Dominick Fairbanks, the great grandson of Hollywood legend, Douglas Fairbanks, has joined the upcoming Mary Pickford film “The First,” as a co-producer.
Fairbanks is the grandson of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and great grandson of Douglas Fairbanks, who was Pickford's second husband, as well as one of the original owners of United Artists.
His British-based company, Fairbanks Productions, will co-produce “The First,” alongside the producers, Poverty Row Entertainment, the filmmakers told TheWrap on Thursday.
Fairbanks will join Poverty Row’s Jennifer DeLia and Julie Pacino at this week’s AFM, as they gear up for sales of the film and take meetings to round out the cast.
Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary," and "The Girl with the Curls," the Canadian-born Pickford was one of silent film's biggest stars and had such fame that it was enough to establish her as one of the first global idols of cinema.
"The First" stars Lily Rabe, above, as Pickford, Michael Pitt as Owen Moore, and Ryan Simpkins as the young Pickford.
Roles still to be decided, include Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, Jack Pickford (Mary's brother), Charlotte Hennessy (Mary's mother), and Lillian Gish. The producers are also finalizing a deal for a sales company to handle the film.
"I'm excited to be a part of a project so close to my heart and to bring my family's legacy to life,” said Fairbanks. “Mary was so incredibly important to my great grandfather and the love of his life to the very end, and so important and such a close and very dear friend and mother to my grandfather. So in understanding what it meant to be the first and only woman at the forefront of the Hollywood movement of their time, it makes perfect sense to me that we would tell the story through her eyes. I love Jennifer and Julie's vision for this film and excited about being involved in supporting and co-producing the project."
The film will delve into Pickford's life, and will show the artistry, spirituality, and integrity that moved her through the controversies of her time. From 1892 to her death in 1979, Pickford was a force in film, who, along with Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith, created the distribution company, United Artists.
