Exclusive: Producer of Atlas Shrugged 2 sits down with The Right Scoop, plus a surprise you won’t want to miss

***NOTE: Considering this is a contest, we are keeping this on the front page until the contest ends***

We have a little treat for you, well two treats actually. The first: The Right Scoop had an exclusive opportunity to chat with Harmon Kaslow, Producer of the upcoming fim, Atlas Shrugged 2.  Set to release October 12, this Atlas Shrugged reboot couldn’t be more appropriately timed. Take a look at the trailer:

Harmon Kaslow was gracious enough to let us pick his brain, check it out:

Kemberlee: How does Hollywood respond to a movie like this? It’s definitely no secret that they’re pretty hostile towards conservatives and conservative values.  People in Hollywood are always the first ones to speak out when there’s an incident and never in a way that’s positive towards the conservate base. Is there anything you’ve dealt with as a result of producing this movie?

Harmon: There’s various levels in Hollywood, the people that run Hollywood you describe very accurately, but Hollywood is also a business… If Hollywood believed that the message of Atlas Shrugged, that there was a large enough audience to support this message or regularly support films with this type of message, they would make them. They’re in the business of trying to make money. I think one of the challenges we have is that our audience… they might go see movies once or twice a year because Hollywood isn’t making movies that they want to see. So our challenge is how do we get people to treat our theatrical release on October 12 as an event.  They can’t take for granted that I’ll get around to it next week, the theatre will keep it, that just isn’t the way the world works. If we can show that a movie with this message will attract an audience, I can tell you that you’ll see move movies with this type of message making their way in to theatres.

Kemberlee: Well it emboldens others to do the same.

Harmon: It does, exactly. Much like Passion of the Christ inspired a whole industry of pictures that are being produced specifically for a religious market.

Kemberlee: Different from films that are purely for entertainment, is it challenging to produce something that is both entertaining but also trying to drive home an ideological point?

Harmon: Our challenge in adapting is one: John and I wanted to make sure we faithfully adapted the book. That we faithfully adapted Ayn Rand’s philosophy and message as clearly and authentically as we could…  Our first challenge is how do we take those messages and find a cinematic thread through the material without reinventing characters, without reimagining plot lines, and deviating from something that’s been embraced by so many people in to a movie. Entertainment is secondary, if we can get the message right, the story is such a fabulous story, that that in and of itself will enthrall an audience to want to come out and feel like they got good value in seeing the movie.

Kemberlee: What do you hope viewers take away from this film?

Harmon: I think it’s about loving your life, it’s about the limited role that government should play in our lives and these characters embody a certain tenacity, spirit of hard work and capitalism and hopefully will inspire people to stand up and not allow themselves to be trampled by a government that’s overreaching and robbing people of their individual liberties.

Kemberlee: With the timing of the release of the film, do you hope it will impact the election or the electoral process?

Harmon: Absolutely. Our planning to release the film prior to the election is completely intentional. The production team had to figure out a way to get the film produced at a high level quality in time for us to be in theatres prior to the election. It’s important for people to understand Ayn Rand was a staunch capitalist. The themes of Part 2 reflect the themes the candidates running for national office are talking about. They’re talking about the economy and they’re talking about energy. We’d love to be a part of that debate. We think that during October when this film will be in theatres, we will be in the midst of so much negative advertising and noise that we provide an opportunity, a rational, sane opportunity for people to go in to the theatre with like minded people, their neighbors and experience something that hopefully will inspire them to want to go and vote and move us back to the principles that the founding fathers of this country envisioned when we decided to become a free nation. It’s a grand opportunity for us, but it also empowers the people who believe in individual liberty and limited government to have one last shot before the election, get their neighbor in there and say, we’ve really got to take this very seriously.

Kemberlee: And to really have an opportunity to focus on what makes our country great.

Harmon: Exactly.

Kemberlee: In a very positive way.

Harmon: Yes, exactly. And thought provoking and hopefully inspiring.

Kemberlee: I think that’s one of the things that’s very unique about this story, it’s definitely as you referred to it earlier, a great American novel. It’s one of those stories that’s life changing. You can always find something that’s happening in the present that you can apply to the plot line.

Harmon: All you’ve got to do, for the readers at The Right Scoop, in Part 2, there’s a conversation that occurs between Dagny Taggert and Jeff Allen when he describes what he experienced at the 20th Century Motor Company and it’s no different than the shock that many Americans experience when they heard the president of the United States take a position that clearly indicates, this guy is not a capitalist and it’s right out of the novel. What woud he do if the reaction of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners was to say, “Well you know what?  We’re going to stop the motor of the world.” Just like John Galt said.  That would change everything. So you’re right, there’s so much relevance from what she wrote fifty years ago to what’s going on now, it makes you want to take it more seriously than just a parable about her philosophies.

Kemberlee: As far as theatres where this will be available, will it be similar to the Part 1  release?

Harmon: With Part 1 the exhibitors were reticent about whether or not people would come out and support this message.  Based on the support we got, a lot of support from the Tea Party and other groups, people did go to theatre and the film did do well from their perspective. The exhibitors believe in the film, they believe people will come and support a film with this message and they believe the groups that supported us for Part 1 will make the same effort to fill theatres. We have more theatres committed today, two weeks after we announced our release date than we had when we opened Part 1. We should be in theatres spread across the country.

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Are you ready for the second surprise?! We hope you are. For the first time ever, The Right Scoop is hosting a contest. That’s right, a contest.

How it works: Leave a comment about Atlas Shrugged. Comments can explain your excitement about seeing Atlas Shrugged 2 opening night, why this story is so important, how you think this story will impact the election, how reading the story changed your understanding of capitalism, etc. It’s up to you.  You can leave as few or as many comments as you like. There’s no limit.

How long do I have? The contest will run Tuesday, August 7 through Friday, August 10. Comments submitted after August 10 will not be considered.

What do I win?!?! The two best comments will be selected to win fabulous prizes! Who doesn’t love prizes? Winners will be announced Monday, August 13 and have their comments posted on The Right Scoop. Winners will be asked to submit their names and addresses to us via email in order to receive their major award (although I can promise you won’t receive a leg lamp).

May the best comment win! And be sure to take your family, neighbors, dog and everybody else you know to see Atlas Shrugged 2 in theatres October 12. For America.


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