Capacity crowd, stars mingle at Collins Road Theatres for ‘Amelia 2.0’ world premiere

MARION - The wave of the future created a tidal wave of anticipation Friday for the world premiere of 'Amelia 2.0” at Collins Road Theatres in Cedar Rapids.

All 850 tickets were snapped up, filling all five auditoriums screening the sci-fi saga.

Angela Billman of Cedar Rapids stars in the title role of the comatose Amelia Summerland, whose brain has been transferred into a replica robotic body. The fictional experiment raises all manner of ethical questions, creating ripples of controversy in its wake.

The 90-minute movie is based on 'The Summerland Project,” a play by Rob Merritt of Cedar Rapids, which debuted in the Grandon Studio at Theatre Cedar Rapids in November 2011 and moved to the main stage in 2013.

The film version, directed by Adam Orton of Cedar Rapids, was shot in various sites around Cedar Rapids in 2014.

Among the Hollywood actors on-screen are Ben Whitehair ('Better Call Saul”) as Amelia's husband; Ed Begley Jr. ('St. Elsewhere”); Eddie Jemison ('Ocean's Eleven” to 'Thirteen”); Chris Ellis ('Apollo 13”); Kate Vernon ('Battlestar Galactica”); Debra Wilson ('Avatar”); and Kamar De Los Reyes ('One Life to Live”).

The movie continues at the multiplex at least through Thursday, with daily showings at 12:50, 2:50, 4:50, 6:50 and 8:50 p.m. For details, go to Collinsroadtheatres.com/movie/Amelia-20/763/.

l Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com