Filmmaker Klausner Shooting The Billings Outlaws For Upcoming Movie!

24 February 2006

The Outlaws might not be a household name in America yet, but that isn't stopping writer-filmmaker Howie Klausner from showing up when practice opens for the Billings Outlaws Indoor Football team February 25. He'll have his cameras loaded and ready for the opening shots of the film with the working title, Outlaw Dreams.

"This one's easy," laughs the co-writer of the 2000 blockbuster, Space Cowboys. "Clint Eastwood taught me the secret to directing is to find a great story and the right people, then get out of their way. That's what I've found in the Outlaws and the town of Billings, and that's exactly how I'm going to make this film."

So what does the Nashville Tennessee native, high school football coach, writer, recording artist and self-described sports nut have to work with in Billings? A lot, actually. An explosively talented movie-actor quarterback from the mean streets of Oakland, a soft-spoken, articulate coach who played for the Chicago Bears, a local businessman owner who fixes busted cleats and chinstraps, and coaches his own kids, a cast of colorful characters from around the country... these just scratch the surface of the Outlaws' 2006 roster. Stories there are, and plenty.

But Klausner is equally captivated by the surrounding cast, and Billings itself. "This is more than just football, this is a snapshot of America," the writer in him declares without a trace of irony. "I'm sure there will be ESPN-class highlights galore, but that's not really the story I'm telling. I'm more interested in the Dream.

And not just the dreams of the men wearing Outlaw uniforms. True, it is Klausner's starting point; "Every player out there is either wanting his shot at big-time pro football, or wanting to return to it," It is, first and foremost, a football movie, he admits. "But I'm equally interested in the dreams of the men and women buying the ticket, the dance team, the local sponsors, the kids playing Pop Warner."

Klausner wrote the biography of Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad (Rocketman, New American Library 2005), and more than just another space project following the very successful Space Cowboys, Rocketman is the story of a boy beset by enough problems-including a learning disability-- to make anyone quit. But it was the dream that fueled Pete Conrad's ride to the Moon, and that's what drew Klausner to writing it. "It's the thread that runs through all my work, the power of dreams. That's what I'm doing here in Billings. That's the story I'm telling."

Production will follow the entire 2006 season, even to the championship, if things go the Outlaw way. Does Klausner expect any surprises? "Of course, that's the fun it."

And might those Billings Outlaws become household names after all? "I don't know," Klausner grins. "But once upon a time nobody had ever heard of the Mighty Ducks or the Titans, either. You just never know, until you put the pads on and play the game."

The Outlaws first game is on March 17th against the Casper Cavalry. Kickoff is 7:00 pm at the Metrapark, where the public will be able to see for the first time the team's new uniforms and state of the art Field!

For more information on the Outlaws, visit our Website at www.billingsoutlaws.com. Don't' miss the action, get your season tickets now by contacting the Billings Outlaws (254-6287) or the Metrapark Box Office at 256-2422.

Source: oursportscentral

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