Seventh Star Studios is proud to announce the casting of John Wells as the warrior Hallad in the TV pilot Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart!
John will portray Hallad, a warrior whose travels have taken him far from his northern homelands and on a path that has seen him join a mercenary war band led by the heroine Rayden Valkyrie to free a number of captives destined for slave markets. A skilled tracker, archer, and sword fighter, Hallad’s skills are essential to the mission; one that will bring him face to face with ancient evils and deadly adversaries.
The world Hallad inhabits is featured in Stephen Zimmer’s sword and sorcery novel Heart of a Lion. The story in the TV pilot is not an adaptation of the novel, but rather an original storyline envisioned to be the foundation for a series of episodes filled with the adventures of Rayden’s war band.
“John is as dedicated to the craft of acting as you can get,” Director/Screenwriter Stephen Zimmer said. “Along with his exceptional acting skill and great physicality, John has an eye for detail and a love for the genre that makes him a perfect fit for Hallad. This character requires an actor with both strong presence and a good range, and John has those things in abundance. He’s one of my favorite actors and I’m thrilled to have him in the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart main cast!”
Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart is scheduled for production late spring on locations in Kentucky and represents the first visual media project for Seventh Star Studios, a division of Seventh Star Press, a publisher of speculative fiction based out of Lexington, Kentucky.
About John Wells: A life long artist and now international multi-award winning actor, John Wells began his film career in 2006 and has since been well acclaimed for his dynamic versatility, emotional range, and dramatic presence on screen.
Wells has delivered scene stealing performances in a string of features such as the genre bending action/comedy, OVERTIME, and the satirical sci-fi romp, PIRANHA SHARKS. He earned applause as founding father, Patrick Henry, in FOX’s historical docudrama series, LEGENDS & LIES: THE PATRIOTS, and was called a “tour de force” in reviews for his performance in the depression era drama, THE OLD WINTER.
Celebrated international filmmaker, Leigh Scott, director of Witches of Oz and Piranha Sharks calls John “a rare talent. Able to immerse himself into any character roles that have little resemblance to his normal persona, while having the charisma and gravitas to carry an entire film. He is both a character actor and a leading man.”
2011’s Fright Night Film Festival presented him with Best Actor and Delivery of Best One-Liner for his work in OVERTIME. 2014’s gritty paranormal thriller, THE PAPER TIGER, would earn him Best Actor at the Floyd Film Fest. In 2015, Wells won Best Actor at the Open World Toronto Film Festival, and at home was honored with the Médaille d’Or Award for Outstanding Achievements in Film by a Kentuckian.
In addition to acting, John is a writer, musician, fitness enthusiast, and family man. Recently he has taken on the mantle of producer on a handful of his own film endeavors.
Follow John online at the following links:
Website: http://johnwellsactor.com/
Twitter: @JohnScottWells
IG: @JohnScottWells
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Twitter: @RaydenValkyrie
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