In this month's faith & family media news: Mel Gibson's two-part The Resurrection of the Christ shifts premiere dates; a new biopic brings Jimmy Stewart back to life; a documentary on Pope Francis gets distributors for European countries; and a new film revisits the horrors of the French Revolution.
The Resurrection of the Christ Comes a Little Bit Later
Originally, Part One of Mel Gibson's long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ was supposed to premiere on March 25, 2027 (Good Friday), with Part Two coming out 40 days later, on May 6 (Ascension Thursday).
While that timeline is theologically appealing, the reality of moviemaking has caused a shift.
Studio Lionsgate has moved the release dates of The Resurrection of the Christ, with Part One now coming out on May 6, 2027, and Part Two on May 25, 2028 (again Ascension Thursday, that date being a movable holiday; also, the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend).
Lionsgate, along with Gibson, and Bruce Davey, chairman of Gibson's Icon Productions, have announced that principal photography is completed on the film. Shooting took place over 132 days across Italy.
One of the locations was Matera, site of the filming of the Crucifixion in the original 2004 film. Matera also served as the location for filming of the Crucifixion scenes in the upcoming Season 6 of The Chosen.
Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen takes the role of Christ, played in the first film by Jim Caviezel.
He can be seen in the video below, one of a series of behind-the-scenes videos. Click here for a Zenit story that features the rest of them.
From Deadline.com:
“Mel is a true visionary with an artist’s eye for scale and a storyteller’s instinct for emotional truth,” said said Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “Every image we’ve seen from set feels like a masterwork painting brought to life.
"There are very few directors who can operate at this level of epic spectacle while at the same time delivering such depth and conviction. Mel has crafted a film of extraordinary ambition that audiences worldwide have been waiting to experience for over 20 years.”
“I’m deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,” said Gibson. “This film represents a major part of my life’s work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me. It’s a mission I’ve carried for over twenty years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history.
"Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ — true masters of their craft — allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it, with the tremendous support of my longtime partners, Adam and the team at Lionsgate.”
The Untold Story of Jimmy Stewart
One of Hollywood's most revered stars (who also did radio appearances for FTP founder Venerable Patrick Peyton), Jimmy Stewart is a hard act to follow ... but actor KJ Apa is going to try.
Apa, who previously played Christian singer Jeremy Camp in I Still Believe, plays Stewart in the upcoming biopic Jimmy.
From the official website:
The untold true story of America’s most-beloved actor and the iconic role that saved him, focuses on the most transformative season in Jimmy Stewart’s life — from winning the Academy Award® for Best Actor in The Philadelphia Story to enlisting and becoming a combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the beginning of World War II. He flew twenty missions over Europe, rising to the rank of colonel by the end of the war, only to return home broken and disheartened. Then George Bailey and It’s a Wonderful Life came calling.
The cast also includes Max Casella, Julian Works, Sarah Drew, Jason Alexander, Rob Riggle, Chris McDonald, Jemma Donovan, Jen Lilley, Karolyn Grimes, and outspoken Catholic actor Neal McDonough.
Producers Burns & Co. has also partnered with not-for-profit organization Vet Tix, to allow service members, veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families to see Jimmy through donated tickets.
Jimmy hits theaters on Nov. 6. Do you think Apa nails that Stewart look and sound?
Pope Francis Movie Gets First Distribution Deals
No word on when or if it's coming to the U.S., but a new documentary about Pope Francis has gotten itself a foothold in Europe, coming out of the Cannes Market.
Produced in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center, Pray for Me: Pope Francis' Story has inked distribution deals in Spain and Portugal.
Directed by Facundo Bartucci, the documentary follows Jorge Bergolio from his days as a Jesuit priest in Buenos Aires to becoming the first pontiff from Latin America.
From Deadline.com:
“This is a project where access, story, and timing align in a very powerful way,” [executive producer Matías] Fontenla, a former exec at the Argentinian-based FilmSharks, said in a statement. “The goal is to position the film as a global event, both theatrically and across platforms.”
The Revolution Is on Film
Available on DVD/Blu-Ray, online rental/purchase, or for screenings, Victory or Death focuses on the French Revolution, which pursued a violent version of Utopia which definitely did not include the Catholic faith.
From the official website:
Victory or Death is a riveting and provocative film telling the poignant story of unsung heroes inside the French Revolution. The year is 1793. Amid the tumult of the Revolution, peasants from Vendée rise up to defend themselves against forced conscription, brutal attacks on the Church, and execution of their king.
A retired naval officer, Charette de La Contrie, is pulled from his quiet chateau life when a ragtag group of peasants urge him to lead them and champion their cause. The film traces the reluctant leader as he transforms into a charismatic and brilliant strategist, rallying an unconventional army of ordinary men and women to wage a fierce war in defense of their land, faith, and families, against forces determined to crush insurrection.
Take a look:
Image: Lionsgate
Kate O’Hare, a longtime entertainment journalist, is Social Media Content Manager and Blog Editor at Family Theater Productions.
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