NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – After being hailed a hero for saving a family from a dangerous situation and dying just two years later, the story of a former high school wrestler will be commemorated on film – the story of Canaan Bowers.
New Mexico State University Professor Ross Marks will direct a new narrative feature film about Bowers. The junior from Mayfield High School saved a mother and her children from a would-be kidnapper at a convenience store in 2020. However, he was killed in a motorcycle accident just two years later. Marks says Bowers’ story exemplifies “heroism, faith, and family.”
“The story is much more than an act of bravery. The one act of bravery kind of represents and symbolizes who this young man was. But now, in death, I think he can be immortalized. And film has the most powerful reach as a story-telling vehicle,” says Marks.
The screenplay is currently being written, and Marks says the ongoing writers’ strike will not have any impact on the progress since he is a non-union writer. He is hopeful that the writers’ and actors’ strikes will be resolved by the end of the year so the film can begin shooting in 2024. The writer is aiming for a spring 2025 film release.
