The one time owner of MGM may be 97 years old but that hasn’t stopped Kirk Kerkorian from living out one of his dreams; to fund an historical epic, akin to REDS or DR. ZHIVAGO, dealing with the Armenian genocide. Showbiz 411 reports that an Oscar nominated director and screenwriter has already signed on to the project which has attracted a variety of actors; none of which are named as Kerkorian is hoping to keep this film a secret for the time being.
The Armenian genocide primarily occurred during and after World War I when the Ottoman Empire sought to completely exterminate the Armenian people. Large scale massacres took place and the people who survived those were forced on long death marches which left an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Armenians dead.
The as yet untitled film, which is said to be a “a sweeping World War I romance set against the Armenian genocide”, should begin shooting this summer in Europe. There have been few films that chronicle this atrocity, let alone ones with a big-budget, so I hope Kerkovian’s film manages to shine a new light on struggles of the Armenian people.
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EXCLUSIVE Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, 97, Funding Epic Feature Film About Armenian Genocide
Kirk Kerkorian is 97 years old and worth $4 billion. The one time owner of MGM, and wealthy Las Vegas real estate and casino over ( he also owned the MGM Grand), is not done, however. He still has one more wish. My sources tell me that Kerkorian is funding a secret feature film about the Armenian genocide that took place concurrent with World War I.
The Ottoman Empire, precursor to the country known as Turkey, killed around 1.5 million to people in the effort to destroy Armenia and establish itself. Kerkorian is hoping to produce the Armenian “Schindler’s List” to memorialize the holocaust.
There is already an Oscar nominated director and screenwriter signed to the project. Various actors’ names have come up, and some of that may become clear soon. The movie is described to me by the director– who’s asked me not to reveal his name yet– as a “Reds” or “Dr. Zhivago”, a sweeping World War I romance set against the Armenian genocide.
Kerkorian, who’s always been fascinated with Hollywood, is said to have contributed over $1 billion to Armenian charities and causes over his long life time.
I’ll have some more info on this soon. For now expect the still untitled film to begin shooting this summer in Europe. And the budget should be pretty big, considering there’s one backer. This movie has the potential to be something on a large historic scale, unseen for many years.
And PS, I am assured that the Kardashians, the most famous Armenian Americans since the great writer William Saroyan, will be not be appearing in the film under any circumstances.
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