Solstice Studios releasing new cut of Mark Wahlberg-starrer 'Joe Bell'
What's the story
Mark Wahlberg is getting all pumped up for a film that shows less of his toned physique and more of the pathos of a father in his upcoming movie Joe Bell. The film was originally titled Good Joe Bell and was screened at the Toronto Film Festival last September. The new cut of the film will be released on February 19, 2021. Here's more.
Post 'Unhinged'
Solstice's second pandemic foray
While screening at the film festival last year, Good Joe Bell caught the attention of Solstice Studios, which has now bought the film over for a price of $20mn. The film will be released to match the delayed awards season this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Solstice Studios is testing the crowd-pulling capacity of traditional theaters again after releasing Unhinged on August 21.
Context
What is the film about?
The film is based on the true story of a man named Joe Bell, who undertook a cross-country walk to raise awareness about bullying after the death of his son Jadin. Jadin, a gay student, had hanged himself in 2013 after being bullied. Bell was 48 years old when he was fatally hit by a semi-truck while he was walking through Cheyenne County.
The father
What role does Wahlberg play?
"Joe's Walk for Change," as Bell had described his noble effort on a placard, would be now visible to the audience through Wahlberg's deft rendition. The Max Payne actor is essaying the role of the working-class father, whose son Jadin, played by Reid Miller, is bullied in high school, thereby putting Bell across an enlightening walk from Oregon to New York City.
As parent
Wahlberg's thoughts
Mark Gill, President-CEO of Solstice Studios, says the new cut contains a new original end title song by songwriter Diane Warren. "Joe Bell is a man who didn't understand certain things about the world until he was faced with them in his own life — as a father. As a parent myself, I know how much fatherhood can change a man," said Wahlberg.