Sylvester Stallone Movie ‘Reach Me’ Boots Kickstarter for Indiegogo (Exclusive)

Director John Herzfeld says producers favor the “more flexible” platform

The feel-good indie “Reach Me” starring Sylvester Stallone has been pulled from Kickstarter — despite that it’s already hit its $250,000 goal there — in favor of Indiegogo, whose “more flexible” format allows international contributions and pledges beyond $10,000.

Director John Herzfeld and producers Rebekah Chaney and Cassian Elwes initially turned to Kickstarter when one of the film’s backers fell off the project, leaving them scrambling to raise $250,000 to finish.

57604645The Kickstarter campaign for “Reach Me” was scheduled to close on Sept. 19, though it surpassed its $250,000 goal several weeks early. However, the pledged money will be canceled, and Herzfeld hopes they follow the project to Indiegogo.

Also Read: Sylvester Stallone, John Herzfeld Reach $250,000 Kickstarter Goal for ‘Reach Me’ (Exclusive)

“Indiegogo doesn’t have the same guidelines as Kickstarter. They allow for participation from all parties. It’s a bit more flexible, and there’s an international platform as well,” explained Herzfeld. “They made it easy for us and were very, very helpful.”

The switch took place overnight sometime Tuesday. No one actually paid money to Kickstarter, which only collects once the fundraising period has closed.

“We’ve emailed them and asked them to follow us to Indiegogo, where we’re going to keep the same rewards and probably add a few different ones,” said Herzfeld, who is now seeking only $50,000 to finish the film. Herzfeld said the goal was lowered when another source of cash emerged, but people can still “give as much as they want to give.”

“Reach Me” boasts a star-studded ensemble for an independent film, with Stallone joined by HBO veterans Thomas Jane (“Hung”), Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) and Terry Crews (“The Newsroom”), as well as Kelsey Grammer, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo and rapper Nelly.

Also Read: James Franco Launches $500,000 Indiegogo Campaign

The story follows a group of characters brought together by a self-help book written by an anonymous author.

“It’s a feel-good movie with an upbeat, inspirational story. It’s about a dozen broken characters who get a second chance in life by coming into contact with this book,” said the director.

“We’re in post now, so we’re finding songs and working on the score and sound effects. I want to finish another scene with Thomas Jane and Elizabeth Henstridge. It’s important I get that scene, which is why I have a short window to get the rest of the funding.”

With six days left in its Indiegogo campaign, “Reach Me” has raised $16,878 of its $50,000 goal, as of this writing.

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