DEFIANT: Captain Robert Smalls made history 159 years ago today...
At midnight on May 13, 1862, a 23-year-old enslaved man named Robert Smalls pulled off the most audacious heist of the American Civil War. Hired out as a harbor pilot, Smalls spent years steering huge steamships through the dangerous waters of Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. When the Civil War broke out, he was forced to continue doing the same for the Confederate navy. On that fated night, with the ship's officers and crew ashore, Smalls got his wife, their three children, his mother, plus the families of his enslaved crewmates, took them aboard the 140 foot Confederate gunship—and he STOLE IT.
Today is the anniversary of Captain Robert Smalls' daring escape to freedom, and Legion M is excited to be working hard to honor his legacy. Since the start of our mission to bring his story to the big screen, our posts have reached more than a million people, garnered over 250,000 likes, and have been shared over 60,000 times!
It's clear there is an audience ready to watch this incredible film. If you'd like to be a part of the legion of fans that are uniting make Defiant, the story of Robert Smalls, happen, plus vote on casting/crew (and see the meme that started it all), then head this way...
We’ve also got some amazing art work created by our community, including Legion M investor and storyboard artist Chauncey Pierce, and artist Bryce Boon.
Together, we can ensure that the story of Robert Smalls will be told.
