Local filmmaker adapting Stephen King short

Filmmaker Jon Mann and his actor best friend Rob Ramsay have been producing films together for years.

They had two short film entries, Cahoots and Missy, appear at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival in mid-September. They've already gotten back to work on their next few ventures.

“We are adapting Stephen King's short story called Popsy and we've been working on it for the last few months,” said Mann. He and Blue Mountain State alum Ramsay are putting a lot of stock in the project.

“We felt good about Cahoots and Missy being our calling cards, but then this came up. We shoot in mid-October in New Brunswick. When King gives you the rights, you gotta do it,” said Ramsay.

They're feeling good coming off FIN, and were happy with the reception for both shorts, though Missy was dramatic and Cahoots was comedic.

“Cahoots got some big laughs, and beforehand we weren't sure about how our whole ISIS theme would go. But people understood the humour,” said Mann.

Ramsay said Missy was also a surprise when it came to reception.

“People laughed and chuckled in places we didn't expect, and gasped at places we didn't think were surprising. It was great to watch with an audience,” Ramsay said.

While they're worrying about whether King, a master or horror literature and Mann's personal idol, will enjoy their short, they have another venture on the horizon.

They're working on Wolfville, a TV series project developed through the NSI Totally Television program. It was recently optioned by Newfoundland-based company Take the Shot Productions.

The two met Canadian greats Allan Hawco and Alex Patrick through NSI, and received almost immediate support for Wolfville.

“We gave them an elevator pitch, and they were excited. We fine-tuned, sent it, and they responded well to the script,” said Mann.

“With Republic of Doyle, Caught and Frontier on their resumes, these names carry weight. They allowed us to use our voices with the script. Now we need to get out and start pitching.”