Movie Lady Talks New Mid-South Film

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - N-Secure" stars Cordell Moore (a veteran of such Tyler Perry stage productions as "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Why Did I Get Married?") as a Desert Storm veteran whose strict upbringing and insecurities lead him into a series of troubled romantic relationships and, eventually, a web of events that includes betrayal and murder.

The supporting cast includes such familiar performers as Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable on "The Cosby Show"); Essence Atkins (a regular on UPN's "Half and Half"); Lamman Rucker (Perry's "Meet the Browns"); Denise Boutte (Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?"); and Memphian Elise Neal ("Hustle & Flow," "The Hughleys"). The actors mostly will play "upscale African-Americans," Taylor said.

The director -- recruited by Lewis and Taylor out of Hollywood -- is David M. Matthews, a longtime composer who wrote the music for 750 episodes of "The Young and the Restless" before becoming a writer and producer on such programs as "The Nanny," "Cybill" and "Living Single."

"N-Secure" is "a full-on drama," Matthews said, describing the story's main character as a man more adept at avoiding injury in war than in "negotiating the minefields of romantic relationships."

The movie's 24-day shoot is scheduled to begin a week from today in Lakeland. Lewis said the film will require a crew of about 30 people a day, including local and out-of-town hires. Locations will include many South Main and Midtown bars, restaurants and offices.

Lewis secured loans from Regents Bank to help finance the movie, which is budgeted at about $750,000. He said his production will take full advantage of the state and local financial incentives now available for filmmakers.

"It shows what happens when there are state incentives, when suddenly we have homegrown filmmakers, both black and white, making projects with respectable projects," said Film Commissioner Linn Sitler.

Lewis said the film should be ready for release a year from now. He said it is uncertain whether it will debut in theaters or on cable and DVD, but like most movies, it likely will make most of its money outside of cinemas.