A film that debuted at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 has ties to Villa Collina and roots in Knoxville.
“The Last Movie Star,” a movie starring legend Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter of ABC’s “Modern Family,” filmed at several iconic, local locations in 2016, including Market Square, Neyland Stadium, McGhee Tyson Airport and Villa Collina.
The movie was previously titled “Dog Years.”
In the film, Reynolds plays Vic Edwards, a fading movie star facing the realities of aging, while Winter plays Lil, his quirky driver. Chevy Chase plays Vic’s best friend. “The Last Movie Star” is partially set in Knoxville, which is character Vic’s hometown, and is loosely based on Reynolds’ life.
The opulent Villa Collina master suite served as a suite at the “Knoxville Grand Hotel,” as it was called in the film. Exterior hotel scenes were shot on Union Avenue in downtown Knoxville, and the ornate Tennessee Theatre served as the hotel’s lobby.
Entertainment company A24, which handled distribution of “Moonlight,” winner of Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards, and DirecTV have acquired North American distribution rights for the film, which is expected to be released in 2018.