A Bloomington film company said more than 5,000 people have signed up to be extras for “Little Five,” a film inspired by the creation of IU’s women's Little 500.
Gordon Strain, co-owner of Pigasus Pictures, said the effort to recruit thousands of Bloomington residents is about more than filling stands at the stadium.
"We want to give that experience to real people so that they have that story to share with their kids one day or their grandkids," Strain said.
Pigasus Pictures hopes to recruit about 10,000 people for large crowd scenes. Strain said the production would have residents rather than relying on computer-generated spectators to recreate the atmosphere of the Little 500.
"There hasn't been a movie made like that in Indiana for a long time," Strain said.
Indiana has had films such as "Breaking Away," "Hoosiers," and "Rudy," but there hasn't been a comparable film in the state in years.
The idea of the film began about five years ago, while Strain and the other co-owner, Zachary Spicer, were working on another film.
During a difficult day on set, Spicer's mother asked him what movie he would make if he could make only one more, and this conversation led them to recognize what they saw as a lack of female-driven sports movies.
Although the film's story is rooted in Indiana University and Bloomington, Strain said its story is meant to reach audiences beyond the community.
"The story that we're telling is more universal to not just women, but women and people everywhere who want to see this sort of feel-good moment happen," Strain said.
Rain Spencer and Ariana Greenblatt are scheduled to star in the film, which is a production of Pigasus and Anne Hathaway’s Somewhere Pictures.
Filming is scheduled to begin July 19 and continue in Bloomington through August 12 at locations including IU’s campus, downtown Bloomington, and the area around Griffy Lake.
According to Pigasus pictures, July 25 and Aug 2 will be the production's two largest days for extras.The production plans to hold raffles and offer prizes during breaks on the largest crowd-filming days.
People can sign up to be extras through the link in Pigasus Pictures' Instagram bio or using the QR code on the flyers. People can also continue signing up throughout filming.
