Who is John Bronco? He’s a world class racer, a rodeo star, a sex symbol and a legendary pitchman who’s face was instantly recognizable on the Ford Bronco and countless products — and he’s also Walton Goggins and never existed.
But that shouldn’t stop anyone from inflating his legend, as the new short film “John Bronco” aims to do. The mockumentary is the latest from Jake Szymanski, the director who told similarly fake sports legends in the films “Tour de Pharmacy” and “7 Days in Hell.”
“John Bronco” though is a different sort of fake sports icon, a 1966 legend whose jingle went triple-platinum and could be heard in ads for his own cologne, breakfast cereal, video game, action figure and more. The film describes him as the “very embodiment of the American dream, that is, until it all came crashing down.”
“John Bronco” was an official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, and Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Documentaries will release the short film later this year, with specific release plans to be announced later.
The film is already gaining some traction on social media, with the website offering a portal where people can post photos of “sightings” of the “real” John Bronco, who in the film disappeared after becoming one of the country’s most recognizable faces.
Walton Goggins stars in “John Bronco” alongside Tim Meadows, Tim Baltz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bo Derek, and Dennis Quaid narrates the brief teaser for the film above.
Marc Gilbar, Meredith Kaulfers, Rebecca Donaghe and Maggie McLean are producers on “John Bronco,” and Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Alessandro F. Uzielli, Tara Schaeffer, Michael Sagol, Josh Morse, Casey Wooden are executive producers.