Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
The holiday movie season begins this weekend with a unique twist on the story of Jesus' Birth. "The Star" is an animated film about the animals in The Nativity story. It hits theaters November 17.
"It's the story we've heard so many times. And so, if it was going to be worth making a movie about this at all, we had to find a way to present it in a fresh way," said Timothy Reckart, animator of "The Star."
Reckart added, "It was so wonderful to be part of something of bringing a movie into existence that I didn't have as a kid."
Star-Studded Cast
TV icon Oprah Winfrey is a member of the star-studded cast along with other big names like Tyler Perry, Tracey Morgan, Mariah Carey and Patricia Heaton. Winfrey's voice can be heard in the film as Deborah the Camel. "Whoever thought to write this from the point of view of the animals, I think it's another approach that allows us another way in to be inspired by an ageless, timeless story," she said.
Actress Gina Rodriguez plays the role of Mary and didn't have to look far to do research about her part. "I grew up with The Nativity story," said Rodriguez
She continued, "I am very aware of the story. It is ingrained in me. I have seen some version of it every Christmas with my mother or my grandmother. The story was second nature, if you will."
Gina Rodriguez: Pulling from Real Life to Play the Role of Mary
"Playing Mary was playing my mother. Playing my grandmother. Playing my sisters. These women that I see give of themselves every day. So, it was very easy to pull from my real life," added Rodriguez.
Rodriguez' role in "The Star," along with all of her work, is a tribute to her grandmother, a woman whose faith walk has been source of inspiration for the actress. "For my grandmother to be like the last standing matriarch of our family, the only grandparent I have left. It is my gift to her to kind of oversee all that we have done. And she has an opportunity to be with all of us."
Actor Zachary Levi didn't have as much to pull from for the role in "The Star." He plays Joseph. "The source material is pretty much all you have to work with. And even in the source material, there is not much to go on. It's a lot of bullet points," Levi joked.
Acting Challenge: How to Bring Joseph to Life
He continued, "But that is kind of a fun license to create; it is not like it's a character like Paul where there is a bunch of source material on. And then everyone is going to have their two cents of who they think Paul really was. With Joseph, everyone is like I don't know. He's a guy. He was a carpenter. He was married to Mary. And the baby and the thing."
"We can all still identify with the human level of that frustration, that wrestling with God," added Levi.
CBN is a global nonprofit ministry demonstrating the love of God and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through media evangelism and humanitarian aid. Explore the life-changing work of CBN.
You've Never Seen the Crucifixion Story Like Tyler Perry Tells It
Chris Daughtry, left, as Judas, betrays Jencarlos Canela, right, as Jesus. (Facebook/The Passion Live)
Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
Following a successful push into live musicals with "Grease Live," Fox is setting the stage for its next major TV event: "The Passion," a two-hour special that recounts the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ.
The event is being shot at nine locations in New Orleans in front of an audience of more than 25,000 on March 20, Palm Sunday. It will air live—but with an asterisk.
In order to make a production of this scale possible amid multiple locations, certain scenes were pre-taped weeks before, including those depicting the Last Supper and Judas' betrayal. Still, the show will provide a live experience for viewers, thanks to a choir and band performing simultaneously with the pre-shot segments, on-site at Woldenberg Park near Jackson Square.
"We'll be cutting back to the live band, the live choir, the crowd in the park," exec producer Mark Bracco of Dick Clark Prods. tells Variety. "It will all play as one big live experience, even though there are a few scenes that we have shot ahead of time, just because there was no possibility of getting from location to location within a commercial break."
Aside from syncing up the pre-taped elements, a unique challenge for "The Passion" will be one of its signature live moments: a procession of 1,000 people walking the streets, holding the cross. (Procession-goers, who signed up online, hail from all over the country; local churches and news affiliates helped get the word out.) During the broadcast, Tyler Perry, who serves as the show's narrator and host, will toss to a live reporter, who will interview attendees who traveled to New Orleans to carry the cross.
With that element, Bracco says, the event will be like three shows in one: "We have this massive procession, which we're almost treating as a news event because we have a live reporter there, interviewing people. We have this massive live event, which is happening in the park. And then thirdly, we have scenes that we shot around the city that are almost like little mini-movies," he explains.
"Glee" alum Adam Anders, who serves as music producer for "The Passion," says that it's difficult to define the production. "To call it a musical is maybe not the best fit," he maintains. "It's more of a beautiful event that has never been done before."
Rehearsals have been significantly less intense than those for recent TV musicals like "Grease" or NBC's "The Wiz," because the religious vehicle isn't packed with dance numbers. Instead, sessions have been spent in the studio with stars Trisha Yearwood (Mary), Seal (Pontius Pilate), "American Idol" alum Chris Daughtry (Judas) and Jencarlos Canela (Jesus). Gospel songstress Yolanda Adams will open the production.
Getting A-list talent involved was crucial to Anders, who says Daughtry was the first singer who came to mind for Judas. As for Yearwood, he teases a Mary audiences have never seen before. "Trisha was so important because she's the anchor of the show," he raves. "If we had somebody that was a good singer, I don't know if it would work—we needed a great singer. She's a legend, and she has a world-class voice."
Another major talent: New Orleans native Perry. As host, he was not involved in pre-taped segments and is anxious to get to the set. "To be in a city like New Orleans, that narrative is just going to be phenomenal, and to have people all over the city participating in this—it's going to be very powerful," Perry says, adding that he was so moved by a production of "The Passion" in the Netherlands that he jumped at Fox's offer to be involved in the U.S. TV version.
Local church groups welcomed the production when it arrived to shoot pre-taped segments earlier this year. "The support from the local churches has been outstanding," exec producer Mark Bracco says."They're so happy we're coming to do this."
Bracco calls Perry the glue that holds the production together. "He tells you the story of the Passion, and after that is when all the music comes in—all of the various scenes around the city, all of the music that's live on that stage. That's really what makes it a different experience."
Another defining factor for the live spectacular is the use of modern music—including hits from Whitney Houston, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry and Celine Dion—to tell one of history's oldest stories. "It's unbelievable how many No. 1 songs have religious messages," says Anders. "That's the magic of this show. We're taking you know and love, and putting them in a completely new context. So it's like, 'Wow, I know this song, but I've never heard it done this way before.'"
While the creative team is confident about the quality of the music and the skills of the cast, there's one major element it can't control: the weather. This is New Orleans, after all.
"We'll be tracking the weather very closely," Bracco says, adding that the production has purchased hundreds of clear umbrellas in case of rain. "Sometimes, a little bit of rain can make a shot look pretty. Just a little bit—not too much!"
If a few drops of water are the biggest concern, Fox is in good shape, especially taking into account that it has a big act to follow in "Grease," which drew more than 12 million viewers overnight. But the team believes "The Passion" will have equally widespread appeal.
"Whether you're a believer or not, it is an event that the family can watch together," Bracco says. "You're going to see a great story with a lot of drama and amazing music, moments of love, betrayal and forgiveness. Every TV show or movie you watch has those elements—it just happens this one comes from the Bible."
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Click here to subscribe and to receive a free leadership book.
