Filming Underway on Movie Adaptation of 'The Longest Ride,' Based on Nicholas Sparks' Bestseller

PUEBLO, CO - Filming is now underway on the movie adaptation of New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks' novel "The Longest Ride."

The film stars Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Oona Chaplin and Jack Huston. Eastwood portrays Luke, an injured bull rider making his way up the ranks of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Touring Pro Division. His chance meeting of Sophia, played by "Under the Dome's" Britt Robertson, after an event begins their love story which weaves its way in and out of the PBR's Built Ford Tough Series.

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) have been signed as a technical advisor to the film and will produce all of the movie's bull riding events.

PBR productions are currently taking place in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after a week of filming in Wilmington, North Carolina. The production team will also travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in August to shoot the final bull riding scenes.

Current and active PBR Built Ford Tough Series riders will not only act as stunt doubles for Eastwood, a few of them, such as 2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh and Galax, Virginia's Billy Robinson, have been asked to appear in the movie as themselves.

"Nicholas Sparks captured the essence of a PBR bull rider with his character Luke Collins in 'The Longest Ride'," said Sean Gleason, PBR COO. "We're enjoying working with FOX and Scott Eastwood to bring the character to life on the big screen as a PBR cowboy in and amongst the real-world stars of the sport."

Directed by George Tillman Jr, "The Longest Ride" will be in theaters everywhere April 3, 2015.

Stay tuned to PBR.com over the next several months for behind-the-scenes updates and news from the set of "The Longest Ride."

NICHOLAS SPARKS is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 89 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 60 million copies in the United States alone, and his popularity continues to soar. Sparks's eight film adaptations, "Safe Haven," "The Lucky One," "Message in a Bottle," "A Walk to Remember," "The Notebook," "Nights in Rodanthe," "Dear John" and "The Last Song," have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars.

About THE LONGEST RIDE

Based on the bestselling novel from master storyteller Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, Dear John), comes an unforgettable tale of two intertwining love stories. In one, an elderly man, drifting in and out of consciousness, reunites with his beloved wife - who had died years before; in the second, a man fighting to save his family's ranch falls in love with a sophisticated young woman. A strange occurrence unites the two generations in an extraordinary journey.

About 20th Century Fox

One of the world's largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, 20thCentury Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of 20thCentury Fox Film: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The world's premier bull riding organization, the PBR, turns 21 in 2014. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become a global sports phenomenon with PBR broadcasts reaching more than half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world, and more than 2.5 million fans attending live events each year. PBR has paid out more than $130 million in earnings to its athletes, and 25 riders have earned more than $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million the most of any western sports athlete in history. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.

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