Just Over A Month Away – For The Land

In just a little over a month, I get to do that thing I swore I’d stop doing every time I’m knee-deep in 14-hour shoot days and running on gas station coffee and loose prayers.

That’s right — I start production on my next film: FOR THE LAND.

Now, if you’ve followed along with any of my past work (bless your heart), you know my films usually find their way into weird, wild, and emotional territory. But this one? This one’s a little different. FOR THE LAND is personal. It’s haunting. It’s full of dirt, dust, and dialogue that’ll punch you in the heart if we do it right. And I truly think this may be — don’t quote me — one of the best scripts I’ve ever written.

The story follows Randall Mogan, a 60-year-old Idaho rancher who takes his own life to bring his estranged kids home to inherit a legacy they never wanted. It’s about grief, land, blood, and the choices we make when there’s nothing left to lose. It’s a ranch story, sure — but it ain’t your daddy’s ranch story. Unless your daddy was haunted by Steinbeck and country ghosts.

In a way… it also connects me with my own father who I lost over a decade ago.

I’m beyond stoked about the cast we’ve assembled. I mean, come on:

• Lew Temple (The Walking Dead, The Devil’s Rejects) — bringing depth, grit, and those eyes that say, “I’ve seen some sh*t.”

• Kaye Brownlee-France (Killers of the Flower Moon) — the emotional glue that holds this thing together.

• Sean Frenzel (The Hourglass) — yes, he’s that guy from that thing. And yes, he’s perfect for this.

• P.J. Sosko (House of Cards) — our quietly intense ace in the hole.

• Robert Peters (Lincoln Lawyer, Burn After Reading) — a veteran who makes it look way too easy.

• Aaron Sagers (Paranormal Caught on Camera) — our charming paranormal whisperer turned ranch realist.

• David H. Stevens (Punch Drunk Love, Fugued Up, God Dam) — he’s back, and he’s bringing the emotional thunder.

• Danny Boy O’Connor (House of Pain, The Outsiders House Museum) — a guy who lives and breathes legacy and grit.

It’s like I summoned the Avengers of Indie Drama — only with more facial hair and deeper emotional baggage.

And speaking of dream teams — none of this would be possible without Tonya, my wife, my muse, my producer, and the only person who can tell me my shot list is too long without me crying about it (openly). She keeps this circus on the rails and makes sure the cameras are pointed at the right drama and not my forehead sweat.

Also on the squad again is my son Austin, back behind the camera where he belongs. There’s something magical about having him on set. Not just because he’s talented (he is), but because working with your kid is the kind of full-circle moment that makes the stress worth it. I yell less when he’s around. Slightly.

And then there’s Oklahoma.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with this place as hard as I have. The landscape is cinematic gold. The people are better than I deserve. The gas station chicken is weirdly solid. Seriously though, Oklahoma has become my favorite place to film. Everyone here is so open, so kind, and so down to help bring something to life. We’ve scouted locations that feel like they were built for this story — places that echo with the kind of silence you can only find in rural heartbreak.

So here we go.

In just over a month, we call “action,” and FOR THE LAND starts breathing.

Wish us luck. Say a prayer. Send caffeine.

And hey — keep watching. Because if this script lands the way it should… this could be the one.