The True Story That Inspired Amber Alert
The 2024 thriller, Amber Alert, has some basis in real-life, with a fascinating backstory behind it. Abbott Elementary’s Tyler James Williams and Nashville’s Hayden Panettiere lead the cast of Amber Alert. The film sees their two characters, Shane and Jaq, get an AMBER Alert during a rideshare and try to find the little girl who was kidnapped. Amber Alert had the potential to be a great thriller, but some elements in the film made it fall short.
At the time of its premiere, Amber Alert received mixed reviews, which cited the lack of originality of the story and how predictable it was. However, the story is rooted in truth, only proving the old adage that life imitates art, and vice versa. Contrary to reviews, the fact that Amber Alert was inspired by a true story is one of the things that makes it interesting, giving it a unique backstory.
Amber Alert Was Inspired By Director Kerry Bellessa's Real Experience
Kerry Bellessa Once Got An AMBER Alert
Although Amber Alert isn't based on a true story, it was inspired by the director of the film, Kerry Bellessa’s real-life experience. While Bellessa was driving from L.A. to Phoenix with his wife, the director got an AMBER Alert on his phone. According to Bellessa, he was so affected by the message that he wanted to find the person who was being looked for. He and his wife looked for the car, but unfortunately, they didn't find it (via The Direct).
From that experience stemmed the idea for Amber Alert.
Bellessa knew that it wasn't the safest idea to look for the alleged abductor's car, but to him, it was a question of what the right thing to do was. From that experience stemmed the idea for Amber Alert. However, the film and Bellessa’s real-life experience differ because the protagonists in Amber Alert actually found the car and the person who was behind the kidnapping, at great risk to themselves.
2024's Amber Alert Is Technically A Remake Of His Own Movie
Bellessa And Joshua Oram Wrote The Script For Amber Alert
Bellessa’s AMBER Alert experience made him want to tell a story about what he had gone through, but bringing his vision to life wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Initially, Bellassa had grand ideas for how his movie would take shape. He actually wanted the Award-winning Cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, to be part of his project. However, the director didn't have the money to make the movie at the time.
While Bellessa's experience with the AMBER Alert message ended with him and his wife not finding the kidnapper, he wanted the movie to have an expansive scope that included other elements, such as involving the police.
What resulted instead was him making a found footage version in 2012 with the same title, which got very little recognition, before he remade his own movie as the one he always wanted to make. While Bellessa's experience with the AMBER Alert message ended with him and his wife not finding the kidnapper, he wanted his movie to have an expansive scope that included other elements, such as involving the police. Bellessa and the film’s writer, Joshua Oram, tried for 10 years to make Amber Alert, before they finally succeeded (via Dead Central).
Sources: The Direct, Dead Central
Amber Alert
- Release Date
- September 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes
- Director
- Kerry Bellessa
- Writers
- Kerry Bellessa, Joshua Oram
Cast
Hayden PanettiereJaq
Tyler James WilliamsShane
After receiving an Amber Alert on their phones, Jaq and her driver Shane realize they are trailing the car of the suspected kidnapper. What begins as a typical rideshare quickly turns into a tense, high-stakes chase as they race against time to save the abducted child. The film stars Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams.
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