Filming for western movie ‘Hell on The Border’ shot in Bessemer. Will it be completed?

Birmingham was in the movie spotlight yet again this past weekend as extras and even some well-known celebrities took to downtown Bessemer for the filming of a new action thriller “Hell on The Border.”

Birmingham in Films

Within the past year, the southeast—particularly Birmingham—has started gaining momentum in the film industry and has the potential to become a real hot spot for filmmakers.

Remember when John Travolta and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst were suddenly being spotted around Birmingham last year? Then Aaron Eckhart? See where I am going with this?

(By the way, the official trailer for Trading Paint starring John Travolta is finally out, with a release date of February 22.)

Believe it or not, Birmingham has actually been home to many movies over the years. Check out our list of movies shot in the Magic City.

The Plot

Though the full plot of the movie is still being kept pretty hush hush, we do know a few things that will get your interest flowing.

1. The movie is based on the true life of Bass Reeves

Who’s that? An illiterate former slave who decides to become a lawman. To do so he must prove his worth by accepting an assignment that no other marshal will: tracking and capturing and/or killing, Bob Dozier, the most dangerous outlaw in the Indian Territory.

During his career, Reeves was the first black deputy U.S. Marshall west of the Mississippi River. Over the course of his career, he became a legendary tough African American cowboy in the Wild West who was credited with the arrests of more than 3,000 felons.

2. The movie takes place during the American Wild West (1870s/1880s)

According to local casting directors, these were some of the roles that needed to be filled for filming in Bessemer on January 26:

• Possemen
• Jailers
• Townfolk
• Deputy Marshals
• Outlaws

Sounds like a movie set during the Wild West to me!

The Cast of “Hell on The Border”

“Hell on The Border” will be directed by Wes Miller who directed the 2018 film “River Runs Red”.

Starring in “Hell on The Border” will be:

• Davis Gyasi (Bass Reeves)
• Frank Gillo (Bob Dozier)

You may know Davis Gyasi from his roles in “Cloud Atlas” (2012), “Interstellar” (2014) and as the lead role of Lex Carnahan in “Containment” on The CW.

Frank Gillo is known for his roles in films such as “Warrior” (2011) and “The Purge: Anarchy” (2014), as well as his role of Marvel supervillain Brock Rumlow (a.k.a. Crossbones) in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

Also starring in the film will be:

• Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy)
• Rudy Youngblood (Apocolypto)
• Gianni Capaldi (River Runs Red)

Word on the Street

Though there is some hearsay going around that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) shut down filming for “Hell on The Border”, this has not officially been clarified.

Stay tuned to Bham Now for updates on the film.