deck” from 2005 to 2011, will attend, along with McAuliffe (a cast member of “The Walking Dead” across four seasons) and “Rules of Engagement” star Patrick Warburton. In “The Duel,” Warburton portrays an expert in the score-settling ritual of duels.
A plot summary for the R-rated film: Characters portrayed by McAuliffe and Sprouse are best friends until a love triangle is revealed and a battle to death is suggested and agreed upon.
“It has a finite amount of outcomes,” Spicer said. “But you have a really fun time getting there.”
Laughs didn’t necessarily play into the making of “The Duel.” Spicer refers to the project as a secret movie made during pandemic lockdown.
In addition to Asherwood, the former estate of Mel and Bren Simon presently being redeveloped as a community of 40 homes, local settings included Fountain Square’s Inferno Room tiki bar, Midland Arts & Antiques and the catacombs beneath City Market.
“The big fear was that if a single person got COVID on the cast or crew, it would shut the entire film down and we wouldn’t have the budget to survive that,” Spicer said.
Spicer declined to disclose the cost of the making of “The Duel,” but he said the entire budget was less than Sprouse typically is paid for a role.
“He signed on for scale,” Spicer said of Sprouse. “That was true for the entire cast.”
The script written by Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts was a major selling point, Spicer said. Matthews and Roberts, who have writing credits on 2024 Amazon Prime romantic comedy “Upgraded,” also directed “The Duel.”
Sprouse has an executive producer credit.
“He was interested in getting his hands into the producing scene and being more of a creative part in the projects he’s involved in,” Spicer said.
In the end, “The Duel” aced its pandemic challenge in fall 2020.
“We had a cast of 10, we had a crew of 40 and we had about 40 extras we were working with,” Spicer said. “We tested every single person every other day for more than six weeks, and we didn’t get one single positive COVID result.”
The July 28 special screening of “The Duel” begins at 6 p.m. with red-carpet arrivals at the Hilbert. The movie will be shown at 7:30 p.m., followed by an audience Q&A with the filmmakers and actors. For ticket information, visit pigasuspictures.com.
An afterparty is scheduled for 10 p.m. at the Lume at Newfields. For more information, visit discovernewfields.org.
On July 31, Lionsgate will present “The Duel” as a one-night-only cinema event. In central Indiana, the roster of participating theaters includes AMC Indianapolis 17, AMC Castleton Square 14, Regal UA Circle Centre, AMC Traders Point 12, Regal UA Galaxy and AMC Washington Square 12.
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