After a successful campaign in theaters across the U.S., producers have just pacted with Freestyle Releasing to distribute Beyond The Mask on June 5 for traditional, weeklong runs. The film stars John Rhys-Davies (Killing Jesus, The Lord Of The Rings). The same co-writer of the faith-based phenoms Fireproof and Courageous, Stephen Kendrick, also co-wrote this film.
Freestyle Releasing also distributed God’s Not Dead on behalf of Pure Flix last March to great success. On a $2M budget, they earned a hefty $60.7M gross.
The agreement with Freestyle comes after producers have already pre-sold more than $470K before bowing in theaters this past Monday. Each showing of the $4M-budgeted film played for one night only in each theater. So far, they have played on 365 screens in all 50 states. On Monday, when Beyond The Mask opened on 181 theaters, it had taken in $242K, which translated into a per screen average of $1,300.
The film was co-written by Kendrick (Courageous, Fireproof) and Paul McCusker. It co-stars Kara Kilmer (Chicago Fire) and Andrew Cheney (Seasons Of Grey).
The production, marketing and distribution of Beyond The Mask has been completely grassroots. They started off with a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, raised the money, produced the picture and then worked out a deal with Gathr to help distribute the film. They marketed through churches, social media, home-schooling communities, and with volunteers from across the country.
And this one has a bit of a twist in that it is a period piece. Beyond The Mask follows a leading mercenary for the British East India Company who was double-crossed and is on the run in the American colonies. Working to redeem his name and win back the affections of the woman with whom he’s never been fully truthful, he hides behind a new mask in hopes of thwarting his former employer. As his past life closes in on him, he must somehow gain the trust and the help of his beloved Charlotte — as well as Ben Franklin — while he races against time to defuse a plot of historical proportions. It is being marketed as “a faith-based adventure celebrating grace, liberty and the true freedom that can only be found in Christ.”
“What would I do if we had a huge success? The first thing that comes to mind is creating more films to spread the hope and word of the Gospel and bring stories to families who can enjoy watching them together,” producer Aaron Burns said.
Showing posts with label Lord of the Rings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord of the Rings. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2015
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Directors of 'The Butler,' 'Arrested Development,' and 'Good Will Hunting' Sign Up for '10 Commandments' TV Series
WGN has announced the first five directors for a 10-part television series of modern interpretations of the Ten Commandments.
Lee Daniels (The Butler), Michael Cera (Arrested Development), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jim Sheridan (In America), will all take turns giving their own interpretation of a particular commandment with the other directors to be announced at a later date.
Produced by Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook) and Bob Weinstein (Lord of the Rings), the show comes at a time when the cable network has begun expanding into original scripted programming. Weinstein and Cohen said that the directors were picked for their original and distinct directing styles.
"Each of these directors is acclaimed for their own unique brand of style and genre, so it's clear that we can expect 10 wildly different episodes from this series," Weinstein said as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
"With each helmer choosing his or her own creative team, it will be exciting to see their visions come together," said Cohen.
WGN President and GM Matt Cherniss has said that he saw the project as helping the channel to become a "destination network."
Lee Daniels (The Butler), Michael Cera (Arrested Development), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jim Sheridan (In America), will all take turns giving their own interpretation of a particular commandment with the other directors to be announced at a later date.
Produced by Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook) and Bob Weinstein (Lord of the Rings), the show comes at a time when the cable network has begun expanding into original scripted programming. Weinstein and Cohen said that the directors were picked for their original and distinct directing styles.
"Each of these directors is acclaimed for their own unique brand of style and genre, so it's clear that we can expect 10 wildly different episodes from this series," Weinstein said as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
"With each helmer choosing his or her own creative team, it will be exciting to see their visions come together," said Cohen.
WGN President and GM Matt Cherniss has said that he saw the project as helping the channel to become a "destination network."
Thursday, August 8, 2013
‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Opens Up About His Christian Faith
Actor Sean Astin has had a long-standing career in Hollywood. From starring as Mikey in “The Goonies” to his role as Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, he has entertained and inspired audiences for decades. In a new interview with Beliefnet, Astin recently discussed his career, his faith and a Christian movie he recently filmed called “Mom’s Night Out.”
It may come as a surprise to some that Astin, who has said in the past that he doesn't wear his faith on his sleeve, is religious. But a close look at his career and his public comments corroborate this very fact. In his discussion with Beliefnet, Astin described his faith journey in detail and didn't hesitate to call himself a faithful Christian.
He detailed his fascinating faith journey — one that encapsulated experiences with Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism, agnosticism and Protestantism (they all touched him in some way). Today, Astin is a Lutheran, having been officially baptized along with his wife at a church in Indiana. But growing up, his stepfather, actor John Astin, was a Buddhist and his birth father was Jewish.
Beyond that, his mother, actress Patty Duke, is a Catholic — at least nominally. When Kennedy asked about this dynamic, the entertainer was candid:
In a previous interview, Astin was asked about his favorite prayer. He cited Ron Dugger who had once set up a meeting between the actor and then-Sen. John Kerry at a time during which Astin was politically active.
“There’s a guy named Rob Dugger who was a very senior member of the Democratic National Committee. [A]fter I’d met with John Kerry, [Rob had] arranged a meeting and this [was] at the height of my trying to grapple with what I was able to accomplish–and not–on a political level,” Astin told Huang. “We just had this conversation, and I asked him that question. [H]e said every morning he wakes up and he says a prayer, ‘Allow me to be an instrument of Your will.’”
Astin said the prayer really resonated with him and that he has uttered it “a few thousand times” since first hearing it.
read full article
It may come as a surprise to some that Astin, who has said in the past that he doesn't wear his faith on his sleeve, is religious. But a close look at his career and his public comments corroborate this very fact. In his discussion with Beliefnet, Astin described his faith journey in detail and didn't hesitate to call himself a faithful Christian.
He detailed his fascinating faith journey — one that encapsulated experiences with Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism, agnosticism and Protestantism (they all touched him in some way). Today, Astin is a Lutheran, having been officially baptized along with his wife at a church in Indiana. But growing up, his stepfather, actor John Astin, was a Buddhist and his birth father was Jewish.
Beyond that, his mother, actress Patty Duke, is a Catholic — at least nominally. When Kennedy asked about this dynamic, the entertainer was candid:
“Well, it depends on when you ask her and who you ask. I think today she would probably consider herself a Catholic. She’s had a really kind of tortured relationship [with the Church]. I [remember] when my sister died. There’s this group of nuns that lived in a convent nearby. She insisted that they be there. So, you know, when you talk about self identifying versus how people practice versus the culture versus all these kinds of things I think my mom is a feels very comfortable with her Catholicism.”
In a previous interview, Astin was asked about his favorite prayer. He cited Ron Dugger who had once set up a meeting between the actor and then-Sen. John Kerry at a time during which Astin was politically active.
“There’s a guy named Rob Dugger who was a very senior member of the Democratic National Committee. [A]fter I’d met with John Kerry, [Rob had] arranged a meeting and this [was] at the height of my trying to grapple with what I was able to accomplish–and not–on a political level,” Astin told Huang. “We just had this conversation, and I asked him that question. [H]e said every morning he wakes up and he says a prayer, ‘Allow me to be an instrument of Your will.’”
Astin said the prayer really resonated with him and that he has uttered it “a few thousand times” since first hearing it.
read full article
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