Eduardo Verastegui, a producer and star of Open Road’s upcoming film “Little Boy,” is offering World War II veterans free tickets to the film, Variety has learned exclusively.
“The freedom that Americans enjoy is because of the sacrifices of these valiant men and women,” said Verastegui. “In light of that, I would like to give two tickets to World War II veterans to thank them and so they can experience the healing power of ‘Little Boy.’”
“Little Boy” is the story of a young boy who sets out to achieve the impossible: to bring his father back from World War II. The film is narrated in the present day by the boy’s adult self, looking back at his childhood in the fictional 1940s-era town of O’Hare, Calif.
More than 16 million Americans served in World War II. It’s estimated that 855,000 of them are still alive.
Tickets are available through Verastegui’s www.letsbeheroes.org website. The film opens April 24.
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Verastegui is a first generation Mexican-American immigrant. “I love America. Like many immigrants, every day I thank God for all the blessings this country has provided me and my family,” said Verastegui. “This is just one small way that I can give back.”
The cast includes Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin James, David Henrie, Michael Rapaport, Cary Tagawa, Ted Levine and Jakob Salvati, the 7-year-old lead actor.
Other producers are Leo Severino, Alejandro Monteverde, Emilio Azcarraga, Bernardo Gomez, Micky Ohare and Sean Wolfington. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey executive produced.
