ROSARITO.- The long awaited film "Little Boy," shot at Baja Film Studios in Rosarito Beach in 2012, finally has a a firm release date and a trailer. The film was expected to be released in June of this year (as previously reported here), but was delayed reportedly due to extensive post-production work.

For the movie, an entire town named "O'Hare," as it would have looked in the early 1940's in northern California, was constructed for the film on the back lot of the Baja Studios, Rosarito, where such mega-blockbusters as "Titanic," "Master and Commander" and "Pearl Harbor" were filmed. In the film, the town of O'Hare's young men have gone off to war and the old folks, women and school children are about all that is left to keep things going. The "little boy" of the movie's title, is mercilessly teased because of his short stature and his belief that through faith he can bring his father back home alive from World War II.

A lot has happened since the actual filming wrapped-up during the final months of 2012. Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, among the most successful film and television producers in Hollywood, have come on board as Executive Producers of the film. Open Road Productions has acquired U.S. distribution rights, and on Friday, December 5th, the official trailer was released and will begin popping-up on theater screens throughout the U.S. between now and the official release date: February 27, 2015.

The trailer for the film, set in small-town America, looks fantastic, and can only pump-up the buzz that has already been accumulating by word-of-mouth over the internet by the lucky few that have seen sneak previews in the U.S. and abroad.

VIDEO: Little Boy Official Trailer

In addition to the many locals of Rosarito Beach who worked as extras on the movie and have been salivating for a peek at the finished product, those connected with Baja Studios Rosarito and the Baja California Film Commission are hoping that this film will re-focus attention and ignite new production activity at the historically under-utilized film studio built eighteen years ago for the filming of Titanic.

With the uptick of attention on the "new Baja" and its acclaimed Baja-Med cuisine, which has attracted culinary tourism both nationally and from abroad, "Little Boy" may serve to bring top-end producers flocking back to Baja Film Studios, Rosarito, where world-class movies can be made on budgets that Hollywood can only dream of.

"Little Boy", which cost a scant $25 million to make, demonstrates the kind of potential Baja California presents for high-end value-added services greater than its traditional tourist and maquiladora sectors. To this end, Tijuana is increasingly being seen as a mecca for industries in the high tech and biomedical sphere, as well as start-ups for innovative entrepreneurs.

Earlier this year, Baja Studios missed by an eyelash of being selected to host the latest installment of the $200 million-budgeted "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise starring Johnny Depp.

Baja lost out to Australia, however, whose government provided lavish financial incentives. Currently winding-up shooting at Baja Film Studios is the comedy, "Compadres," starring Eric Roberts.[/p][/p]

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