Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here has fast become one of the many projects currently in development that I am most looking forward to.
Braff launched the film on Kickstarter late last month, and received pledges beyond the $2m. goal within a matter of days.
With production expected to begin in Los Angeles towards the end of summer, Braff has begun casting the movie with casting director Avy Kaufman (Lincoln, Shame, Garden State).
And now the first three announcements have been made, with Anna Kendrick, Josh God, and Mandy Patinkin all boarding the project.
“WISH I WAS HERE” tells the story of Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, husband and dad who at 35 is still trying to find his true place in life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially, and Aidan passes his time fantasizing about being the futuristic Space Knight he always dreamed he’d be as a little kid.
When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids, and with the only available public school on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. The result is chaos, until Aidan decides to scrap the traditional academic curriculum and come up with his own. Through teaching them about life his way, he gradually discovers the parts of himself he couldn’t find.
Patinkin and Gad are set to star as Braff’s father and brother, respectively. And Kendrick has come on board as a young Cosplay enthusiast who is the love interest for Gad’s brother character.
Braff is directing from a script he co-wrote with his brother, Adam.
Wish I Was Here is still live on Kickstarter, with about a week still left to go. And whilst the original $2m. goal has been reached, meaning that the project is officially a go, there’s still plenty of time left to pledge more money, and Braff has promised that every cent of the money raised (once Kickstarter and Amazon, etc. have taken their fees) will be put towards the production.
With Braff leading the cast, and now Kendrick, Gad, and Patinkin all coming on board, my excitement surrounding the film continues to increase daily. I’m a huge fan of Braff’s directorial debut, Garden State, and cannot wait to see him return behind the camera for his long-awaited sophomore feature.
