‘Andy Griffith’-inspired ‘Mayberry Man’ will spin off into a series. You can join filming.
The momentum building keeps for the “The Andy Griffith Show”-inspired movie that counts Central Indiana among its backdrops. “Mayberry Man” will continue its story in a new streaming series. And just like before, it will invite those who support it financially to be part of the filming process.
The 2021 movie “Mayberry Man” is set in the present-day world of Mayberry festivals and character tribute artists that pay homage to the classic TV series. It centers on Chris Stone, an entitled movie star and the fictional son of a guest actor on “The Andy Griffith Show.” After he’s caught speeding, Stone is sentenced to represent his father at the fictional Mayberry Fest in Mayberry, N.C., which initially mortifies him before he embarks on hard-earned lessons. Hoosiers were among those who contributed to the film through a Kickstarter campaign and were in speaking and extra roles.
So far, “Mayberry Man” has shown in 36 theaters in 14 states. It will show July 30 at the Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie and July 31 at the Royal Theater in Danville. It’s available to buy or rent via Amazon Video, and Physical copies are on sale at mayberrymanmovie.com.
‘A period piece without being a period piece’: How ‘Mayberry Man’ nods to ‘Andy Griffith’ without copying it
Fans enjoyed the movie-making process so much that they started asking writer and director Stark Howell whether a sequel was coming, he said in an announcement video. And so “Mayberry Man: The Series” will pick up where the movie left off with Stone’s new romance and friendships.
“We can expand on some of the characters; we can have more time to develop stories. It just seemed like the way to go for the next step,” creator and executive producer Howell said in the video. “We could have done another movie , but I think this is more fun.”
Andy Griffith stars’ children to appear in series
Just like the 2021 movie, those leading the series include the children of “Andy Griffith” stars. Among them are:
Stark and Cort Howell, sons of Hoke Howell, who played Dud Wash;
Griffith’s daughter Dixie Griffith as executive producer;
Don Knotts’ daughter Karen Knotts, who will be part of the cast;
and co-producer Gregory Schell, who is the son of Ronnie Schell, who appeared on the show.
Actors from the movie also will appear in the series. Brett Varvel will star as Chris Stone, Ashley Elaine as Kate, Allan Newsome as the Floyd the barber tribute artist, Rik Roberts as the Barney tribute artist and Jakob Winter as Stone’s assistant Shane. Ronnie Schell, who also played Duke Slater on the spinoff “Gomer Pyle: USMC,” will appear in the series, according to a news release from the filmmakers.
The next step is an Indiegogo campaign, which will run from Saturday to July 31 and aims to raise at least $200,000, Producer Cort Howell told IndyStar. The link to donate will go live Saturday via mayberryman.com. The amount of money raised from the public campaign and private investors will determine the number of episodes.
Involvement in the film depends on how much a person or business contributes, and opportunities range from a name listed in the credits to playing a recurring extra to speaking roles to product placement.
Filming is planned to begin in September at the Mayberry Days festival in Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, N.C., Cort Howell said. More filming will take place in Indiana and Los Angeles. Many scenes from the “Mayberry Man” movie were shot at Danville’s Mayberry Cafe, the Hendricks County Courthouse, former governor’s residence in Meridian Kessler and Conner Prairie.
Howell said filmmakers will figure out the streaming platform for the series in 2023, when it goes through the distribution process.
