Jake Penny pumps some iron on the set of his film
A Chittenango boy's wish has come true.
14-year-old Jake Penny is getting a taste of the Hollywood lifestyle this week as he stars in his own movie.
Penny suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that clogs the lungs with mucus and makes breathing difficult at times.
The Make a Wish Foundation granted Jake his wish of writing and starring in a movie.
Over 100 volunteer actors, producers, directors and crew is helping with the production. Monday was the second day of filming, and Jake has been overwhlemed by the support.
"I really didn't actually expect that," Penny says. "I was actually just expecting a couple people with a couple cameras and microphones. But instead we go all out."
The movie is titled "Jewel of a Thousand Suns." Jake says his movie is influnced by The Evil Dead, Tomb Raider and Rocky. His director is Vaughn Schoonmaker, a producer from MTV and a Syracuse University graduate. Schoonmaker has worked with plenty of stars, but he's happy to take a backseat to Jake on this project.
"He takes himself extremely seriously, almost intimidatedly so sometimes. He's my boss on this."
The crew plans to wrap up filming Wednesday. Schoonmaker says they are tentatively planning a premier date of September 10th, complete with a red carpet.
