It was a long shot at best; a movie about a little-known sport starring an unknown cast. Yet George Butler’s Pumping Iron was a hit, and in the years following its 1977 release, it became a cult classic that sparked a revolution in the way the world viewed bodybuilding and fitness. Now, 35 years later, writer/director/producer Vlad Yudin and producing partner Edwin Mejia of the Vladar Company have partnered with American Media Inc. to bring you the next chapter of bodybuilding with Generation Iron. Starring two-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Dennis Wolf, Branch Warren, Ben Pakulski, Roelly Winklaar, and Hidetada Yamagishi, this hardhitting feature film follows the new wave of iron athletes as they vie for the 2013 Mr. Olympia and the right to be called the greatest bodybuilder in the world.
Generation Iron will hit movie theaters this September. Yes, on the big screen! Until then, FLEX will bring you exclusive updates from Yudin himself along with photos and stills from the movie. Plus, look for our special full-length feature, which includes in-depth interviews with Yudin and Team Weider athletes Heath, Greene and Pakulski. Check generation-iron.com and mrolympia.com to stay up to date.
WRITER,DIRECTOR & PRODUCER VLAD YUDIN’S THOUGHTS ON:
A GOLDEN MOMENT “At one point, we had Hidetada Yamagishi, Dennis Wolf, and Ben Pakulski all at Gold’s, so it was the perfect opportunity to ‘re-create,’ if you will, the camaraderie from the old days. And you’ll see that with the Olympia right around the corner, it turned very competitive. Nobody wanted to be outdone by the other guy. And they had an impromptu pose-down right there in the gym.”
CHANGING TIMES “The sport today is so diferent from those days; maybe one of the most telling aspects is that there isn’t that level of interaction anymore. When I spoke to Lou [Ferrigno], he said that back then there was a sense of camaraderie with most of the guys training in the same gym. In shooting this movie, we traveled from one end of the United States to the other to capture everyone in their natural environment. It was a really unique atmosphere they had back then. Even though they competed against each other, they still trained together. It’s kind of like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield training together for the heavyweight title. Today, they’re all isolated from—and really have no interaction with—each other until they arrive at the contest.”
THE MECCA “The really cool thing about shooting at Gold’s Gym was that it was a reference to the original film. We all remember the scenes of Arnold, Franco, and the rest of the guys training together at the original Gold’s. And how can you not be inspired with all the signed pictures of the legends on the walls?
“Today, with all the guys in different parts of the world, it gives you an indication of how much the sport has grown. It’s no longer this little community like it was back then. The sport is worldwide now, global. It shows you the influence bodybuilding has had on the mainstream public, because now there are great gyms everywhere.” FLEX
