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."

Passion Joins 5 Other Billboard Top 10 Debuts

Debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 is the "Passion: Let the Future Begin" live album with 48,000 sold. Culled from the 2013 Passion Conference in January at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the Christian album saw a significant chunk of its sales driven by pre-orders placed at the conference. The annual Passion event attracted 60,000 attendees this year and featured Passion worship leaders -- and recording stars -- Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill and Matt Redman, among others. Those acts, and more, appear on the new Passion set.

It's the most top 10 debuts the chart has seen in four months. The last time there were more in a week was the Dec. 1, 2012 chart, when seven arrivals hit the region. 

Kirk Franklin Joins American Bible Challenge

Kirk Franklin will join GSN‘s The American Bible Challenge as musical co-host for the second season of the network’s breakout  studio-based game, in which contestants compete based on their knowledge of the Bible. Franklin, along with musical director Kris Pooley, will lead a choir that will be featured on the show. Season 2 of American Bible Challenge, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, will premiere March 21. “The show is a fresh and fun approach to celebrating the Word of God, and being able to provide an element of praise, worship and honor is both exciting and humbling,” Franklin said. The series premiere last season delivered 1.7 million viewers, a record for GSN.

The Bible's Producers Call Controversy Over Satan's Resemblance to Obama Absurd

History Channel and The Bible executive producers, husband and wife Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, addressed the Obama-Satan controversy. “History channel has the highest respect for President Obama,” the network said in a statement. “The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s The Bible is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”

Burnett and Downey used stronger language in dismissing the connection, suggesting that the actor playing the Devil may have been simply type cast. “This is utter nonsense,” they said. “The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzaani, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics — including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.” Added Downey: “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.”

The Bible's Ratings Rise in Third Week

History’s Sunday night was a historical cable powerhouse with both The Bible and Vikings up from the previous week. The third two-hour episode of the 10-part miniseries The Bible garnered 10.9 million total viewers, up from the 10.8 million the Mark Burnett- and Roma Downey-produced show received for its second episode March 10. While down in viewers from its massive March 2 debut, the mini again was the most-watched show on TV on Sunday night, topping AMC’s juggernaut The Walking Dead (10.8 million) and all other broadcast and cable competition in total viewers. Sunday’s episode was up in key demos as well, drawing 4.2 million in adults 25-54 (compared to 3.8 million the week before) and 3.5 million adults 18-49 (compared to 3.2 million March 10).