WATN Follow Up: Handfield’s Film ‘Touchback’ to Open

Herndon High School 1989 graduate Don Handfield has officially made his mark in Hollywood.

His day to shine will soon arrive on April 13, when Touchback opens in more than 200 theaters in 20 markets, including Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky and Utah.

“It’s been a while since I locked picture until now,” said Handfield. “The movie tested high and audiences really enjoyed it, so it sounds like it’s headed in the right direction. I hope it will find an audience.”

The writer/director’s novelization of the film will be released simultaneously with the movie. Yes, Handfield is exploring new territory and written a book based on his screenplay, which can be purchased in both ebook and hard copy on Amazon.com, the same day the film debuts. Interestingly enough however, Handfield’s decision to write the book came long before Touchback was even shot.

“Touchback was a project that kept getting optioned by studios, but it wasn’t getting made,” Handfield said. “I finally decided the only way I was going to get it made was to write it as a novel and that would convince the company to finally make the movie. I got 75,000 words into it when the company that called and said they had the financing and I could direct the film. As part of my deal, I retained the writes to the novelization.”

Touchback is being distributed in a style called Platform release. This allows the advertising and marketing to be geared toward expanding the number of cities and theaters the film may eventually be shown in, Handfield said. Both Michigan and Colorado are scheduled to get the film in the following weeks. But buzz has already begun to spread and people have flooded Regal and AMC theaters with phone calls asking them to show Touchback. Handfield hopes to have his film hit theaters in his old stomping grounds, including Herndon, Reston and Loudoun County, as soon as possible.

“If people are coming out to the theaters and word of mouth seems good, they have the ability to expand [advertising] and get it out there,” he said.

The director has several new projects that will require his involvement, but said he has yet to decide which film he will direct next. He recently teamed up with longtime friend and two-time Oscar nominee, Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, The Hurt Locker) to form a production company—The Combine. 

“The Combine was founded to fill the gaps that exist in the pipeline,” Handfield said. “Right now studios are making huge $200 million movies. The stuff we have set up now is mostly authentic, gritty films. We have a Steve McQueen biopic being written by James Gray and directed by an amazing, versatile director, named Ivan Zacharias.”

Handfield and Renner are now working on The Combine’s first production called Slingshot for Paramount, for which Handfield has already begun writing the screenplay. The Herndon grad said he is excited for the movie’s debut and truly hopes residents in Northern Virginia will call both Regal and AMC theaters, so that his film can be seen where he grew up.

For more info on Don Handfield, visit http://donhandfieldink.com/.