WINNIPEG -- A new Christopher Walken movie filmed in Manitoba is set to hit theatres on Friday, Oct. 9.
‘Percy’ stars Walken, Christina Ricci, Zach Braff, as well as Manitoba’s own Zoe Fish and Adam Beach.
The film tells the story of real-life Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser, who found himself in a legal battle after seeds blew off his neighbour’s truck and interfered with his seeds.
Clark Johnson, the movie’s director, said he felt a personal connection with the story,
“Being a city slicker, you know you take our food source for granted,” he said.
“Usually I get movies that are more urban-oriented and this was intriguing and I had to go to my local grocery store to learn the difference between canola and corn oil.”
The movie is set in Saskatchewan but was filmed at a family farm just outside of Stonewall, Man.
“If Chris Walken played Percy, that farm played the movie, because being able to follow the four seasons of the cycle of farm life was really important for me to tell the story,” Johnson said.
He said he wanted the movie to be visually accurate and show the grandeur of Manitoba’s landscape, adding that Walken even learned how to drive a combine.
“It was so stunningly beautiful out there,” he said.
‘Percy’ opens on Friday at Cineplex McGillivray and Landmark Grant Park.
- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.
