“Mr. Manhattan” Premieres at The Kentucky Theatre with Celebrity Attendees

May 15, 2024

Shot in Wilmore, central Kentucky, and New York, N.Y., in collaboration with Asbury University, “Mr. Manhattan” will premiere at The Kentucky Theatre on May 22, 2024, from 5:45 to 9:30 p.m. Along with a red-carpet experience, VIP attendees including cast and crew of the film will attend, as well as production team members from Asbury. With 600 seats available, the film will screen at 7:30 p.m., and free tickets can be secured at https://bit.ly/mrmanhattanticket. “Mr. Manhattan,” which was written and produced by Asbury alumni, will be available to stream on Great American Pure Flix on May 23 at 8 p.m. EST.

“It is a joy to have produced the beautiful motion picture, ‘Mr. Manhattan,’ in the Bluegrass,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Great American Media. “Kentucky has great incentives and well-trained crews. The state built on bourbon and horse racing can now add filmmaking to its achievements, and Great American Media has plans to be back in the state soon working on more original films in the near future.”

In “Mr. Manhattan,” Mason Bradley (Carlos PenaVega) makes a promise to his brother and sister-in-law to be godfather to their newborn son. Mason has exciting news of his own: He’s just been accepted to Columbia Law School, which comes as a shock to his fiancé, Dani (Alexa PenaVega). Ten years on, Mason is surrounded by big city life and obsessed with becoming a partner in his firm. Just when Mason feels personal success is at hand, he receives an unimaginable call, and his priorities are rapidly shifted in the face of a devastating life event.

“Mr. Manhattan” is executive produced by Michael Scott, Jeffrey Peterson, David A. R. White, Kendall Baldwin, and Jim Ameduri. With the film produced by Brady Nasfell ’93, Brian Herzlinger directed from an original screenplay by Andrea Gyertson ’95 Nasfell.

“We’re especially thankful for the incredible local support from VisitLEX and Asbury University. It wouldn’t have been possible to shoot the film in Kentucky without their help, as well as Kentucky’s competitive film incentive program,” said Brady Nasfell.

Asbury University provided integral production resources and film crew through the School of Communication Arts, including more than 25 students, faculty and staff who worked alongside the teams in Kentucky and New York.

“Thanks to Asbury’s provision of gear and students, Sony could film this movie in Kentucky,” said Asbury Media Communication Associate Professor Sarah Leckie ’03 Hogencamp. “Simultaneously, our students had the incredible opportunity to work on a professional film alongside first-class filmmakers, making it a paramount experience.”

Recent Asbury M.F.A. graduate Ali Stiefel ’24 served as office production assistant on the new movie.

“‘Mr. Manhattan’ opened a world of possibilities that I didn’t even know existed in the film industry,” Stiefel said. “I’m producing my own show this summer, and the knowledge I gained from working on set alongside the creators of ‘Mr. Manhattan’ equipped me with the skills to keep creating on my own, right here in Kentucky.”

The film will begin streaming on Great American Pure Flix on May 23. As the streaming service of Great American Media, Great American Pure Flix provides quality family-friendly programming that celebrates faith, family and country. Watch Great American Pure Flix.

“Destination Heaven,” filmed at Asbury University in 2022, also is now streaming on Great American Pure Flix.

The Asbury University Media, Journalism, and Digital Storytelling department offers majors in Media Communication and Multimedia Journalism. Online majors include Digital Content Creation and Instructional Design & Media. Graduate programs include the M.A. in Digital Storytelling; the M.A. in Instructional Design, Innovation & Leadership; the MFA in Film & Television Production, and the MFA in Screenwriting.