\u201cThe Legend of Hell\u2019s Gate: An American Conspiracy\u201d<\/a> tells the story of how Hell\u2019s Gate at Possum Kingdom Lake<\/a> came to its name. The 2011 film is told through three outlaws\u2019 expeditions and encounters through 1870s Texas.<\/p>\n Beard, who is from Snyder and is now based in Fort Worth, did just about everything behind and in front of the camera on the film. He\u2019s credited not only as the writer-director, but as an actor and producer.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfac In case you missed it: <\/p>\n The venture was Beard\u2019s first major project, and one that he thought never aligned with his definitive vision for the film, which was made in Texas cities like Granbury and Palo Pinto.<\/p>\n Now, a little older and a little wiser, Beard is putting out a director\u2019s cut of the film this fall under a new title \u2014 \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Texas.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people have kind of said, \u2018Yeah, I don\u2019t know what this is. Is it a director\u2019s cut? Is it a new movie\u2019?\u201d Beard said in a phone interview. \u201cWe\u2019re like, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s both.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Time and legends<\/p>\n \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Texas\u201d will open in select theaters on Oct. 16 and hit video-on-demand on Nov. 17.<\/p>\n Beard pulled out all the stops for the film, including shooting 20 minutes of new footage, digitally remastering the original film negative, revising deleted scenes, adding new visual effects and composing a fresh musical score.<\/p>\n However, the most important part was getting Lou Taylor Pucci to reprise his role as a Kelly, since the framing device of \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Texas\u201d is his character in the early 1900s retelling the events of \u201cHell\u2019s Gate.\u201d<\/p>\n Another thing Beard is excited for people to check out is the historical aspect of the film, which features a who\u2019s who of famous Western figures like Doc Holliday, Bass Reeves, Belle Starr, Jesse James, Sam Bass and Quanah Parker.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really cool to say that all those characters are all in one movie,\u201d Beard said.<\/p>\n The genesis of the new cut came after Beard retained the rights to \u201cHell\u2019s Gate\u201d after a decade.<\/p>\n When he went back and looked through the footage, he realized that the film had actually been shot in 4K, which Beard said was a relatively new format at the time back in 2009. That realization, plus the lingering feeling that he wasn\u2019t able to tell the story he wanted to, pushed Beard to get to work on a new cut.<\/p>\n As for why he feels \u201cHell\u2019s Gate\u201d didn\u2019t align with his vision, Beard said that\u2019s due to time constraints when making the movie and his own young naivety. He turned 25 years old on set and was still figuring things out.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he\u2019s excited to put “Once Upon a Time in Texas\u201d out as a way to thank the cast and crew for their hard work all those years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is kind of my very late hopeful apology to not knowing exactly what I was doing when I was 25,\u201d Beard said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Texas\u201d stars Pucci, Beard, Eric Balfour, Henry Thomas, Clive Standen, Jenna Dewan, Summer Glau, Kevin Alejandro and more.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n Tanner Beard (left) behind the scenes of \u201cThe Legend of Hell\u2019s Gate: An American Conspiracy.\u201d Ted Albracht Courtesy of Silver Sail Entertainment <\/p>\n
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