LUSO The Series
The 9-Episode Miniseries based on the life of Peter Francisco and Travis Bowman’s novel
The Torch: Coming 2023
Born into a wealthy family in the Azores in 1760, Peter Francisco would one day change the course of history for the United States of America and the World. This true story will have you hanging on the edge of your seat as Peter is kidnapped by pirates at the age of five and raised as a slave on a plantation in Virginia. By the age of 16, Peter stood 6’6” – a foot taller than the average man – and weighed 260 pounds, but his skin color had him trapped at the bottom of society in the New World.
After falling in love with a girl from a wealthy family, Peter realizes that he will never marry the woman of his dreams unless he is free. Driven with passion for freedom, he joins the Continental Army after hearing Patrick Henry’s famous words, “Give me liberty or give me death!” His owner, Judge Winston, releases him from slavery to fight for freedom, and he becomes famous throughout the colonies for his extraordinary strength, bravery, and courage on the battlefield.
Towards the end of the war, George Washington has a 6’ broadsword made for Peter just in time for one of the most critical battles of the Revolution. But, the ruthless Colonel Tarleton from the British Army is determined to kill Peter and the woman that he loves. Ultimately, Peter’s fight for freedom becomes a fight to save the love of his life…
LUSO
Meet the Team
Travis Bowman
Travis Bowman is an author, actor, film producer and 7th generation descendant of Peter Francisco. He released his novel LUSO™ in 2009 and worked with the History Channel to produce the first ever television documentary about his famous ancestor. The documentary, The Peter Francisco Story, won a Platinum Aurora Award in 2012.
Travis has brought his great-grandfather to life over 100 times through a 30-minute dramatic impersonation for historic societies, schools, universities, and church groups across the US and Portugal. Mr. Bowman’s work has earned him numerous awards and accolades and dozens of newspapers have published articles about him around the world.
Travis is cofounder of Into The Storm Productions, LLC which manages LUSO™.
Brian Patrick Wade
For over 20 years, Brian Patrick Wade has been entertaining audiences around the world with his acting skills. As an actor, he’s portrayed serious characters, comical roles, true heroes, and even comic book figures, and some people consider him one of the most diverse artists in Hollywood.
Brian was raised in Florida and shortly after college decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion. Over the last two decades he’s been blessed to work with Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Ashton Kutcher, Kelsey Grammer, Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet… just to name a few. You might recognize him from the Big Bang Theory, The Guardian, Two & Half Men, NCIS, Teen Wolf or Marvel Agents of SHIELD, and now he’s stepping into a Producer/Actor role on LUSO™.
Brian is cofounder of Into The Storm Productions, LLC which manages LUSO™.
Distribution
Angel Studios
Angel Studios is the home of stories that amplify light. Through its platform, thousands of “Angel” investors choose which titles will be created, funded, and distributed. Angel Studios allows creators and audiences to form passionate communities around their creative projects, making the story behind the story as important as the final project itself.
Angel Studios, the streaming platform behind many of the most successful crowdfunded shows of all time, announced more than $100 million in new original content at its “Illuminate ‘22” annual live streaming event for investors. The action-packed event featured key announcements about the company’s upcoming original content lineup. Angel continues to use its innovative crowdfunding model—in combination with funding from venture capital firms—to tell stories that amplify light, providing a viable family-friendly alternative to Hollywood. “We’re thrilled at the caliber of content that the Angel Studios investors selected for crowdfunding this year, validating our thesis that the crowd will make better decisions than a few executives. The success of The Chosen, Tuttle Twins, and Dry Bar Comedy is now leading to incredible new series like LUSO™ and movies like David, totalling in production budgets of over $100 million,” said Neal Harmon, Angel Studios CEO.
LUSO
The Journey
Production
Sneak Peaks
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FAQ
Learn More
Who was Peter Francisco?
Pedro Francisco was born on July 9th, 1760 in Porto Judeu on Terceira Island in the Azores. Unfortunately, in real life, he never knew where he was from, but a professor from the University of Virginia found the birth record in 1960 when he was doing research in the Azores for other studies.
Peter would later recount that he was kidnapped on the Day of Pentecost from an island, and then Virginia documents record that he was found on June 23, 1765 in City Point (now Hopewell, VA). There is a monument in front of city hall in honor of where young Pedro (later changed to Peter) was found in Virginia and the historic marker in town calls him George Washington’s “One Man Army”. Francisco was in most of the major battles of the Northern and Southern campaign during the Revolution. He fought for a total of five years… from the beginning to the very end.
The battle scenes in the miniseries are based on eye witness accounts and historic documents about Peter’s heroic actions. He was wounded six times and left for dead twice.
The Portuguese-American communities in New England have been preserving Peter’s legacy for over 50 years by building monuments in his honor, naming parks after him, and even giving out the Peter Francisco Award every five years. The first recipient was John F. Kennedy.
Today, five monuments stand in Peter Francisco’s honor, four states observe Peter Francisco Day on March 15th, and the US Postal service enshrined him on a stamp in 1976. Two of the five monuments refer to him as “Hercules”. There are several museums in Virginia and North Carolina that have artifacts on display that were owned by Peter, and his home, called Locust Grove, has been a registered national historic site in Dillwyn, Virginia since 1972. A portrait painting of Peter hangs in the Virginia Capitol building right next to the Speaker of the House’s office door.
Peter lived a long life and was serving in the Virginia Senate when he passed away at the age of 71 on January 16th, 1831. The Virginia government shut down for a day to mourn the loss of a Revolutionary hero, and they paid for his funeral. The Richmond Times reported this was the largest funeral procession Virginia had ever seen. He is buried in a famous cemetery in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
Why should I care about LUSO?
We live in a day where history is being rewritten and men are confused about their gender. Our children need a real (not made up by Hollywood) male, role model that was handpicked by God Himself. We see stories like that in the Bible with Joseph and Moses, but we also see that in the birthing of the United States with stories like Peter Francisco.
Now more than ever, our country needs to be reminded that God gave us this great country, and He raised up courageous men who were willing to lay down their lives for our freedom. Patrick Henry said, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” Peter Francisco is one of those men!
This summer, you will have the opportunity to own a piece of history and invest in LUSO™ so that we can bring this 9-episode miniseries to life. Check back here on September 1, 2023, for more details.
What does LUSO mean?
Why Angel Studios?
How can I be a part of this series?
LUSO the Series
The Torch: Coming 2023
About the Series
The 9-Episode Miniseries based on the life of Peter Francisco and Travis Bowman’s novel, produced by Angel Studios. LUSO The Torch: coming in 2023