The box office receipts for The Passion of the Christ stunned Hollywood back in 2004, and even casual observers expected the industry to start cranking out spiritual films with alacrity.
Not quite.
The nine years since director Mel Gibson’s blockbuster has seen some micro-budget faith films score big (Fireproof) and a few mainstream religious movies (Soul Surfer) succeed.
Now, the floodgates are open with projects like The History Channel’s The Bible and the forthcoming epic Noah starring Russell Crowe.
The Hollywood Reporter says multiple projects are focusing on Jesus’s resurrection, including a feature written by conservative screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd (The Hanoi Hilton, DC 9/11: Time of Crisis) and produced by Randy LaHaye, grandson of Left Behind series author Tim LaHaye.
Chetwind shared his perspective on his Resurrection project with Big Hollywood.
My script deals with the narrow question of what happened during the 40 days from Resurrection to Ascension that inspired them to undertake the ministry. After all, if you see a man scourged and crucified and definitely dead and then sealed in a sepulchre with immovable boulder, and then he shows up at the front door, you might not immediately decide he is the Messiah; you more likely might think you’re hallucinating.
It was not the miracle of Resurrection itself that moved the Apostles, it was the evidence it provided. What transpired between Christ and his Chosen? It wasn’t necessarily a reiteration of the message; there was more than what they already knew.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.