Alexander McCully

Alexander McCully is a New Jersey-based independent filmmaker looking to cut his teeth on a new cinematic venture. His personal and professional exploits include being a part-time cowboy, film teacher, competition dancer, certified forklift driver and ghost hunter.

McCully’s new film, currently untitled, follows the story of a reclusive grand-father (Arthur) forced to hit the road to search for his train-hopping grand-son (Daniel). McCully has formed an LLC, “The Odyssey Project,” to produce the film.

On the United States railway system lives a community of people whose lives are oftentimes reckless and short. This film has two questions at its core:

Why do young people decide to drop everything and hit the rails?

What happens to those they leave behind?

As long as there have been highways to hitch-hike and grain-cars to catch out on, blind-sided families and heart-broken friends have lamented these questions.

Arthur, a nearly retired foreman, is a stranger to the road; but after the death of his wife, a traveling archaeologist who inspired and helped Daniel learn the ropes, Arthur must venture out into the country he spent so long trying to hide away from and follow in his grand-son’s footsteps to piece together the story with those who tell it best: Daniel’s fellow train-hoppers. Love-birds, jailbirds, hobos and holy-rollers, everyone finds common love for Daniel.

The film tells two parallel story-lines: Daniel, as he treks across the U.S. from Syracuse to Chicago, New Mexico to New Orleans and beyond; and Arthur, who must find his grand-son before he’s lost to the rails forever.

Seeking assorted resources to bring this vision to life, McCully will helm the film as writer-director, beginning pre-production ASAP with principal photography in Summer 2025. Planned to shoot on location with a consistent crew of 11-12 talented and hungry artists. An A-List Hollywood actor is set to portray Arthur.