Fifty-eight years after its debut, “Bonnie and Clyde” continues to awe and inspire.
Mark Craig, a director, screenwriter, producer and actor based out of Denton, is working on concept scenes for a screenplay 15 years in the making while using Pilot Point locations and local performers to do it.
“The story about bank robbers revolves around this couple who were childhood sweethearts just out of high school and went to a screening of ‘Bonnie and Clyde,’ fell in love and romanticized about robbing banks together. The guy decides to actually rob a bank and everything goes wrong.”
After years in LA, and several in Louisiana, Craig and his wife moved to Denton without knowing the film had the Southwest’s premiere at the campus theater or that a scene was filmed in Pilot Point.
“I had no idea,” Craig said. “All of a sudden it was like, ‘I have to make this, and I have to make it here.’ From then on, I’ve become determined.”
Currently he, his cast and crew are working to film concept scenes for use in attracting investors.
“Right now, it’s not union,” Craig said. “I’m filming these scenes for proof of concept. When I get the go and start getting money together to film it, I do want to make it a union project.”
A particular house on McFarland Street, owned by Gerald Sugg, will play a key role in those scenes.
“I went to the Bonnie and Clyde festival this past year up at Pilot Point,” Craig said. “I was walking around the neighborhoods taking pictures of houses where I knew I would want to shoot this particular scene to begin with.”
He got in contact with the Suggs through Lori Shewbirt, whose daughter Olivia is an aspiring actress.
“I knew Lori from another project, and she immediately said, ‘hey, I know that house, could get in contact with those people and could see if they’d be open to letting you film there.’” From the house to the truck featured in the scenes, Craig said Lori has been a key part of making the scenes happen.
“Lori has been a real hustler,” Craig said. “I told her that if this film gets put together, you’re getting a producer credit. She’s really passionate about it.”
Olivia, alongside Craig and another local actor Harrison Dean, make up the cast.
“I worked on a set for a different short film called ‘A Still Small Voice’ and Mark happened to be working with them as well,” Olivia said. “We found out in early November that he wrote a role in for me for this film. It means a lot, because that shows I must have some talent.”
Dean is another previous contact of Craig’s and has been featured in several short films and one more recognizable work.
“I got my first featured extra spot in ‘The Long Game,’ on Netflix,” Dean said. “It was really cool to be a part of that.”
In this project, Dean plays the character who provides the inciting incident for the story.
“The basic storyline is this group of down on their luck losers plan to rob a bank and because this guy has done time for robbing a bank, they go to him to help them,” Craig said.
Craig explained many of the project’s details are still secret while he works to secure funding but shared that he hopes to film as much of the project in and around the area as possible.
“The more people I talk to here about it, the more people seem enthusiastic about it,” Craig said.
