A feature film about the Wright brothers is in the works.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we look at the early details and financial challenges facing the local filmmaker. We also look at the latest workforce milestone at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 15 seconds to read.

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Dayton filmmaker Allen Farst plans film on the Wright brothers

The most famous brothers to hail from Dayton have never been the subject of a full-length feature film — but local filmmaker Allen Farst wants to fix that.

• Based on a book: Farst envisions a film based on the Tom Crouch biography “The Bishop’s Boys,” which is a deeply researched, comprehensive look at the Wrights’ lives and times.

• The cost: Farst says he needs $50 million to tell the story of the Wright brothers as it deserves to be told, and he has raised about $1 million so far.

• What the filmmaker is saying: “Think about how many plane movies there are, not about the Wright brothers. Even about the rugby team that crashed in the Andes. There are two movies about those guys ... But there are no movies about the Wright brothers? That’s crazy.”

• Wright family support: Amanda Wright Lane, great grandniece of Orville and Wilbur Wright, and Stephen Wright, their great grandnephew, approve of the potential film.

• Seeking donations: Farst has started a website, www.flyingmachinemovie.com, to encourage donations and the sale of merchandise.

‘Let’s get after it’: Museum crowd celebrates new Wright-Patterson employment milestone

The working population of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has doubled in the past two decades — and local officials want to keep going.

• The milestone: At the base, 38,000 military and civilian personnel are now working “inside the fence.”

• Air Force units on the base: The base is home to global units responsible for equipping and sustaining the Air Force and its personnel, the Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory and others.

• Not just the Air Force: Personnel from the Navy and the Space Force are also at work on the base.

• What they are saying: “We look forward to Wright-Patterson’s contribution to our national defense during this time of consequence,” said Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Life Cycle Management Center.

What to know today

• Best of Dayton: See all the 2024 winners.

• One big takeaway: Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley said he has no plans to resign from his position following his felony indictment and intends to stay on the November ballot seeking reelection.

• Person to know today: Brady Conner. The 6-foot-6 guard entering his senior year at Alter has verbally committed to Wright State.

• Big move of the day: The historic headquarters of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is undergoing its first comprehensive renovation since the 1940s.

• Stat of the day: The city of Springfield paid 83 employees over $100,000 in 2023. That’s according to our annual Payroll Project reporting.

• Happening today: Award-winning comedian Dave Chappelle will return to the Wirrig Pavilion in Yellow Springs on Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24. Tickets go on sale at noon today.

• Thing to do: Tipp City will soon host the 12th Tippapalooza, an annual grassroots music festival celebrating a taste of the local talent Miami Valley has to offer.

• Photo of the day: The Dayton Liederkranz-Turner German Club recently celebrated its 41st annual Germanfest Picnic in Dayton’s St. Anne’s Hill Historic District. Photographer Tom Gilliam was there to capture it. See all the lederhosen here.