Jennifer Garner Begins Filming Christian Movie 'Miracles From Heaven'

Jennifer Garner is set to star in the Sony Pictures drama, "Miracles From Heaven," based on a book with a similar name. The film is scheduled for release on March 18, 2016, a week before Easter.

The actress is believed to be a practicing Christian as she has been spotted leaving church services in the past and also had her children baptized at her family's church in Charleston, West Virginia.

"Miracles From Heaven" is being produced by Joe Roth, T.D. Jakes and DeVon Franklin, who were behind the 2014 hit film "Heaven Is for Real," which grossed more than $101 million at the box office.

It tells the story of Annabel Beam, a little girl from Texas, who claimed she met Jesus after a tragic fall. She was also miraculously cured of a life-threatening digestive disorder after the accident. Her incredible story of faith and overcoming adversity is retold in her mother Christy's memoir: Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven, and Her Amazing Story of Healing.

During an interview with The Christian Post in April, 12-year-old Annabel recalled falling headfirst 30 feet inside a hollowed-out cottonwood tree while playing with her sisters on the family farm in Texas. Miraculously, she escaped without injury and later told her parents that she went to heaven and sat in Jesus' lap after the accident.

"I remember it was really bright and I saw my Mimi (her grandmother) who had died a couple of years back, and that's how I knew that I was in heaven," Annabel told Christian Post. "And I asked Jesus if I could stay and He said: 'No Annabel, I have plans for you on Earth that you cannot fulfill in heaven.' Then he said whenever the firefighters get you out there will be nothing wrong with you."

"... We believe that I was healed in the tree. I'm completely healthy [now] and I can eat whatever I want," said Annabel, who credits faith for her recovery. "I want people to realize that no matter how bad things get, don't ever lose that faith because He has a plan … you have to stay faithful and have hope because those are the things that will get you through whatever you're going through, no matter what it is."

'Heaven Is for Real' Crushes Johnny Depp's Latest Bomb 'Transcendence'

Faith-based film Heaven Is for Real soared at the Easter weekend box office, earning a stellar $21.5 million from 2,417 theaters to bury big-budget Transcendence, which opened to a dismal $11.5 million from 3,455 locations.

Transcendence marks the third big-budget bomb in a row for Johnny Depp after The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows.

Captain America, staying at No. 1 for its third consecutive weekend, grossed $26.6 million from 3,825 locations to cross the $200 million mark domestically and hit $586.6 million worldwide in another major victory for Marvel Studios and Disney.

Fox's animated family film Rio 2 grossed $22.5 million from 3,975 locations in its second weekend for a domestic total of $75.4 million.

Heaven Is for Real, placing No. 3, is the latest Christian film to exceed expectations. Produced by influential pastor T. D. Jakes, director Randall Wallace and Hollywood veteran Joe Roth, Heaven Is for Real stars Greg Kinnear and earned an A CinemaScore. The drama did its biggest business in the country's Bible Belt, but appealed to mainstream audiences as well.

Easter weekend provided further evidence that 2014 is indeed the year of the Bible movies. Heaven Is for Real was one of three such titles populating the top 10 chart. Noah placed No. 9 with $5 million for a domestic cume of $93.2 million, while God's Not Dead came in No. 10 with $4.8 million, pushing its total to $48.2 million.

Heading into the weekend, no one expected the $12 million Heaven Is for Real to beat Transcendence, which cost a hefty $100 million to produce. Transcendence suffered from scathing reviews and a C+ CinemaScore.

Easter weekend saw two other new nationwide offerings -- A Haunted House 2 and Disney documentary Bears.  Haunted House 2 placed No. 5 with $9.1 million from 2,310 theaters, half of the $18 million opening secured by the first film. Bears placed No. 11 with a less-than-expected $4.7 million from 1,720 theaters, the lowest opening of any Disneynature title.

Over the weekend, Frozen became the No. 6 title of all time worldwide with $1.129 billion in earnings, passing up The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.114 billion) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1.123 billion). It has also passed up Ice Age 4 ($716 million) to become the top-grossing animated film at the international box office with $729.3 million.

'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."