For those who watched the veteran-made zombie-apocalypse comedy “Range 15” last year and wondered how to produce a movie featuring multiple Medal of Honor recipients, a bloody MMA fight involving an undead former UFC champion, and Mat Best sharing the screen with William Shatner ... your answer is online.
“Not a War Story,” a feature-length documentary that goes behind the scenes of the joint production from veteran-owned apparel-makers Ranger Up and Article 15 Clothing, went live on iTunes on Tuesday. It’s also available on DVD, and plans call for an Amazon release, per the “Range 15” Facebook page.
The documentary premiered June 30 at a red carpet event in Beverly Hills, California.
“It is 100 times better than [‘Range 15’],” Jarred Taylor, an Air Force veteran and one of the film’s stars/producers/writers, said of the doc just before the premiere. “The movie, it was our first one. Adam Sandler didn’t win on his first one. We did the best we could, but we were going in blind. ... If we were to make another one now, you’d see a whole different film.”
Taylor stars alongside Article 15 cohorts Best and Vincent “Rocco” Vargas, whose entertainment portfolio includes a role in “Mayans MC,” a spin-off of FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” that’s yet to receive an official pickup, as well as a new children’s book.
West Point grad and former infantry officer Nick Palmisciano and Marine veteran Jack Mandaville represent the Ranger Up contingent, and celebrity appearances run from those well-known in military circles (Medal of Honor recipients Clint Romesha and Leroy Petry; retired Marine and film legend Dale Dye; veterans and former MMA fighters Randy Couture, Tim Kennedy and Brian Stann; “Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell) to Hollywood notables including Shatner, Sean Astin and Danny Trejo.
Read more about the making of “Range 15,” which came about in part because of a crowdfunding effort that topped $1.1 million, here.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.