Locals are snatching up tickets to see friends, neighbors and maybe even themselves in the screening of a new movie.
Tickets are selling fast for the screening of “The Kings of Appletown,” a film shot primarily in New Braunfels in the fall of 2007.
It premieres at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre at 290 W. San Antonio St.
The films stars twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse from the Disney Channel show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” They play cousins. It was directed by Bobby Moresco, who won an Oscar for best original screenplay for the 2004 film “Crash.”
“Appletown” producer Joe Reilly said the movie is a modern-day adaptation of Mark Twain’s coming-of-age tale ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
“New Braunfels was the perfect place for this movie,” Reilly said. “I was looking for a place with rivers and a town that could look like any town in America. I wanted it to be an older looking place with good architecture too. This place was just a homerun. There’s this very all-American feel to it,” he said. “Because of time restraints, we couldn’t get everything filmed in New Braunfels, though. Other parts were filmed in LA.”
As an example, he detailed an early scene where Dylan and Cole are riding a mo-ped on a dirt trail through the woods.
“They’re in Texas, they’re in Texas, they’re in Texas, and boom! They’re in LA now,” Reilly said as he watched the boys come down a hill, marveling at the move magic.
The movie was filmed in 2007 during New Braunfels’ 10-day salute to sausage: Wurstfest.
“The Wurstfest folks really helped us out,” Reilly said. “We’re a small independent company, so they knew we didn’t have all the funding to get this done ourselves. They helped us set up a deal with the Brauntex to have the movie screened here.”
All proceeds from the $10 tickets go to Wurstfest’s scholarship fund, said Suzanne Herbelin, executive director for the Wurstfest Association Suzanne Herbelin.
“We’re obviously very excited to have them here in New Braunfels,” Herbelin said. “I know people are going to want to come out and see people they know in the movie.”
Ticket holders will automatically be entered into a drawing tonight for signed memorabilia from the film, including a life vest Cole wore in the movie and a dirt bike helmet worn by Dylan.
Reilly will field questions during a brief Q&A session after the movie.
As of Thursday afternoon, only 90 of the Brauntex’s 578 seats were available. For tickets, stop by the box office at 290 West San Antonio Street or call (830) 627-0808.
