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Hampton filmmaking pair debuts a mystery based in familiar haunts

Dave Hobbs, Corey Weber and Robert Shepherd perform in "That Summer the Wolf Came," an independent movie filmed in Hampton.
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Still from "That Summer the Wolf Came"

“That Summer the Wolf Came” was filmed largely in Phoebus and Fort Monroe and debuts at Hampton’s American Theatre Jan. 18.

George Tate doesn’t have a moral compass. He’s always on the prowl for the next con. George has lived at a retirement center in Yorktown, visited a bistro in Phoebus and knows his way around Fort Monroe.

George is the fictional leading character in “That Summer the Wolf Came,” a locally produced independent film premiering at The American Theatre in Hampton on Jan. 18.

“George will do anything to make money,” said Robert Shepherd, who plays Tate, adding to a resume that dates back to his appearance as Bachelor No. 2 in “The Dating Game.” It also includes a performance as the attending physician who pronounced the president dead in Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”

Shepherd grew up in a small town in the Missouri Ozarks attending a church that didn’t believe in going to the movies. “But that didn’t keep me from wanting to,” he said.

Shepherd’s superheroes were the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers and despite that early TV appearance, it wasn’t until he retired from the Army in 1996 that he began racking up what is now 129 credits on IMDb.

Two years ago, he starred in a pilot called “Lucifer and the Father,” noting, “I had the unusual opportunity to play God.”

“That Summer the Wolf Came” teams him once again with Jessie Sanzo, his partner in ROTAG production company formed in 2013. Their other movies, “Past Shadows,” “Push Comes to Shove” and “The Mardis Gras Man,” have been distributed on Amazon Prime, among other streaming outlets.

Sanzo got the idea for their latest film after dropping in to see his mother-in-law at a retirement center in Williamsburg.

“It dawned on me that we could do something with a little intrigue and have Bob as the main character a retirement home under false premise,” said Sanzo, himself retired after 31 years in Hampton City Schools.

For the first time in their business partnership, Sanzo and Shepherd appear in a scene together. Sanzo plays a detective who helps local police and discovers a surprising pattern.

Shepherd’s home is used for some interior scenes and Harpers Station Yorktown, a senior living community, opened its doors for filming. Locals will also recognize exterior shots at Baked Bistro in downtown Hampton, street scenes from Phoebus and Old Point National Bank on Fort Monroe.

Production was challenging with director Dave Hobbs simultaneously performing weekends in “Sweeney Todd” at Little Theatre of Norfolk. While all but two actors reside in Hampton Roads, Corey Weber, who plays a major role as George’s son, had to remain in Florida due to his day job doing hurricane cleanup.

“That was challenging,” said Hobbs, who is retired Navy. “He literally is in 50% of the scenes and he wasn’t able to be here until the last week. So, we filmed a lot of stuff the first three weeks using all these different camera angles. Then when he got here, we just added him in, meaning we filmed half the film in about six and a half days.”

“That Summer the Wolf Came” is roughly one hour 45 minutes with multiple plot twists, poignancy in parts and a surprise ending.

“That Summer the Wolf Came” premieres at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at The American Theatre. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit The American Theatre online.

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