Mandy Patinkin to Join Zach Braff’s New Kickstarter-Funded Film "Wish I Was Here"

Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects, including films, games, music, art, design, and technology. Since its­­ launch in 2009, more than 4 million people have pledged over $612 million, funding more than 41,000 creative projects. One project in particular is the film, "Wish I Was Here," created by famed actor, Zach Braff.

Braff's second directorial effort has found its first two cast members, Mandy Patinkin from the popular show "Homeland," and Josh Gad from the Broadway production, Book of Mormon. Mandy Patinkin will be playing Braff's father and Gad has been cast as his brother. The film, which was co-written by Braff and his brother, is about a financially-strapped 35-year-old father and actor who reluctantly attempts to home-school his two young children, after his ailing father, Patinkin, can no longer afford to pay for their private school. Through the journey of the drastic life change, Aidan (Braff) learns things about himself he otherwise wouldn't. The film is a relatable story about finding one's self, overcoming hardship, and coping with suffering.

Production is expected to begin in Los Angeles this August, with an eventual showing at the Sundance Film Festival next January and a theatrical release in September 2014.

Braff's on-going Kickstarter campaign has currently netted $2.6 million from over 38,000 backers, surpassing its $2 million goal. Through Kickstarter, project creators set a funding goal and deadline. If people like a project, they can pledge money to make it happen. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, as in, projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. To date, 44% of projects have reached their funding goals.

Mozart, Beethoven, Whitman, Twain, and other artists funded works in similar ways by soliciting money from smaller patrons, often called subscribers. In return for their support, these subscribers might have received an early copy or special edition of the work. Kickstarter is an extension of this model, turbocharged by the web.