Filming taking place this week in Lincoln for new television series ‘Wrath and Rituals’

 

[November 06, 2021] 

On Thursday morning the cast and crew of Wrath and Rituals was in Lincoln for the first day of filming of episode two of the six part series. The production of episodes two and three will take place at various locations in Logan County, in and around Lincoln.

LDN caught up with the film crew Thursday morning outside of Sorrento’s Pizzeria. There lead actor of the show, David Otunga playing police Detective Cimon Thomas, sat behind the wheel of a vehicle on loan from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Watching the scene play out were a deputy from the Sheriff’s Department and Rene’ Martin from Senator Sally Turner’s Office.

After several adjustments with sound and lighting, a number of run throughs with Detective Thomas on the radio inside the car, the scene wrapped and actors and crew returned to Senator Turner’s office to get ready for the next task at hand in filming.

Inside the Farm Bureau building on South McLean Street, space was set aside for the actors to relax and also run lines and work on make and hair changes. A large variety of foods were set out in the hallway for everyone to munch on throughout the day.

For this episode there are four key actors, Otunga, Eliza Roberts, Carly Vondar and Kalyn Elizabeth Wood.

Otunga says that he is playing a police detective investigating a string of burglaries and also a murder or two. He says that the shows are heavy in mystery and even the actors are not in tune with what the next episode will bring or how the series will end.

He said that the actors do not get full scripts ahead of time, so while he hopes that he solves the crimes and manages to stay alive, he really can’t say for sure.

Otunga will be recognizable to many who are wrestling fans. He is a professional wrestler for the WWE. Otunga says he wrestles with his real name because he is also an attorney and wants to own his intellectual property.

On the acting side of his career, Otunga played the role of Will in Tyler Perry’s ‘Madea Family Funeral’ and he played a police officer in ‘The Call’ starring Hallie Berry.

Carly Vondar plays Dara Truman in the series. Her past credits include two episodes as Valerie in “iCarly” television series. As Valerie she was a bully on that show, a role she returned to for an appearance in the Hallmark Christmas movie “Our First Christmas.” In the movie Vondar plays one of the mean girls at the middle school where Lillie is a new student. When Vondar’s character teases and taunts Lillie, new step mom and middle school coach steps in, which serves to only further stress the relationship between step mom and step daughter.

Vondar says she has also done television commercials and a lot of theater.

In ‘Wrath and Rituals’ Vondar’s character, Dara Truman is an art history professor. Earlier in the day, Vondar had been overheard rehearsing a scene from episode two subtitled ‘the bowls.’ Vondar says that in her role, she hosts workshops to replicate artifacts. One significant artifact Vondar/Truman is interested in is the Burial Bowl of Manasseh. There is some kind of mystery tied to the bowl and she hopes to figure it out.

Again, Vondar doesn’t know how the storyline will evolve. She said that she hopes she is one of the ‘good guys,” but only time will tell. What she does know is that she will be in all six episodes and she will interact a good deal with the lead actor Otunga.

 

Kalyn Elizabeth Wood plays the role of Ramona Shields. She said that her character does not fit the mold of the other characters in the show. While others are more settled and classic, her role is the opposite. She’s more ‘punk’ than all the others and “a little off.” And, it becomes obvious to some of characters in the show that she’s hiding something. Is she a hero or a villain, she really doesn’t know yet. She said that she saw her script for the first time on Wednesday as she flew in for Los Angeles.

Wood also has acting experience on her resume’. She said that she starred in an episode of Discovery ID subtitled “When the lights go out.” Wood also plays a leading role in a new film to be released in January. In that movie, based on a true story about sex trafficking, Wood will play Samantha Sawyer.

A very recognizable face in the series will be that of Actress Eliza Roberts. Roberts has a long career of in acting for movies and television. She played Brunella in Animal House, has had guest appearances on televisions shows such as Magnum P.I. and General Hospital. She hails from a family of actors including her husband Eric Roberts and her sister-in-law Julia Roberts. Also involved in acting is Eric’s daughter Emma Roberts, and Eliza’s son Keaton.

She said that Keaton is a recording artist also involved in television and has been responsible for music utilized in a new 2021 Hallmark Christmas movie release.

Roberts has also performed in a lot of Hallmark movies, and she has played with her husband Eric in Love, Christmas. She says that she works often with Bethany Joy Lenz in Hallmark productions as well.
 

In Wrath and Rituals Roberts plays Mary Catherine. In her role, she is the center of a big family drama with mysterious deaths, and a lot of expensive art. In the shows her career is as one who replicates arts. She said that a part of her role is her concern for family members who appear to be in a cult. Roberts says that Mary Catherine is a very strong woman and she is determined to rescue her family members from that cult.

The co-creator and director of the series is Candice Cain. Cain has worked on a number of productions in her career. Most recently she completed a film entitled Baking up Love that is set in Morton, and naturally focuses on the primary agricultural product in that area, pumpkins.

This series also includes filming in Morton as well as Peoria. Episode one was entirely in those two towns. The opening segments of episode two were also in those towns, then moved to Lincoln and Logan County. Episode two will be completed in the Lincoln area and Lincoln will be in Episode three as well.

Cain said that in Episode one it was clear that Officer Thomas was at the Morton Police Department. She said that in Lincoln, the Logan County Courthouse will also be apparent to viewers. In general, she said that anyone watching the six part series will recognize that the on-location sites of the film are done in Central Illinois.

Cain said that she had worked in Morton and shot the movie “Baking up Love.” She said that the Morton mayor was very supportive and had many connections. She said bluntly, “we go where the money is.” She explained that there were anonymous sources who had funded the first three episodes in these locations. She is still seeking out funding for the last three episodes and hopes to have that soon.

Cain said that the shows are all about secret societies with a Biblical tie-in along with art history and “bloodlines.”

Cain said that she is working with Pure Flix on this production. That firm gave her five “buzz words” for the series, Biblical, paranormal, mystery, thriller, romance. Cain said she contacted co-creator Marisa Pardo. “I said hey, this is out of my wheelhouse, you wanna’ do this with me? She was like NO!”

But in the end the two did work together to develop the series and are now both on scene to watch over the filming.
 

The series is hopefully going to be available to viewers in 2022. She said that she needs to still get funding for those last three episodes. She said right now, there is interest from a number of companies that would air the series. She said she is hoping for a bidding war by the time it is finished, but only time will tell.

Cain has also worked on a number of Hallmark films. She also has a new film coming out on Pure Flix this Christmas called “A Holiday Homecoming.”

Asked about her experiences with actors, she noted that one of her favorite actresses is Vivica A Fox. Cain and Fox worked together on the 2020 film Joy & Hope, which is currently available on Amazon Prime.

Cain concluded saying that she likes working in central Illinois and if funding and opportunity would provide itself, she would be interested in making this part of the country a hub for film production.

In the meantime, the crew will be recording on location through November 11th in Lincoln. Location filming for the series will take place in the Logan County Courthouse basement, Lincoln Heritage Museum, two homes in Lincoln, Lincoln College President Dr. David Gerlach’s office on campus, and Kickapoo Creek Park.

[Nila Smith]