This story was originally featured in the Marietta Monitor on May 4th, 2026 as Sykora family members step into cinematography.
Members of an old Love County family with roots going back to statehood are taking the first steps into a new venture and opening the doors for other locals to come and explore cinemagraphic epic fantasy filmed entirely in Oklahoma.
The Sykora family has long been known throughout the area, but brothers Brent Sykora, former CEO of Red River Valley Rural Electric Association; Craig Sykora, CEO of Red River Cinematics; and Dale Sykora, Creative Executive and writer of the screenplay, The Journeyman, along with Brian Esposito (not an Okie), after decades of work and research, are finally bringing their dream to fruition through Red River Cinematics with a kickoff party at the Krootz Brewery in Gainesville, Texas.
“This is an epic fantasy that I started working on in 1973 as a novel when I was a freshman in high school. Craig got on board with it and started helping in the 90s,” spokesperson Dale Sykora said.
When the screenplay co-writer came on board in 2001, they cautiously decided against publishing the novel, choosing to wait instead for the screenplay so it would be never-before-seen content.
“We didn’t want people knowing what to expect, what was coming up next. Most screenplays develop after a novel or a game. We chose another route,” Sykora said.
In the years the Talan Team has been developing this project, other family members and friends have also shown interest. Leading the interest is Chad Krootz, owner of the Brewpub in Gainesville.
Krootz, as the owner of a pub and brew master himself, jumped in with help, brewing and creating some of the beers that will be consumed in the movie as well as be on sale during the launch party.
One of the movie brews is a honeysuckle stout, known as Galboard stout, named for the hero’s homeland, and it is the first honeysuckle stout in the real world.
The launch party will feature AI-produced snippets of what the actual movie and television seasons will be like.
“We’ve been working on this project for years,” Sykora said. “Through our research, we learned of the Oklahoma State Intiative Program, which is one of the most lucrative programs in the country. With their help we were able to contact Ryan Delgardt, the COO of Boiling Point Media in Oklahoma City. He read the screenplay and has been wanting to do it for years.”
This cinematic event, which will be fully filmed in Oklahoma is all about Jesser, who is supposed to be the Journeyman of Legend to see the Land of Talan out of the Age of Dooms into the Age of Promise, who has been enslaved, but with the help of a wizard, Stefir and Ogador, heir prince of the West-Realm escapes from a slave ship. Jesser’s adventures as he attempts to regain his rightful position take place in the Land of Talan.
The launch party, on May 14 at 315 West Elm in Gainsville, is all about setting the stage for classic, not-so-perfect heroes striving to do what is right.
Sykora is working to reach a wide range of audience viewers with a PG-13 version as well as a PG version for the younger viewers.
“This is going to be the first epic fantasy, shot entirely in Oklahoma, worthy of Okies,” Sykora said.
The launch party itself is being used as a platform to gain enough interest to raise the remainder of the funds necessary to proceed with filming schedules.
Sykora invites the public to the launch party to be a part of the epic cinematic Oklahoma event.