‘Clouds’ movie set to pay tribute to Zach Sobiech
Friends and family of Zach Sobiech met in September with the cast members for the film. They spent some time in downtown Stillwater together, and hit it off like old friends. From left to right: Amy Adamle, Madison Iseman, Grace Sobiech, Mitchel Kluesner, Sammy Brown and Steffan Argus.
October 17, 2019
Nearly seven years ago, Stillwater alumni Zach Sobiech fell victim to Osteosarcoma. However, his legacy has continued to impact the local community and people across the globe ever since. His hit song ‘Clouds‘ gained 14 million views on Youtube and hit number one on the iTunes singles chart not long after its release in 2013. Zach’s life is still being honored today, with a professional movie production in the works based on his mother’s, Laura Sobiech’s, book “Fly A Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way.”
The movie on Zach’s life is being directed by Hollywood actor and director Justin Baldoni, who announced the production in December of 2018. The announcement was made at the KS95 annual Cloud’s Choir event at the Mall of America. Baldoni stood in front of the crowd, mic in hand, and declared the news.
“In 2019, it’s official. We’re going to be making the Zach Sobiech feature film,” Baldoni said.
Laura could be seen joyfully embracing the film director moments after as onlookers cheered. Her excitement and surprise at that moment was truly genuine. Though she had known the movie was planned for production, she did not know when Warner Brothers Studios would approve the film.
“’Clouds’ was being considered by Warner Bros. ‘Green Light’ committee, and that we would be getting an answer soon, just had me convinced that he was really unsure of which way they would go. So I was truly surprised by Justin’s announcement at the Clouds Choir. He likes to surprise people – I should have known,” Laura said.
Zach’s family and friends are undoubtedly looking forward to the movie, which is being filmed in Montreal two months from now. The idea of a film has been discussed since 2015 and has been an exciting and surreal experience for those closest to him, according to Amy Adamle, Zach’s girlfriend.
“Every time there’d be some new information about it, making a step forward, I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, seriously? No way. That’s not possible’,” Adamle said. “ And now that it’s really, really happening, it’s still surreal. It’s hard to believe that,” she added.
The cast will consist of Steffan Argus as Zach, Sabrina Carpenter as Sammy Brown and Madison Iseman as Amy Adamle. Zach’s friends and family are very satisfied with the casting, and have faith that they will represent them well. Laura said that meeting the cast was like meeting old friends. This feeling was mutual for both Laura and Adamle.
“Zach became like a little brother to me in the short time we knew each other and I promised him I would make sure the world knew about him and heard his song.”
— Justin Baldoni
“It was just like hanging out like we were in high school again, and it was cool to see them be so interested in what we had to say about our story,” Adamle said.
None of this would be possible without the dedication from Justin Baldoni, who developed a very special bond with Zach and his family during his previous production with them, a documentary about Zach titled “Meet Zach Sobiech, My Last Days.” Baldoni first met the teen and his family in 2013, while filming for the documentary. Over the span of just 5 days, Sobiech and Baldoni became incredibly close. In an Instagram post posted on Sept. 11, Baldoni captioned a screenshot of The Hollywood Reporter’s article saying:
“Zach became like a little brother to me in the short time we knew each other and I promised him I would make sure the world knew about him and heard his song.” Such a bond between director and subject has made the production a lot more personal.
Laura said that Baldoni was “profoundly affected” by Zach and the wisdom he gained about living life to the fullest at a young age. She also mentioned that even Baldoni’s children refer to her son as “Uncle Zach.”
Although Zach’s friends and family weren’t able to speak much about the details of the production or its expected release, they were able to share their hopes for the film. They have faith for the movie to touch the hearts of their viewers in a way that Zach would have wanted and to teach the lessons that his life taught them. Laura also hopes that telling her son’s story will help benefit those in similar situations as well as raise awareness for Osteosarcoma. She encourages people to donate to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund to help assist researchers at the University of Minnesota find treatments for the disease.
“Our family, including Zach, chose to share our story if it meant we could leverage it to help kids in the future diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. I am hopeful the movie will help us,” Sobiech said.
One can only hope that this film lives up to Zach’s legacy. Though he passed away in May 2013, two years prior to the original plans for production, those closest to him know that this is exactly what he would have wanted. His story was meant to be heard and to inspire others.
Adamle said, “I think he would be jumping up and down, grinning from ear to ear. I mean, he loved every interaction he got with people who heard his song that helped him with what he was going through. So I can only imagine, wherever he is, he’s looking down and smiling.”
Megan Skaret • Dec 8, 2019 at 7:40 pm
Since the topic of this article is so sensitive, I enjoyed that emotional angle that you chose. It was told in a way that kept my attention and the people who were interviewed were a perfect fit for the story.
Gunnar Johnson • Nov 14, 2019 at 12:35 pm
This article used powerful wording that made it appeal to all audiences. This article and the movie will definitely spread awareness of Zach and the disease he suffered from.
Anthony Toscano • Nov 14, 2019 at 9:36 am
I really enjoyed reading this article because it really connected with local kids and adults. It is written very well.
Drew Miller • Nov 14, 2019 at 1:11 am
I absolutely love this article. I’m very glad they’re finally making a movie out of Zach’s story, and how they are using it to spread awareness for the disease.
Brianne Johnson • Nov 13, 2019 at 9:58 pm
This story has so much emotion put into it, and I think that is what makes it so strong. It is great to see this story spread and reach more people. The fact paragraphs are incredible. There is so much great information in this article I learned a lot just from reading it. The quotes have powerful emotions that draws the reader in, making them want to read more. You did an amazing job with this article. I can’t wait for more.
Elizabeth Shepperd • Nov 13, 2019 at 9:41 pm
I really enjoyed this story and the way it was written. Personally, Zach went to my school when I was younger. It’s really good to hear that people are still giving the love and attention that is deserved. It’s really great to still hear about him even after so many years have passed. Amazing job!
Ella Nelson • Nov 13, 2019 at 9:05 pm
This is an amazing story! I admire the emotion put into this story that truly touches home for many Stillwater locals. It is great to hear the heart-wrenching topic of Osteosarcoma, more specifically Zack’s story, is being made into a movie with a great message. It is evident that you did heavy research. This is shown through a variety of informative points throughout the story. Keep up the good work!
Alexander Corbett • Nov 13, 2019 at 8:17 pm
Very much enjoyed reading that article being a sobiech fan myself it was very cool to see that his life impacted enough people to make a movie about him. The article was very strong with facts and quotes and the beginning paragraph really hooked me in. It felt like i was reading a real article from a professional writer.
Hnubtsa Yang • Nov 13, 2019 at 4:38 pm
This was an amazing story! There was so much great information. I loved how the story showed a deeper connection between Justin Baldoni and the Sobiech family. Overall a heart touching story. Great job!
Natalie Williams • Nov 12, 2019 at 5:37 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. Not only did it include very useful background information, it also interviewed great sources. The quotes and thoughts used throughout the article were very impactful for readers. Readers could tell a lot of emotion was not only poured into the movie, but into this story as well.
Mairin Torgerson • Nov 10, 2019 at 6:44 pm
This was an amazing article and it was super intriguing. I loved hearing about the insider thoughts from Zach’s family and friends and there was plenty of background information that contributed to the story. It also brought emotion and detail which made it even more interesting to read. The quotes were also unique and provided me with more depth to the topic. It gave me a new view on Zach Sobiech and his amazing story.
Sandra Liu • Nov 3, 2019 at 10:17 am
This is a very well-written article. You did a wonderful job including a lot of well-researched points (such as Baldoni’s quote re-posted on Instagram), and you then went a step further and wove those points smoothly into the story to effectively build up a powerful theme and a touching message. Well done!
Alexis Brainard • Nov 1, 2019 at 11:44 am
I really liked the way you put this article together. You put so much valuable information into it and it really helped put all the emotion into the story. Great work!
Rosie Nichols • Oct 30, 2019 at 9:10 am
Olivia, nice job maintaining a common theme throughout your article. Your structure is spot on and your transitions are great! You also did a great job using language that inspired emotions from readers such as line “Laura could be seen joyfully embracing the film director moments after as onlookers cheered. Her excitement and surprise at that moment was truly genuine.” This article truly grasped the event and you ran with it!