What's Behind the Current Resurgence of Faith Based Entertainment?

TheWrap.com has an article on the current resurgence of faith-based programming.  It notes that 90 million Americans identify themselves as evangelical Christians — “the country's largest special interest group,” as many in the Christian film industry like to say — have been traditionally underserved; there is only limited appetite for films that are marked by subpar production and story, no matter the message. As a result, the gap in the market remained in place for years, with Christian audiences flocking instead to talk radio and special television networks.

That's where the rush of technology and financing come into play.

Russell Wolfe started Pure Flix in 2005 as both a production and distribution company, putting in place a plan to gradually invest more money into his movies as their quality and fiscal return improved. The P&A costs of theatrical releases was largely prohibitive, so they stuck to DVD and streaming services, but their prolific output quickly made them a profitable industry leader.

“Our market, the family market, we feel that there's few and far between good family movies that are appropriate for all ages, so we want to service that market,” he told TheWrap, “but at the same time, we'll stick to our roots on other films that are faith affirming.”

Not every movie is a huge seller, but the sheer volume available on their site, as well as places like ChristianMovies.com and even at Wal-Mart, make for a tidy profit. And while they may not please mainstream critics — the works of Candace Cameron Bure and Haylie Duff are unlikely to land in the Criterion Collection, though there may be some cult potential around the Danny Trejo film “The Bill Collector” — they hit the right notes with the right people.

The ability to service that market was helped greatly by the rise of digital technology that has made filmmaking accessible and a much more populist endeavor. Production costs went down, so they could spend more on recognizable actors like Teri Polo, as well as bigger names like Greg Kinnear, who starred in “Heaven is for Real,” which cost Sony's Affirm Pictures just $12 million overall and has made $75 million since its release in April.

The other huge religious hit of the spring, “God's Not Dead,” was made for even less — just $2 million — and green lit after extensive research and surveys by Wolfe and his team.

“We surveyed them and asked what does the church need, what kind of message do they need to hear?” Wolfe explained. “We heard several things back, they said marriage and family and money issues and things like that. But one of the things that came back was just to reaffirm with people why they believe what they believe. So much in the media is, when they look at Christians, they go, ‘You're out there, that's just blind faith.’ And it's not blind faith, there's reasons behind it. I think one of the things that made this movie so successful is that it ended up reaffirming with individuals why they believe what they believe, almost vindicating them in their belief in the face of mainstream criticism.”

There is now an overt feeling in the evangelical community that they are being discriminated for being religious — several court battles over government prayer have rallied them to the cause — and “God's Not Dead” played into that sentiment, as well.

read full article

'Heaven Is For Real' Goes to Big Screen; Backed by 'Braveheart' Writer, Starring Greg Kinnear and Thomas Haden Church

Production has begun for the screen adaptation of best-selling book Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, which chronicles the near death experience that reportedly brought a 3-year-old boy face-to-face with Jesus Christ.

Filming started last week in Winnipeg, Manitoba, under Director Randall Wallace, who wrote the Academy Award-winning film "Braveheart" and directed "We Were Soldiers," "Secretariat," and "The Man in the Iron Mask." T.D. Jakes, pastor at the Potter's House in Dallas, and producer of the movie "Jumping the Broom," adds his weight to the film as a producer.

In 2003, 3-year-old Colton Burpo nearly died after his appendix burst. While in surgery, he reportedly went to heaven and saw Jesus. "It wasn't until four months after we got out of the hospital that we finally listened to our son," Todd explained, in a 2011 interview that has received over 13 million hits on Youtube.

"Jesus and some angels came and flew me up to heaven," Colton explained. He identified Jesus through the "markers" on his hands and feet. "I was in the throne room of God to start with, so I got to see what that looked like."

"God used people or things that I liked to calm me down," Colton said. While reportedly in heaven, Colton met Todd's grandfather, Pop, who was Todd's "most significant male role model" but died when Todd was six years old. "He's really nice," the revived boy told his father, "you used to play with him as a kid and work with him on the farm and shoot stuff with him." Speechless, Todd verified the story.

Colton also knew that he had two sisters, one of whom died in a miscarriage. "You had a baby die in your tummy," he told his mother Sonja. She asked, "How do you know you have two sisters?" He responded, "Well, she told me." Colton told his mother that his sister is "just waiting for you guys to come to heaven."

When Jesus reportedly told Colton he had to go back, the boy didn't want to leave. "Even though I didn't want to go back, he said that he was answering my dad's prayer," the boy explained.

The book, published in November 2010, has sold more than 8 million copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages. It has also spent more than two years on the New York Times paperback nonfiction best-seller list.

The film, set to be released around Easter 2014 by TriStar Pictures, will feature first-time actor Connor Corum as Colton, along with Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways") as family friend Jay Olson. Greg Kinnear ("Little Miss Sunshine," "You've Got Mail," Oscar nominated for "As Good as it Gets") will play the boy's father, Todd, while Kelly Reilly (Mary Watson in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows") will play his mother, Sonja. Along with Jakes, another producer is Joe Roth ("Oz the Great and Powerful," "Alice in Wonderland").

Actor Greg Kinnear to Star in 'Heaven Is for Real' Movie

Actor Greg Kinnear is reportedly in the process of signing on to play a character in the upcoming movie adaptation of the New York Times best-selling book Heaven Is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.

The book, which was released in late 2010, is based on the true story of a 4-year-old boy living in Nebraska who claims to have visited heaven while undergoing surgery for an emergency operation.

The young boy reportedly died temporarily during the surgery, and after awaking from his anesthesia, he claimed to have met his miscarried sister in heaven, as well as his great grandfather, divulging in family details which would have been impossible for him to have known.

The book is written by the boy's father, Todd Burpo, pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan church in Imperial, Neb., along with collaborative writer Lynn Vincent, who previously collaborated on Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue.

Although negotiation talks are still in the works, Kinnear may play the role of the young boy's father, Burpo, in the upcoming movie, which will be a Sony Pictures production, according to an exclusive by The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will be produced by Joe Roth, who recently released "Oz the Great and Powerful," and Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House, along with director Randall Wallace, who previously directed "Braveheart" and "Secretariat."

"We are thrilled to have Randall Wallace at the helm of the film," Joel Kneedler, a representative for the film, said in a previous interview.

"He brings a wealth of experience as a writer and director and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber overseeing the film," Kneedler added.

The release date for the film is set to be determined, although according to The Hollywood Reporter, Kinnear plans to make time for shooting the film while also starring in his new Fox pilot "Rake."