Paralympic Biopic 'The Fastest Man In The World' Sets Kansas City Shoot for April 2027

A passion project with serious awards potential is moving toward production in the midwest. "The Fastest Man In The World," a biopic chronicling the extraordinary life of Paralympic sprinting legend Tony Volpentest, is in pre-production and targeting Kansas City, Missouri for principal photography beginning April 2027. Based on Volpentest's 2012 memoir of the same name, the film tells the story of a man born without hands or feet who went on to win four Paralympic gold medals and five world championship titles, setting world records at both the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. With over a year until cameras roll, the production is at an early but genuinely active stage, which means department heads and key below-the-line crew have a real window to get on the radar now.

At the helm are husband-and-wife creative team Alexander Yellen and Kelli McNeil-Yellen, who are directing and writing the screenplay respectively. The duo are perhaps best known in indie film circles for "Daruma," their award-winning feature that screened at Slamdance, the prestigious Park City-based festival that has launched more than a few careers and demonstrated a consistent eye for bold, character-driven storytelling. That festival pedigree signals a team with strong artistic instincts and a commitment to authentic, emotionally grounded work. A biopic of this scope and sensitivity, one that moves through two landmark Paralympic Games and the cultural moment they represented, will demand a director and writer deeply invested in getting the details right. That appears to be exactly what this production has. The Yellens' shared history as collaborators also tends to produce sets with a clear creative vision and a unified tone, which crew often find makes for a more focused and communicative production environment.

The producing team brings a notable mix of indie credibility and mainstream franchise experience. Dannie Festa, one of the producers on board, is an executive producer with credits on DreamWorks Animation's massively successful "Trolls" franchise, bringing both studio-level production knowledge and distribution relationships to the table. Anthony Badalucco joins Festa as a producer, with executive producer duties handled by Chuck Cuda, Anthony Biondo, and Jay Jawarski. While the film does not yet have a distribution partner announced publicly, the combination of a commercially accessible true story, an established producing team, and the universal appeal of Paralympic sports narratives positions this project well for festival acquisition or streamer pickup. No studio or financier has been publicly confirmed at this stage, but that may well change as the production moves deeper into pre-production over the coming year.

Kansas City is the confirmed filming location, and it is a choice worth paying attention to. Missouri has made a concerted effort to attract film productions in recent years, and Kansas City in particular has quietly developed a growing infrastructure for film work. The city offers a range of architectural looks that can be dressed to represent different eras, which matters significantly for a film that spans events in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. Missouri does offer a film production tax credit program, which likely factors into the location decision, though productions should consult current program guidelines as the state's incentive landscape has evolved. The local crew base in Kansas City is active and capable, though productions of this scale filming in Missouri often supplement local hires with department heads brought in from Los Angeles or Chicago. Stage facilities in the region are more limited than in Atlanta or New Orleans, so the production will likely lean heavily on practical locations throughout the city.

The film's subject matter and structure carry clear implications for specific departments. A period biopic spanning 1992 and 1996 will require a well-resourced costume and wardrobe department capable of accurately recreating athletic and period-era looks across two distinct Olympic host cities. The production design team will face the interesting challenge of evoking both Barcelona and Atlanta on a Missouri canvas, meaning location scouting will be creative and extensive. The athletic sequences, particularly the sprint events at the heart of Volpentest's story, will require close coordination between the stunt and athletic performance departments and will likely involve adaptive sports consultants. Any production depicting Paralympic competition with authenticity will also benefit from on-set disability inclusion consultants and advisors, an increasingly standard and important practice. If the project lands at a major streamer or studio, VFX support for stadium crowd extension and period-accurate environment work would be a reasonable expectation as well.

For crew looking to track this production through its pre-production phase and into active staffing, the full listing for "The Fastest Man In The World" is available now on ProductionList.com, including all confirmed production contacts, the Kansas City production base details, and key crew as they come on board. With principal photography still more than a year out, this is the ideal moment to make contact and position yourself before the hiring window tightens. Check the listing regularly for updates on distribution announcements, additional crew attachments, and any shifts to the production timeline.

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