Thanks to Manistee News for this:
A Michigan author’s book nominated for a Noble Book Award is being made into a feature film by a Michigan film company.
The film, “Harsens Island Revenge,” is an adaptation of the book of the same title by Karl Manke of Owosso.
Lansing-based film company Collective Development Inc., launched in 1996, is shooting the Prohibition-era drama with plans to release it in late 2024, according to a press release.
They are filming on Harsens Island, Michigan.
Scenes are also being shot in the Thunder Bay area this fall, according to recent reporting by The Alpena News.
“The pre-production team plans to come to Northeast Michigan and set everything up for production around Sept. 9,” The Alpena News reported. “Film production starts Sept. 16 and finishes on Oct. 6.”
Filmmaker Carl Weyant was announced in February as the director with Travis Hayward of the award-winning film “Best Years Gone,” serving as the director of photography, according to the release. Casting and crewing is also underway.
“Harsens Island Revenge” is the second collaboration between Manke and DJ Perry, CEO of Collective Development and actor, producer and screenwriter of the film. Perry also adapted Manke’s book “Hope from Heaven” into “Best Years Gone” that can be watched on major streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and Tubi.
“I love writing original screenplays and adapting books, especially when the stories have such rich characters as Karl (Manke) writes in his books,” Perry said in an Oct. 2022 statement.
“Harsens Island Revenge” is a post-World War I Michigan prohibition tale based on true events.
“Returning WWI veterans to the state found peace and solace from the war leading fishing and hunting trips on the rugged island outside Detroit,” Collective Development wrote in the film description. “A ferry ride took visitors out of the city and into a wilderness paradise. Capitalizing on the prohibition and the proximity to Canada, these outdoorsmen would buy booze in Canada and re-sell at a markup to the many blind pigs and drinking clubs up and down the riverways.”
“Meanwhile, the infamous ‘Purple Gang,’ Jewish mobsters had gained control of 80% of the illegal liquor trade in the United States. They ruled through fear and intimidation but discovered their usual tactics fell short when dealing with the Harsens Island Militia, consisting of survivors of WWI.”
“Our film will bring these two forces head-to-head,” Collective Development wrote. “What happens when a hardened group of WWI veterans dares to defy Detroit’s infamous ‘Purple Gang? ‘”
It was Manke’s 8th book. It is available at his studio in Karl Manke’s Barber Shop and Beauty Salon at 421 West Main St. in Owosso.
Collective Development tends to produce “period-rich stories with fresh perspectives helping to educate a new generation while keeping history from fading away,” according to the release. The company has several feature films that fit the mold, like “Silent Night In Algona,” a story of the dynamics of a small Iowa town in 1944, during World War II.
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