Chris Morgan Productions and Tall Girl Productions are creating a brand new television series for ABC based on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at Disneyland. The show’s casting directors in Los Angeles and New York are holding auditions for series regulars, recurring roles, and guest starring roles. Additional speaking roles will be cast in Vancouver, British Columbia where shooting will take place beginning on March 8, 2013. The extras and stand-ins will all be hired in Vancouver throughout the season. The show is going straight from pilot to series.
The new series, titled “Big Thunder” is set in 1856 and then in 1890. It centers on Dr. Grant Carson, who is recently widowed with two children he cares for with the help of his late wife’s sister, Lizzie Rhodes. His beautiful teen daughter Abigail is gracious and refined, and finds herself with a love interest in the form of a handsome young Apache. Carson’s ten year old son Jack is an adorable boy who thrives in the wild west. The head honcho and mine owner in Big Thunder Township is Abe White, who is larger than life and funny but can be unpredictable and maybe even dangerous. Abe’s girlfriend is a beautiful Latina named Selena Morales. As soon as the Carson’s arrive in town, they are immediately confronted by a strange affliction that is affecting only the miners who dig deep into the great mountain in search of gold.
Four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee Rob Bowman will direct the pilot episode of “Big Thunder” from a teleplay written by Jason Fuchs, based on a story conceived by Bowman and Fuchs. Bowman’s credits include associate producer on the original “The A-Team,” director on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” producer and director on “The X-Files,” and executive producer of ABC’s “Castle”. Bowman’s father Chuck was a highly respected television director. In addition to writing the screenplay for “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” Jason Fuchs is also an actor who was nominated for two Young Artist Awards in the categories of “Best Performance in a TV Drama Series” and “Best Performance in a Feature Film”.
“Twilight Saga” screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg will executive produce under the banner of her company Tall Girl Productions. Rosenberg formed Tall Girl in 2011 to create great, strong roles for women in more interesting, intriguing, and complex roles. Jason Fuchs and Rob Bowman will also executive produce. Primetime Emmy Award winner Chris Morgan is the producer for “Big Thunder” under the banner of his company Chris Morgan Productions. Morgan has produced over 50 television movies and shows dating back to 1973. In addition to his Emmy win, Morgan has also won a Directors Guild of America, DGA Award.
Minors and foreign talent must be legally eligible to work in Vancouver, BC and Canada.
The 2013 Vancouver Actors Resource Guide eBook comes with free quarterly updates and includes the following information and documents for adults, minors, and foreign talent who would like to work as an actor or extra on film and television productions in Vancouver and British Columbia:
• Guide to Child Labour Laws in Canada
• Canadian Work Permit Information Sheet for Foreigners
• Canadian Application for Temporary Resident VISA
• British Columbia Child Labor Guidelines
• British Columbia Work Permit Application for Foreigners
• British Columbia Newcomers Guide
• British Columbia Temporary Foreign Workers Factsheet
• British Columbia Employment of Young People in the Entertainment Industry
• British Columbia Trust Funds for Children working in the Entertainment Industry
• Using Groups for Background in the British Columbia Entertainment Industry
In addition to the following Vancouver Actors Resources:
• Audition Tips
• How To Make an Audition Video
• Vancouver Casting Directors List
• General Talent Agent Information
• Vancouver Talent Agents List
• Vancouver Extras Agents List
• Vancouver Acting Schools and Coaches List
• Vancouver Headshot Photographers List
• Actors Unions
• Sample Actors Resume
• Sample Beginning Actors Resume
• Sample Cover Letters
• Entertainment Industry Terminology
• Miscellaneous Vancouver Resources
• PDF Users Guides
The 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBooks are available here.
Principal Actor Casting
See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.
Submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.
Los Angeles:
Helen Geier
Shawn Dawson
4705 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Suite 301
Valley Village, CA 91607
New York:
Marci Phillips
147 Columbus Avenue
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10023
Vancouver:
Corinne Clark
Jen Page
196 West 3rd Avenue
Suite 210
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1E9
Native Americans:
Susan England
Rene Haynes
1317 N. San Fernando Blvd.
Suite 106
Burbank, CA 91504
Extras Casting
Vancouver:
Extras Casting Information for Vancouver, British Columbia.
Production Companies:
Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.
Big Thunder
Production Office
Stage 49, Ltd.
8275 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC V5X 4L8
Canada
Chris Morgan Productions/
Tall Girl Productions
100 Universal City Plaza
Bungalow 5164
Universal City, CA 91608
ABC Studios
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Executive Producers: Melissa Rosenberg, Jason Fuchs, Rob Bowman
Producer: Chris Morgan
Director: Rob Bowman
Starring:
To Be Cast
Story:
“Big Thunder” centers on a brilliant, late 19th century New York doctor. He and his family are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon but quickly realize that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems.
