Gosnell Movie Casts Its Villain

The controversial biopic about the life of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell has cast its villain and begun filming.

Veteran actor Earl Billings (American Splendor, Con Air, Thank You for Smoking) will take on the role of Gosnell, a physician convicted of three counts of murder in 2013 who had allegedly killed hundreds of babies born alive at his Philadelphia abortion clinic. Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) has been cast as James Wood, whose investigation helped lead to Gosnell’s downfall.

In an email to Breitbart News, producer Phelim McAleer confirmed that the movie had begun filming in Oklahoma City.

“We have just started filming and it is incredible watching them bring these characters to life,” McAleer said. “We have been very careful to keep the story close to actual events so it’s amazing to hear and see these talented actors bring to life this incredible story.”

“Even those of us who know the story so well have wept when we hear and see this story come to life,” he added.

McAleer, the producer behind 2013’s FrackNation and this year’s controversial “Ferguson” play, is set to produce the Gosnell movie alongside frequent collaborators Ann McElhinney and Magdalena Segieda. John Sullivan, who co-directed Dinesh D’Souza’s sleeper hit 2016: Obama’s America, will serve as executive producer on the project, while Nick Searcy, perhaps best known for his role as Art Mullen on FX’s Justified, is set to direct.

The commencement of shooting on the film marks the end of its protracted pre-production process, which saw the film banned from crowdfunding website Kickstarter. The production eventually landed on Indiegogo where it raised $2.3 million, the fourth highest total raised by a film to date on the crowdfunding site.

In an exclusive interview in March, Searcy explained why the film was able to raise so much money from crowdfunding.

“I think there was a level of outrage about this case that a significant number of people thought wasn’t reflected in how the case was covered,” Searcy said. “You know, other murder cases were more sensationalized and more media-driven than this one. And it was purely because of the politics. It was being ignored because the mainstream media and others feared that it might be beneficial to the pro-life movement.”