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How Will Graham Prepared to Play His Grandfather, Billy Graham, in 'Unbroken'
9/14/2018DeWayne Hamby Charisma News
Will Graham, grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham, stepped in front of the cameras in Unbroken: Path to Redemption to play a crucial part in the life story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner and prisoner of war.
The film, a "spiritual sequel" to the 2014 Unbroken, was directed by Harold Cronk (God's Not Dead, God Bless the Broken Road), produced by Matt Baer and executive produced by Luke Zamperini, son of the main character.
Zamperini, played in the film by Samuel Hunt, battled alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to the states following his time in a Japanese prison camp, but eventually turned his life to Christ at a Billy Graham tent crusade.
"I'm grateful to have a chance to play my granddad and to tell the bigger story of how God changed Louie and Cynthia's (lives)," Graham said.
Graham, who is quick to point out that he's "not an actor," studied his grandfather's sermons, which he said often were as quick as a "machine gun," with the evangelist rarely taking a breath.
"He went eight weeks, preached every day, and twice on Sunday, and so I didn't get to listen to all those sermons, but I try to pick out the few that were meaningful to Louis," he said. "Actually, we used his sermon as my script in the movie."
Luke Zamperini, whose character appears as an infant in the film, never knew his father before his conversion, but jokes that he saw flashes of his anger when he was disciplined. He's grateful for the chance to continue telling his father's story, specifically his transformation.
"I'm disappointed that we couldn't tell the whole story in the first [film] but elated that we're able to tell it in Unbroken: Path to Redemption," he said. "Because this was the right team to tell this part of the story to focus on his struggles with PTSD and being able to overcome that through faith in Christ at the preaching of Will's grandfather."
Unbroken: Path to Redemption releases Friday from Universal 1440 Entertainment, The WTA Group and Pure Flix Entertainment.
To see an exclusive interview with Graham and Zamperini, watch the video.
DeWayne Hambyis a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy, and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at dewaynehamby.com or on Twitter, @dewaynehamby.
LaDainian Tomlinson (L.T.), who makes his big-screen debut as a pastor in the new film God Bless the Broken Road, is a former NFL player and longtime passer for the San Diego Chargers who was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A graduate of Texas Christian University, he has also been outspoken about his Christian faith.
The film, directed by Harold Cronk and starring Jordin Sparks, Kim Delaney, Robin Givens, Lindsey Pulsipher and Andrew Walker, tells the story of a military widow who struggles to regain her faith, family and relationships after tragedy. The film hits theaters on Sept. 7.
During a recent interview, Tomlinson discussed his involvement in the film and what message it hopes to leave viewers.
How did you get involved with this film?
I've known one of the producers for a number of years over 10 years. I hadn't talked to this gentleman in a little over a year. He just called me out the blue one day and said, 'Hey, we're recasting for a role in this movie. We need a pastor. He told me the one thing about this movie that's unique is that parts of the proceeds are going to benefit DAV, Disabled American Vets organization. This the first time in history of filmmaking that it's ever been done. You will play a pastor, just let me send you the script and you read through it and get back to me and let me know what you think.' I really identified with the part of the pastor, being in myself growing up in a small country town with a small church, being raised in a small church. I've never acted but obviously being in the media, doing shows, football shows, I'm pretty comfortable in front of the camera.
What do you think people will walk away with when they see this film?
I think the underlying message a for it that we all go through different struggles and ups and downs in our lives and I think we all can relate to that particular story because in some way directly or indirectly we're tied to the military and our families. Military families, you know, are people that go over and serve for this country. We know someone that's going through that situation when a loved one don't come home. I think in some ways we all struggle with that questioning God and you might lose a little bit of your faith because you question God and you just don't understand it, but, but the message here is if you hang in there and do continue to believe and trust God and have faith, then it will ultimately work out for you. We'll find peace and happiness again.
One of the first things that sticks out in your bio is that you're a Christian. To me, it's always a cool thing that people identify you with faith. Has that always been important to you and how has that been to maintain through your whole career?
It's always been important to me. It's a foundation of my life. In fact, my mother is a pastor. All throughout my life, I was blessed to be able to just lean on her in times of difficulty, in times of uncertainty and even in joyous and happy moments when I was at the height of my career. Just being able to lean on her and, and, and being able to talk, talk with her about my path and different kinds of things. I think we all need that person that we can rely on and it was my mother for me. It's always been a part of who I am. I didn't realize how strong (it made me). Having that foundation throughout my life has kept me grounded.
Do you have any stories that have impacted you or anything that comes to mind to, through the years that you thought, Man, that was just such a powerful movie that kind of stayed with you?
I think for me it's always a blessing around Easter time when you have the stories of Jesus and resurrection, just to kind of rejuvenate your faith and your belief. Those are the most to me, the most inspiring stories to watch. It's good to be reminded sometimes of the inspiring story of Jesus and what He did on the cross for us. And, and what that does for the Spirit in general. I think those are my favorite types of movies.
DEWAYNE HAMBY is a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at dewaynehamby.com or on twitter - @dewaynehamby.
Singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith steps in front of the cameras once again in the new film Beautifully Broken, releasing this weekend in theaters around the country. Just as he previously appeared in films such as The Second Chance and 90 Minutes in Heaven, the Grammy-award winner may have found himself typecast into a very familiar role once again.
"I play a pastor," he said. "I'm the pastor of a church in Nashville where a beautiful human being from Rwanda shows up and we take him in."
Smith is offered many more film roles that he accepts, he says, and it takes a special story to entice him into a project. Beautifully Broken, which he says is "remarkable," is such a story, because of its mission focus and a tie-in from one of Smith's longtime charities, Compassion International.
"I gravitated toward this story because it's a true story about a family from Rwanda who barely escaped the genocide, and ended up in Nashville, Tennessee," he said. "Then you see this family somehow get intertwined with a family from here in America and a Compassion child sponsored is a part of that."
Smith played a significant role in last year's breakout success I Can Only Imagine, although that film featured him as a character with an actor portraying the real-life artist. In that movie, Smith meets Bart Millard for the first time backstage before a big concert.
"That was a little surreal," Smith observed. "I do remember Bart being a bit giddy and, and me meeting this kid for the first time. Sometimes when somebody kind of gushes over you, you don't really just don't know what to say, just say, 'Thank you.' And Amy Grant and I were both a bit amused by how starstruck Bart was."
On the day we spoke, only moments earlier, news agencies had reported that legendary vocalist Aretha Franklin had passed. Although the two never met, Smith said, "I was always a huge fan, because there was nobody like her. My thoughts and prayers go to her family and those who really loved her and knew her well."
Currently, the artist is spending hours in prayer and preparation for "Surrounded," a special night of worship happening in his hometown of Nashville on Aug. 30. He said every night, he's waking from sleep and receiving "downloads" from God about the event, which he believes, "might be the most significant event thing I've ever done in my life."
"Could this be a trigger? Could this be the beginning of a new 'Great Awakening'? I think so," he said. "There's always been something about Nashville that I've always felt like there was something very strategic about this city. There was a prophetic word that was spoken long time ago. There was a 'shot heard all around the world,' and that shot came out of Nashville."
The worship event will feature special guests and also include prayer for the city, the nation and the world. Trinity Broadcasting Network will also be recording to air as a special event in the future.
Beautifully Broken, directed by Eric Welch and Brad Allen, Chuck Howard and Martin Michael (I Am Not Ashamed), along with Mark McCann, opens in theaters Aug. 24. In addition to Smith and an appearance by TobyMac, it also stars Scott William Winters (Lethal Weapon, Good Will Hunting), Benjamin Onyango (God's Not Dead, Inception), Emily Hahn (Toy Story 3, Fresh Off The Boat), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables), Jessica Obilom (Trafficked), Caitlin Nicol-Thomas (Nashville), Alan Powell (Quantico), Eugene Khumbanyiwa (District 9), Tammi Arender (Pitch Perfect 2), and Thomasina "Goo Goo" Atkins ("Mary Mary").
One final piece of advice Smith has for viewers before they file into theaters?
"You might want to bring your Kleenex," he said. "I think audiences are going to love it."
DEWAYNE HAMBYis a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy, and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at www.dewaynehamby.com or on twitter - @dewaynehamby.
A young man from a troubled home finds hope and divine purpose in the inspirational new film I Can Only Imagine, opening this week in theaters. Diving into the backstory of the radio mega hit single, the story chronicles the childhood to young adult journey of Bart Millard, singer-songwriter of the Christian band MercyMe.
Millard, played to perfection in the film by newcomer John Michael Finley, is a young man with high aspirations, which are often in conflict with the broken dreams of his abusive, alcoholic father Arthur (Dennis Quaid). Along the way, Millard encounters additional obstacles, such as a football injury, career disappointments and romantic tension with his childhood love (Madeline Carroll) that ultimately pave the way to a heart-wrenching payoff.
Playing the abusive Arthur, Quaid evokes his toughest exterior. Even more impressive for the veteran actor, however, is how he handles the second chapter of the father's life, transforming into someone altogether different. This humbling depiction of grace and forgiveness is the film's masterstroke. Finley also impresses, navigating Bart as hopeful, hurt and, ultimately, healed.
The film also features Hollywood icon Cloris Leachman as Millard's grandmother, who coins his band's name and the title of the theme song, Priscilla Shirer (War Room) as a music teacher who changes his trajectory, and country singer Trace Adkins, who provides well-placed comic relief as a band manager.
Like their previous films (Woodlawn, Mom's Night Out), directors Andrew and Jon Erwin treat the moviegoers to beautiful shots, featuring picturesque landscape and starry-eyed children at youth camp. Several moments truly feel like a moving postcard. The duo also excels at both dramatic and comedic timing, drawing the audience even further in with each moment.
Although I Can Only Imagine is a straight-ahead faith-based film (the best one ever, in my opinion), everything about it—the acting, the story, the music, the direction—brands it as one that is best positioned to reach beyond the church crowd. It also has a multi-generational appeal, thanks to a diversely-aged cast. In short, the film is simply wonderful from beginning to end. A must-see!
DeWayne Hamby is a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at dewaynehamby.com or on twitter—@dewaynehamby. Additional reporting provided by Leanna Feliz.
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When he speaks, it's difficult not to hear iconic characters such as Chuck from the NBC show of the same name or Flynn Rider from Disney's Tangled. For his latest role, however, Zachary Levi, a self-professed "person of faith," tackles a previously-quieter hero, this one of the biblical variety.
Levi plays Joseph to Gina Rodriguez's Mary in the Sony Animation/AFFIRM Films' release The Star, arriving in theaters Nov. 17. In the new take on the nativity story, a group of animals are pushed front and center, doing their part to assist the holy family fleeing the clutches of Herod's armies.
The actor, who recently spoke with Charisma News about the project, said it was "fun" to take the story in a new direction this time, focusing on a band of animals voiced by Steven Yeun, Keegan-Michael Key, Aidy Bryant, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Tracy Morgan, Patricia Heaton and Kristen Chenoweth, among others.
"Gina and I get to be the token humans in an animal story, which is really fun," he said. "Telling [this story] in a new way is difficult, but these guys did it. You, know, to go through the perspective of the animals is just really clever, really fun."
Joseph has some funny moments in the film, mostly trying to understand what is going on with the animals that are teaming together to protect them. The fictional story also allowed writers Simon Moore and Carlos Kotkin to give the biblical character more of a human face.
"They gave us really great words to bring these characters to life," he said. "And then it's just a matter of us to try to find that and bring that truth through our voice, and the vulnerability, the humanity of him and of Mary. A lot of times, biblical characters and people are put on these pedestals, like there's nothing wrong with them, they're all saints. But it's like, 'No, they were schmucks like everybody else.' We are all broken."
Levi, who was recently cast in the upcoming superhero epic, Shazam, relayed his excitement about the project, an exploration of the "most powerful origin story of all," which began when he was among the first cast in the project.
"Everyone kind of knows it on some level—Jesus born of a virgin, and the star of Bethlehem and the three wise men," he said. "So I think that's pretty massive, whether you ascribe to Christianity or not. I think the message behind it, one of hope, one of redemption and love from a Creator to His creation, is just amazing. It's huge. So I think it's always a story worth telling."
DEWAYNE HAMBY is a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at dewaynehamby.comor on Twitter—@dewaynehamby. Additional reporting provided by Leanna Feliz.
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When Steve McQueen: American Icon opens in theaters this week, viewers will be offered a comprehensive look at the late box-office hero who starred in films such as The Great Escape, The Towering Inferno and Bullitt. The man who was dubbed "The King of Cool" came to faith in Jesus Christ shortly before his untimely death, a fact not widely reported but now the focal point of the new film.
Evangelist Greg Laurie, a McQueen enthusiast, discovered the story of McQueen's conversion and explored it in the recent book Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon. In the new documentary, Laurie steers the conversation, which also includes commentary by Mel Gibson, McQueen's widow Barbara and other notable confidants. Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, CSI: NY) narrates the film.
In a recent interview, Jon Erwin (October Baby, Woodlawn), who directed along with Ben Smallbone, explained how the documentary came to production and the strategy behind the stories he champions.
Some documentaries just have talking heads but this one has action—cars racing around and biplanes flying as well as movie clips. Why did you direct the film in such a way?
We do a very old thing in a new way. We tell stories for a living. God willing, those stories will impact people's lives. We are storytellers serving the greatest storyteller of all time. It begins and ends with us with a passion for story.
I grew up watching McQueen films with my mom and dad. The Great Escape we probably watched over and over again. But just had no idea that Steve McQueen became a believer. And that this was a very meaningful part of his story and come to find out it was the only time, the only place that he truly found peace and happiness. There were even audio recordings. He did an interview shortly before his death where he said the cure to my life was finding the Lord. He wanted to tell people and never had a chance. Those tapes had never been heard. For 35 years, they've been buried. It blew me away.
Greg Laurie came to me. I was working with the Hacksaw Ridge marketing campaign a bit and Mel Gibson had come down to his Southern California crusade and I sat with Mel. Greg shared the story from the stage and Mel was thoroughly intrigued and wanted to finish. The day after the crusade, Greg said, "We have to make a documentary film about this." I just caught his vision and got really excited. We were right in the middle of I Can Only Imagine and prepping that movie, getting ready to go. I thought it was a fantastic idea and couldn't stop thinking about it. The more I studied it, I just wondered, "Did this really happen?" The more we dug into it, the bigger the story got. It was like a journalist breaking a story. This thing had never been unearthed before. I really don't know why that is. I'm glad to tell it.
Our vision is to reach for quality and try to make these films better and better and better. Excellence is an aspiration. It's never an accomplishment for us. We should always be trying a little harder and do a little more. Also, I go to the movies to be entertained and to feel things, to get wrapped up in a story. We made it much bigger than a documentary would be. It's much more immersive. We took this biplane up in the sky. Mel Gibson does an incredible commentary on the film. Gary Sinise is cutting the narration for it. We're trying to put the gospel on as big a stage as we can.
Woodlawn, the first true story we did, we've seen over 25,000 people come to Christ, mostly high school kids, from that. I think we just saw the power of the true story. It's not just films, it's for us all as Christians. We forget that the biggest weapon in our arsenal is just our story, what God has done in our life and how it's changed our life. The gospel is good news, and it can change your life. There are so many stories of that happening. We've fallen in love with so many stories of that happening but also real stories that are accessible, that are really emotionally relatable no matter what you believe.
We had come from documentary films before we did features, so to go back was very gratifying. I had a blast on the film. We assembled a great team, including Ben Smallbone, who's also in Nashville, came and co-directed it with me. And we had some ferocious cameramen and great editors, producers. You feel this youthful energy, because it was a lot of up and coming talent in our ranks. I feel that it's very entertaining and it far exceeded my hopes and expectations for what we set out to do. His widow did an incredible interview and those closest to him. It was an authentic, direct look at the spiritual quest of an American icon. And it asks the questions we all ask. I think we all think, "If I just accomplish this, I'd be happy." McQueen was one of those guys who checked all those boxes of accomplishments and found that he still wasn't happy.
There's enough story in there just about the actor that would draw in somebody who's just fascinated with McQueen.
It is kind of a covert strategy. One of the things I've noticed and I've fallen in love with Harvest Ministries and their crusades and everything they stand for. An interesting thing I've heard is that they've had 500,000 decisions for Christ and 5 million people attend the crusades. About 85 percent of the decisions are when Christians bring their friends. That really is how it's supposed to work.
We're beginning to build our films where, if you look under the hood of our movies, we're trying to make them more and more accessible to people that don't believe while maintaining the power of the message, not watering it down at all, but making it more accessible, translating it better. Sometimes there are phrases we use as Christians that non-Christians don't understand. It's also kind of a slow burn in essence. We start the film in a very relatable way, and the true message we're trying to convey to people creeps up on you, and it only creeps up on you after you're engaged in the film. That's the goal anyway. McQueen is that way. I Can Only Imagineis that way. The films get to this powerful place where you say, "I need this in my life." But you don't realize it. We don't come out of the gate swinging. It's a more covert strategy. These films are engineered for you to bring your friends.
Story is the language of our hearts, and entertainment is the language of our time. The movie theater is kind of where those two meet. Other Christian filmmakers, the movies are designed to encourage Christians and the body and you need to be a Christian to watch them. But we're focusing more on the power of the life-changing gospel. Who knew that one of those was the biggest movie star of all time?
This is the first complete documentary of Steve McQueen, mainly because this part of his life doesn't match the "King of Cool" rebel brand. No one has shared his entire story so we just set out to make an authentic, honest, relatable movie that just shared the entire life of Steve McQueen from cradle to grave. It's a very powerful, multi-layered, up-from-nothing story. What I found fascinating is this movie star that had so much going for him. When he was young, it was completely opposite, he was deprived of everything, had a horrible childhood. Yet when he got the chance to remedy that and didn't deprive himself of anything, wealth and fame, everything that society says would make you happy. Yet he still had this gaping hole in his heart and life. In an airstrip in Santa Pala, in a beautiful biplane, he accepts Christ because his pilot instructors. He found a father figure. That's just a powerful story, so much to glean from it. I think a great film is a complete look at a question. The question of this film is—what really makes you happy in life? Most of us think if we just had one thing, I'd be happy. We don't realize it because we don't get it. But here's a guy who had it all. I work in this business and I work with a lot of very famous miserable people. The top of the cultural ladder is not a very happy place.
You are part of an exciting, emerging movement in Christian entertainment. How does that feel?
There's no us versus them. It's us versus us. It's trying to improve every day and get better at what we do ... and mentoring talent. There's not a lot of talent, young, emerging talent in film and television for Christians. We're trying to remedy that and incubate and empower some of these incredibly skilled younger people. I think if we can do that, we're the first generation that could look at the Great Commission as possible in our time. There are more cell phones than people on the earth, and entertainment is America's second greatest export. This is a way to get the gospel out to people in the world and get them to pay for it. They want the product, so what we have to do is dream bigger and make the films better and do that again and again and again over time. I think we'll blink our eyes and realize we've far exceeded where we are right now as far as faith-based entertainment. It's a slow and steady progress.
Steve McQueen: American Icon premieres in theaters Sept. 28 and has encore presentations scheduled for Oct. 10 and Oct. 19. For more information, including purchasing tickets, visit SteveMcQueenMovie.com.
DEWAYNE HAMBY is a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books, and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at www.dewaynehamby.com or on Twitter—@dewaynehamby.
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With so much material to choose from, presenting the full story of Jesus Christ on screen has always been a difficult task for filmmakers. The makers of the Lumo Project series, however, decided to take on the challenge through four separate movies based solely on the biblical text. Billed as a word-for-word adaptation of the gospel narratives, the latest release, The Gospel of Mark, recently released to home video in the United States following The Gospel of John.
According to David Beatty, the films' director, the grand scope originated thousands of years ago, as the life of Christ spilled out over four separate biographies by four separate writers, each with his own perspective.
"It's a bit like having four people witness a crime or a car crash or something," he said. "They've all seen the same event, but they have four slightly different perspectives to it. That gives them all a unique point of view. I think having the opportunity to do that four times, I don't think there's anywhere else you can do that."
The release dates are being spaced out in order to let each film have its own audience before all joining together as one series. The director chose The Gospel of John to lead the series and then The Gospel of Mark to follow because of their differences.
"John, the last gospel to be written down, according to scholars, it's a very cerebral gospel, a very philosophical gospel," he said. "It's full of very long passages where Jesus gives very long speeches explaining what He's doing and what's going through Jesus' mind. It also comes in very late to Jesus' story."
Following that, he said, The Gospel of Mark "has got the whole story."
"It's very fast-paced, very action-packed," he said. "It's almost as if Jesus is a superhero. He goes through event after event after event, healing, healing, some sort of ministry, healing, whatever. It's a very different feel to it."
As the life of Christ plays out on screen, Beatty believes it harkens back to the original oral tradition of the gospels, as they were passed down for many years before being put to paper. Those gospels were performed as they were told, giving more of an interactive and living experience rather than reading words on paper.
"You're actually experiencing them with other people," he said. "That was the motivation in doing this."
The films were shot in such a way that narration is layered over top of the spoken dialogue, making dubbing for various languages an easier process. The makers are aiming to make the films available in various languages and are now actively working on dubbing in Brazilian-Portuguese, French, Danish, German, Dutch, Spanish and Finnish.
Underneath the top narration, Beatty was faced with a dilemma. Not having the time or resources to teach the cast Aramaic, but also forgoing any modern languages that would "distract" from the biblical text, he found a middle ground.
"We created our own language," he said. "It's a bit of method acting, really. I provided the key cast with as many Aramaic words or as many Aramaic-sounding words as possible, and then they could use those to create their own language. What they would do is learn their lines, which would be the lines that are the Bible for whatever scene they were doing, and then literally translate those into this mad- up language, if you like."
The Gospel of Mark is available from Lionsgate through DVD at Walmart, digital HD and On Demand. The DVD includes behind-the-scenes bonus features, including "Building Jerusalem," "Composing the Gospels," "Filming the Gospels" and more.
DEWAYNE HAMBYis a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at www.dewaynehamby.com or on twitter - @dewaynehamby.
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On August 19, modern audiences will encounter a brand-new take on the classic Ben-Hur story most notably captured in the 1959 version starring Charlton Heston. Released by Paramount Pictures, the new film features updated takes on classic scenes such as the chariot race and the gallows ship scene, but also features a stronger evangelistic message and an extended appearance by Jesus Christ (played by Rodrigo Santoro).
Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the "noisiest Christians in Hollywood," helped bring the new film to life. In this interview, the couple explains how the film was made and why the message of forgiveness is so important to the world right now.
DH: How did you get involved in producing Ben-Hur? How did you first find it?
MB: We were invited to be involved by the chairman of MGM, Gary Barber, who had seen The Bible series and Son of God and really felt that with this story having this through-line of the message of Jesus, it would be very beneficial to the filmmaking process to have Roma and I involved. It was an approach from MGM that actually not only led to doing this movie with MGM and Paramount but also into a much bigger relationship with their companies. It's really amazing.
RD: It was the catalyst for a partnership with MGM that we were just so thrilled with and excited by. So it's been amazing. We came in the early stages of script development on the story working with John Ridley, who wrote 12 Years a Slave, who took the script and we were involved each step of the way. Had a great time over in Italy. The film was shot entirely on location in Matera and in Rome.
DH: In light of what's happening in society, how would you say that moviemaking can be a balm of the pain that society feels and hope for the future?
RD: Certainly in our company, we believe it's more valuable to light one candle than curse the darkness. We try to do that through our work and with our work. The themes that are woven throughout Ben-Hur are themes of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of mercy, of loving, of letting go of bitterness and hatred and anger. Through grace, stepping into a place where we can all get along. I think that we've seen such division rise up in our country and separation and it is our hope in some small ways through our work that we can find the bridges between us. Because we are all children of a loving God and we have to look out for each other.
DH: Can you talk about what all went into making a movie like this?
MB: It's a very large budget movie. You see these big summer blockbusters and part of what causes the enormity of the budgets are the special effects and the experience of 3D that young audiences are expecting. As we mentioned to you guys last night, from a Christian audience perspective, it's very important to make content that would stand on its own whether it was Christian focused or not. It needs to stand on its own and be high quality in order to attract a wide audience. If it happens to also have a message of forgiveness and love and redemption and the story of Jesus woven in right, that's actually the right approach. Because you can't be expecting young secular Americans to be attracted to watch a movie that doesn't have the right trailer and the feeling that it's a big action, summer exciting movie. Remember what you're up against, look at the slate of this summer. People only have so much money to go to so many movies and so you've got to offer something pretty epic. Also, it being Ben-Hur, if you're going to reimagine Ben-Hur, you've got to do it for a new generation. It's the same story but it feels more present for a younger generation.
RD: We had a father and son in the audience last night (at a screening) and the father brought with him emotional memories of the 1959 version but his son has never seen that version, has no preconceived idea of what that might be. We refer to the son as the 'Ben-Who' generation and I think there's such an opportunity for this story to reach our young people and through this action adventure movie, bring them to the story of Jesus, bring them to the foot of the cross. As Judah drops to his knees, you know he's been clutching that rock which he picked up when he gave Jesus the water, he picked it up to hit the Roman. He's still got that in his hands and I love that moment. Because I think of all the places myself in my own life when I've held onto stuff, I've held onto disappointment or I've held onto hurt or I've held onto anger. Yet there's always an opportunity in front of the cross to let that go, to lay that down. I think it's such a powerful moment. I think it's pretty spectacular.
DH:Ben-Hur is really the beginning of your partnership with MGM, right?
MB: Yes, it's turned into a situation where we've actually merged all of our companies so now The Voice and Survivor and The Apprentice and Shark Tank all are now MGM shows as a result of the merger. We wouldn't have merged into MGM had it not been for Gary Barber reaching out to us on Ben-Hur, so we're grateful to have had a chance to work on it and thankful for the overall relationship.
RD: The bigger opportunity (is that) Lightworkers Media, which is our production company, has become the faith and family division of MGM. So it just gives us an opportunity to do more, reach more.
MB: And Roma's launching with MGM a channel, a 24-hour family and faith channel, in the next few months. We're working on a name right now.
DH: A.D. The Bible Continues was just fabulous. Any future plans to continue in that regard?
RD: As we are finally locking this picture and we see the Romans with their red capes, we looked at each other yesterday and said "Maybe we won't do any more donkey and sandals for a while." (laughs) With The Bible, Son of God, A.D., Dovekeepers and now Ben-Hur. They're all great stories and Ben-Hur is such a great story.
MB: I'm looking forward to rereading the version that Carol (Wallace) has written now with updated language. I don't know if you've ever read Ben-Hur but it's hard going. Incredible writer, but it's amazing how it starts with the three Magi. I never knew that from seeing the original movie.
DH: Other companies have tried biblical epics and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. So why is it important for you to partner with the faith community on projects like this and bring them alongside you?
MB: I think we learned from the beginning when we started The Bible, and one of the first things we decided to do was engage several faith consultants. We thought about 5-6. We ended up with about 40 faith consultants across different denominations, Catholic, Protestant, across all different segments of Christianity. That was really valuable what we learned from that. We also were involved with the Jewish community on The Bible. We allowed everyone to air what their ideal scenario would be and when there were things that theologically maybe different, to allow us to find something that felt wasn't offensive to any one group. We've learned through that experience and it's not a theoretical college idea, this is a practical business approach that we fulfilled and we'll keep doing that. Then it went on to Son of God and then A. D. Obviously with Acts, it was a whole new set of questions. And now with Ben-Hur, we've involved the faith community.
RD: Also, with being Christians ourselves, telling the story accurately was important to us. There's a little bit more freedom in this story because it's a fictional story. The story of Ben-Hur is a fiction story, although woven through it are important moments, a life-changing moment for the character when he encounters Jesus Christ. Ultimately through grace, his life is transformed and his life is changed and then through that grace, it alters everyone's life so even toward the end of the movie you see Sheik Ilderim, played by Morgan Freeman, you see a change in his heart, you see the hardness in his heart when he comes lovingly and rescues the mother and the sister. You see the mother and the sister healed through mercy and you see Judah's heart restored and then by extension, Messala. It's a beautiful coming together in the rain, the healing rain as it were, as the blood of Christ is washed into the earth and the whole land is washed clean. That's where the fictional story met a story of faith. But we look at other examples of films of the last few years that didn't honor the story of faith, that didn't tell the story as accurately and the movies ended up not being good and not being supported. Not being accepted.
DH: How does your partnership affect your family? Is it ever hard at the end of the day to go home and just be Mark and Roma?
RD: When you're married to an Irish girl, you have to know when to keep your mouth shut and stand in the back of the room.
RD: We do really well together considering we spend more time together than most people do and we often joke but it's also true, it's a miracle we're still speaking to each other. My girlfriends always say to me 'I couldn't even do yard work with my husband, I'd hit him over the head.' But we do well. We have respect for each other and we love what we do. {eoas}
Dewayne Hamby is a longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books, and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy, and author of the new book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at www.dewaynehamby.com or on twitter - @dewaynehamby.
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Miracles From Heaven: The Christian Film That Does Everything Right
Kylie Rogers as Annabel Beam and Jennifer Garner as Christy Beam in 'Miracles From Heaven.' (Courtesy)
In the Bible, Christians are instructed to testify about the great things God has done, because they give Him glory while providing hope to those encountering similar circumstances. With that in mind, the newest faith-based film releasing during this Easter season shines bright at a time when so many in the world need that hope the most.
Miracles From Heaven is the latest release from producers T.D. Jakes and DeVon Franklin (Heaven Is For Real), along with Joe Roth, telling the story of Christy Beam, the mother of pre-teen Anna who suffers from a seemingly-incurable stomach disorder. The true account, chronicled in a previously-released book, is skillfully brought to the big screen by director Patricia Riggen (The 33).
Jennifer Garner (Alias, 13 Going On 30, Daredevil, Elektra) gives a career-defining performance as Beam, a woman at the end of her rope both spiritually and emotionally. She explores every medical option to alleviate her daughter's pain, even traveling to Boston and tenaciously securing an appointment with a top children's doctor, Dr. Nurko, played by Eugenio Derbez.
Along the way, Beam and Anna (Kylie Rogers) are befriended by Angela (Queen Latifah), who shows them around the city and provides some comic relief from the emotionally-charged film.
Miracles provides an insider's view of a mother pulled between her longstanding dedication to God and the illness ravaging her daughter's body. Beam prays for faith, even in the middle of intense doubt and despair. Things do not immediately get better, but even seem to get much worse, leaving her feeling even further removed from God, her church community and even her husband (played by Martin Henderson). Many viewers will feel and sympathize with Beam's situation, having faced their own spiritual valleys.
It's not a spoiler to report that God does indeed have a plan and it's fully revealed before the end credits roll. Beam's journey is astounding, even more when considering the true story it is based on. The takeaway is simple and inspiring—God is always at work, whether or not His actions are easily recognized.
Miracles From Heaven is being hailed by critics across the board as a Christian film that does everything right. As it attracts a national audience this week, the hope of Jesus Christ has an opportunity to penetrate millions of hearts outside the walls of church buildings.
Miracles From Heaven, written by Randy Brown and also starring John Carrol Lynch, releases Wednesday, March 16, from Affirm Films, Roth Films and Franklin Entertainment distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Dewayne Hambyis a longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books, and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy, and author of the upcoming book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him atwww.dewaynehamby.com or on Twitter - @dewaynehamby.
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