2024: The Greatest Adventure

“What will happen from here, I do not know. Will I go on to produce more projects like THE PENDRAGON CYCLE? Will I return to directing my own work? The future is unknown and I embrace that uncertainty, ready for the next adventure.”

Those were the last words of my year-end piece at the close of 2023. I didn’t know at the time that the biggest adventure awaiting me was not a professional one but a personal one. Much more on that in a bit.

In January of 2024, I returned to the U.S. after nearly a year in Europe working on The Daily Wire’s series THE PENDRAGON CYCLE. Perhaps the length of the project had allowed me to pace myself because I was surprisingly refreshed and in no need of a recovery period. I threw myself into two things, The Tombstone Film Festival and writing (which had been neglected during most of my months overseas). My sights were set on an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s THE KILLERS and hanging my hat in Tombstone, Arizona at my friend John and Cara’s house, I penned a draft in a couple weeks. And then another. And another. It was getting better with each revision and I felt good enough about this one to declare it my next project. I would raise more money than I’d ever raised before. This would be my biggest movie yet!

Or not. After some initial progress, I failed to find investors who would commit to THE KILLERS even if they loved the project. Was it the economy? The looming election? There was an apathetic haze that hung over everyone around me, an uncertainty of the future and therefore an unwillingness to take chances. As the summer months began, I became more doubtful I could mount a production by the Fall (my original goal) and all of my projects seemed to be in limbo.

But things were still happening. PENDRAGON still had its hooks in me. In May and then again in July, I traveled back to Europe for pick-up scenes/shots. This time, we filmed in Hungary, Romania, and even for a day in Slovakia. I was once again the lead producer. Meanwhile, a script I wrote was being turned into a movie starring Aaron Eckhart. My originally titled RANGE DETECTIVE was filmed as THIEVES HIGHWAY by Jesse V. Johnson in the humid July/August heat of Georgia. On my way back stateside, I visited the set on the final day of production. So yes, things were moving along and I was making more money than I’d ever made on my own movies but still I wasn’t directing. And I wanted to direct. I needed to direct.

However tempting it was to go make another no-budget movie like I’d made before just to scratch the creative itch, I resisted. But with no progress on my own to “level up”, I needed help. And “like a knight from heaven” (only he and a few others will get this reference), Dallas Sonnier came to the rescue. Dallas is the producer I’ve worked with on both PENDRAGON and our 2021 Western TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE. Since that same year, we’d been talking about another Western titled FRONTIER CRUCIBLE. It was the first script Dallas ever sent me but not to direct. He considered bringing me on as a “western consultant” based on my experience with the genre.

Over the last three years, I can’t count the number of times Dallas and I have discussed making FRONTIER CRUCIBLE. There were many times it seemed like it might happen and I continued to research and scout locations off and on during those years. We even talked about filming it in Romania! Eventually, Dallas began to discuss the project as one that I would direct. I’d earned his trust but more than that he saw it as an opportunity to further my career and the careers of others he looks out for. It’s all about timing in the movie business: the story rights for Harry Whittington’s novel would revert in the new year and we had to make the film or lose it. After a leap of faith (and funds), FRONTIER CRUCIBLE was green-lit in late September and I took off for Arizona to direct another movie for the first time in two years.

It was the toughest production I’ve experienced. For those who’ve read my book about making 12 Westerns in one year, you know that’s quite a statement. I don’t remember ever being so stressed on a film set, yet I have no doubt it is the best work I’ve ever done. Most moviegoers don’t realize that a good time on a movie set rarely equates to quality on screen. Rather, it’s often the most difficult experiences that produce great material. As always, the story of making FRONTIER CRUCIBLE is nearly as interesting as what you’ll see (hopefully sometime next year) on your TV but now is not the time for those stories to be told.

Our last day of filming was in Monument Valley, an unforgettable moment filming on sacred western land. I got sick on the last day, my body finally giving in after the 18 day battle. My bags were already packed. I carried them and the flu with me on the drive to Colorado Springs for Thanksgiving and then onward to Washington where I live with Liz. Much more on that in a bit.

The last month of this year, I’ve done my damnedest to relax some. Unlike PENDRAGON, this time my body and mind needed it. I’ve been reading and watching lots of movies. But the work hasn’t ended. We jumped immediately into post-production on FRONTIER CRUCIBLE and all I can say is that I’m proud of what I see so far. I’m going into the New Year with the prospective release of a big TV series I produced, a feature film made from the first screenplay I’ve successfully sold, and the biggest, most important I’ve directed to date. We’ll see what happens and where it all leads to.

Okay, about that “bit” I keep teasing. On February 16th, I sent a “Hi” message to a woman named Liz Kelly on Facebook. We’d never really met, not in the traditional sense. I’d seen her in person once, almost two years before in Tombstone. I remember noticing her and thinking “Who is that pretty girl?” So I did a little Facebook stalking and finally found her page. She was still married at the time so I sent a simple friend request and left it at that. Flash forward to the beginning of 2024: she changed her profile picture and I noticed again. I also took note that she’d moved to Washington and was now single. So this time, I said something. Little did I know that message would lead to an incredible relationship. Soon, Liz and I were speaking every day. She confessed that she’d stayed in touch with my adventures making movies and traveling to Europe and had even been tempted to take me up on a crazy social media post I made looking for a travel companion!

But ultimately, Liz and I met at the perfect time. If we’d tried to date a couple years ago or during my time overseas, it might not have worked out. On February 16th, we were both ready for each other. Our relationship was founded on talking every day and I don’t just mean over text. We spoke on the phone for hours, I think a total of 55 hours or more the month or so. We could chat for hours and never get tired of listening to each other. I started traveling to the Pacific Northwest. We met twice in Portland, once in Anacortes, and finally I visited Liz in Naches where she lives. Those first few months getting to know each other were wonderful. They also weren’t always easy. The distance caused doubt that we had to work through. We both came to this relationship with plenty of issues from the past to heal from but the great thing is that from the very start we’ve worked as a team to figure them out.

I made it clear to Liz that I was willing to “move” up to Washington when she was ready. In May, she gave me a call and said I should head her way. I packed my belongings and drove North, with no plans to return. For years, I’ve been a nomad, wandering from film set to film set, hanging my hat in Arizona, Mississippi, Colorado, or wherever we’re shooting. I told Liz I wanted to be with her and those summer months I showed her that was true. We had some incredible adventures too, an epic road trip around the Southwest to National Parks and another with her two kids. I also had the opportunity to bring her to Budapest, her first (but certainly not last) trip to Europe. And I must admit that I’ve become more domesticated than ever, even playing Mr. Mom a little as I made Liz and her daughter lunches for work/school and took over some of the cooking. I discovered that I enjoyed filling that role, happy to be at home with her. My adventures making movies are not over but I’m no longer restless to hit the road.

Liz has been my greatest adventure of this year. Our relationship is stronger than any I’ve experienced by far. And it’s one grounded in communication and learning. We have our bumps but as I said before we work through them together as a team and have since the beginning. We’re best friends, lovers, and partners. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to live life by my side.

This article has also been posted on my website, runningwildfilms.com, and on my Travis Mills Filmmaker Facebook page