Hitmakers Behind Courageous and Fireproof Go Independent

The production team behind the hit movies, Courageous, Fireproof and Facing the Giants have launched a new production company.

With the support and blessing of their pastor, Alex and Stephen have expanded their movie making endeavors beyond Sherwood Baptist Church's walls.  Kendrick Brothers Productions has launched an independent movie production company designed to partner with believers across the nation and help train the next generation of Christian filmmakers. The Kendrick brothers plan to make their next movie under this new paradigm.

Pastor Catt said, “Jim and I are blessed to call Alex and Stephen our friends and co-laborers for the Gospel. They will continue to live in Albany and be an active part of the ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church. We love these guys and are grateful for God sending them to our staff over a decade ago. It will be exciting for us to take the steps of faith required to see where God will take us. No matter what lies ahead, this has been an incredible ride for all of us. Our prayers are with them as they pursue future endeavors.”

In a recent update on their site, Stephen posted that filming will begin next week:

Over the last five months we set up a production office, conducted online and live casting sessions, locked in our crew, and scouted the needed locations for the story. Every location is visually rich and completely fresh to us. God has provided an amazing cast of strong believers. Some are new faces to us, others you will recognize from our previous films, and there are a few surprises that many will recognize from the Christian ministry world. The Lord has also provided an excellent crew of Christian filmmakers and film-school interns. Many of them have been praying for God to open the door for them to work on a movie project that honors Him. Our production office is humming along. Lots of buzz. Tons of progress every day. We are very grateful that multiple pastors and churches are working together and surrounding this effort in prayer.

Is 'The Lost Medallion' the Indiana Jones for the Next Generation?

“The Lost Medallion,” an action adventure film targeting tweens, appears to be an “Indiana Jones” for the next generation with spiritual nuggets to ponder as well.

Alex Kendrick, co-producer & co-director of Facing the Giants, Fireproof & Courageous states:


“The Lost Medallion is a wholesome movie that will take you back to a more innocent time but will keep you on the edge of your seat. My kids loved it and have watched it again and again. You’ll be blessed by The Lost Medallion and I’m guessing that you will still be talking about it with friends and family for a long time after you leave the theater."

Controversy Often Makes Movies, Even Christian Ones, Win at Box Office, Says Producer

For movies with Christian themes that previously were considered un-buzzworthy inside the Hollywood film industry, it is controversy that often makes them box office successes, says an award-winning film and music producer.

Speaking to a workshop at the San Diego Christian Film Festival, Mark Joseph told part of the story of how "Facing the Giants" became a box office success.

The film about an underdog high school football team, and issues of faith in God, was made for $100,000. Volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church were cast in supporting roles. Joseph helped market the film, but said one of the keys to the movie's $11 million in sales was letting a reporter know that there was a controversy over the film's initial PG-13 rating.

"The MPAA gave two reasons for the PG-13 rating: excessive religious content and the other was that it elevated one religion over another," said Joseph, who also helped to market "The Passion of the Christ" and "Chronicles of Narnia." "As a marketing person this was like God's gift to the film."
He said that he explored the idea of having a reporter break the story by first talking to an editor at the Drudge Report.

"I said I think I have a story for you, the MPAA thinks God is worthy of a rating," he explained. Joseph said he knew that others would find it as astonishing as he did that issues of faith and religion would be lumped together with such things as sex, drugs, and violence when establishing a movie rating. The editor told him to find a reporter to write the story.

"Instantly, it became this mega media sensation. The story being that Hollywood is so out of touch with normal people that they thought this film needed a PG rating," he said.

The MPAA suddenly realized they had made a mistake and tried to cover-up by saying their objections had been misinterpreted. Joseph said the movie gained even more attention when Congress called for a hearing to investigate the MPAA.

"That was a message to the country to go watch this movie that's so 'forbidden,'" he said. "The movie made $11 million at the box office."

Organizers of the three-day film festival in San Diego say they hope to strengthen the community of Christian filmmakers interested in bringing about a positive change in the types of movies coming out of Hollywood. Filmgoers are craving for movies with a good message and faith-based values.

"The market is starving for it, not hungry, starving for good quality films," said Chad Stewart, who is on the board of directors for the festival and the managing director of a production company based in Del Mar, Calif.

Joseph said he's been a part of at least six traditionalist movies that were labeled "surprise successes" by Hollywood standards.

"We've discovered an audience that Hollywood doesn't think exists in America," he said. "Narnia and Passion are movies that on paper don't make sense to anybody in Hollywood. Nobody that I know of thought that the Passion of the Christ was going to be successful. Same goes for the Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia was really an unknown property in Hollywood. A lot of executive didn't know who C.S. Lewis was and so it wasn't the slam dunk that you might think it was today."
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" has grossed more than $739 million worldwide.

Tony Dungy: 'Courageous' Movie Will Impact Men

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy has watched the upcoming film "Courageous," and he wants other men to do so as well. "It's a great movie. I think men, especially, are going to look at this and really connect and identify," Dungy said recently. "Every guy who looks at this [movie]," Dungy said, "is going to see themselves in some way and say, 'How can I be better with the hole in my parenting?' I think it's going to be special."

Courageous, which opens Sept. 30, is the latest film from Sherwood Pictures which also made "Fireproof" and "Facing the Giants." With a police force as the film's backdrop, the story follows five men as they seek to become better fathers. Most reviewers who have seen Courageous are calling it the best film yet from Sherwood.

The Auburn Tigers football team took a break from practice and team meetings this summer for a screening and it was received quite well by the team. Head coach Gene Chizik called Courageous a "tremendous movie with a great message." "I want this to hit you because it's got nothing to do with football," Chizik told the team. "It's about you being a man. That, long after all this is over, is the most important thing, and it's not even close." Ken Bevel, who plays officer Nathan Hayes in Courageous, said he was honored to watch the screening with the defending national champions.

Fireproof Passes $23 Million

Fireproof has passed $23 million in ticket sales and just missed remaining in the Top 10 for the fifth straight week!

This total doubles the amount their last movie, Facing the Giants, pulled in and eclipses their budget 40-fold.

The music effectively uses music by Christian artists.