Two-Time Academy Award Nominee joins the cast of Echelon Studio’s latest acquisition “Pride & Loyalty.”

Winner of the 1990 Tony Award for Best Actor for his role as Big Daddy in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor in “The Best Little Whore House in Texas” and “To Be or Not to Be,” Durning’s versatile film, television and theatre career spans more than thirty years. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe four times, winning the award in 1991 for “The Kennedys of Massachusetts”. The Hollywood icon has also been nominated for eight Emmys, most recently in 2005 for CBS’ “Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service”. In Pride & Loyalty, Durning plays a polished, but unethical criminal defense attorney.

“To strengthen an already expertly written and acted film, we were excited to add a number of new scenes to Pride & Loyalty that star one of Hollywood’s great actors, Charles Durning. This is going to be a movie with great sales potential,” said Echelon Co-CEO and President of Development Gloria Morrison.

Durning’s scenes were filmed at the Hoboken Courthouse, in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 22. Writer/director Kenneth Del Vecchio called the shoot, “an enormous success. Charles Durning is not only an exceptional actor but also an incredible person who brought experience, talent and a unique thoughtfulness to the film set. I felt honored to include him in my film.”

Echelon plans to release Pride & Loyalty this fall. The film also stars 2006 Daytime Emmy Award winner Gina Tognoni, and Daytime Emmy Nominees Rebecca Budig, Marj Dusay and Mark Consuelos from Lifetime’s “Strong Medicine.”

As a production, domestic distribution and foreign sales company, Echelon Studios handles multiple facets of the entertainment industry. Echelon Studio’s library contains more than 250 first run titles, encompassing a wide variety of genre comprised of comedy, drama, horror, documentary, psychological thriller, family, and animation. In the coming months, Co-CEO and President Eric Louzil looks to lead Echelon Studios in production of its own films for theatrical release as well as for television and DVD.