SHSWFIF To Produce WWII Drama “SHOT DOWN”
HOUSTON, TX (July 19, 2025) – Sam Houston Southwest Film Investment Fund is in active development on the screen version of the acclaimed non-fiction book SHOT DOWN written by Steve Snyder.
Adapted by Emmy® Award-winning screenwriter Steven Jon Whritner (The Huntsman, A Father’s War), SHOT DOWN follows pilot Lt. Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth, and the harrowing experiences of the plane’s survivors after it was shot out of the sky by German fighters over the French/Belgium border during a daring bombing mission targeting the Frankfurt rail yards on February 8, 1944.
“At its core, SHOT DOWN is a thrilling adventure story about airmen caught behind enemy lines and the torments they must endure to survive in order to get back home to their loved ones,” says Whritner. “I chose to write the screenplay primarily because what those brave men went through affected me on an emotional level as a husband and father.”
“As a pilot myself, I’m attracted to incredibly well-documented and historically accurate tales of heroism in the air during wartime,” offers Sam Houston’s Chairman and Executive Director Steve Hill. “Steve Snyder’s book has that in spades and we at Sam Houston look forward to collaborating with Steve on what promises to be an exciting motion picture.”
SHOT DOWN is a Sam Houston Studios production in association with Plymouth Rock Entertainment. Producer: Steven Jon Whritner. Executive Producer: Steve Hill. Book by author Steve Snyder. Adapted screenplay written by: Steven Jon Whritner.
Sam Houston Southwest Film Investment Fund is chartered to promote filmmaking in the Southwest region of the United States, while fostering creative talent and bringing quality entertainment to a global audience. Through strategic alliances with leading production companies and distributors, Sam Houston provides financing for every phase of content creation, from development through production and distribution.
Plymouth Rock Entertainment is an Emmy® Award-winning creative agency specializing in the development, production and marketing of a vast range of entertainment content.
For more information regarding Sam Houston, please visit samhoustonswfilmfund.com. For information regarding Plymouth Rock, please contact Steven Jon Whritner at swhritner@plymouthrock.tv. For information regarding the book SHOT DOWN by Steve Snyder visit stevesnyderauthor.com.
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