“Prey” producer Jhane Myers has joined the “Will To Win” film production team as an executive producer, it was revealed at the ongoingCannes film market.
The film is a high school baseball drama featuring appearances by Hollywood pioneer Will Rogers (1879-1935). The lead character is a Native American teen girl who lives with her more traditional Native grandmother. When the softball team is cut, she joins the boys’ baseball team, seeking advice from her spirit guide, Will Rogers, as she navigates challenges.
Rogers was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Myers is a Comanche and Blackfeet American Indian whose focus is on producing, Native language, Native culture, acting and fine art.
Myers will assist with Native American content in addition to other executive responsibilities.
“Will To Win” is based on the book of the same name by Jim Stovall and, aside from a 1952 biopic starring Rogers’ son, is the first movie project ever to be endorsed by the Will Rogers family. Family representative Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, a Cherokee Nation Citizen and Rogers’ great granddaughter, is a consultant on the project. The movie is also endorsed by the Will Rogers Memorial Museums and the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The film is produced by Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions (“The Sound of Identity”). Myers is joined by producer Mark Heidelberger, screenwriter and Cherokee Nation Citizen Aaron Fulkerson and executive producers Elizabeth Abbate Warren and Terri Cornett, who is also a Cherokee Nation Citizen. Consultants on the project include the Cherokee Nation Film Office and Will Rogers historian Steven Gragert. The production is represented by the Entertainment Division of Drummond Law, PC.
Myers said: “I am thrilled to be involved in a mainstream movie that elevates Native voices and will feature a Will Rogers character. It’s especially exciting that this project will be filmed in my home state of Oklahoma.”
Producers Russ Kirkpatrick and Andy Kinslow added: “Jhane is an extraordinary talent that will elevate this important Oklahoma story. She has a proven track record of success in the entertainment business, with a clear-cut understanding of the importance of accurately portraying Indigenous voices.”
