Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 02/21/25

“Your mistakes don’t define you. How you heal does.” Now, there’s a message worth getting behind. The inspirational line appears in the above trailer for The Unbreakable Boy hitting theaters nationwide today. The promising inspirational film, based on a true story, follows the story of Scott and Teresa (Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy) after they learn that their son Austin (Jacob Laval) is both autistic and has brittle bone disease. While they initially worry for their son’s future, his unbreakable faith and spirit helps them to find joy, gratitude, and courage even in the most trying times.
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Beginning today the Museum of the Bible is hosting the national premiere tour of the Logos Theatre production of C.S. Lewis’ classic allegory The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The production is set to run until April 19th. The event, sponsored by Compassion International, is being staged at the Museum of the Bible’s World Stage Theater in Washington, D.C. The 8,000-square-foot immersive theater seats 476 people and has undergone extensive upgrades since opening in 2017. The Logos Theatre has previously performed The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, and The Pilgrim’s Progress there. The production will precede the special Museum of the Bible exhibit entitled Personal Stories: C. S. Lewis and the Myth That Became Fact  opening on March 7th. To purchase tickets for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe click here.
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The Queen of All Media’s reign continues. I previously spoke with renowned bestselling author Karen Kingsbury last shortly after Prime Video debuted a TV series based on her very successful book franchise The Baxters and just as the film version of her hit romantic novel Someone Like You was debuting in theaters. That hit film began streaming on Great American Pure Flix yesterday and debuts on the Great American Family linear channel tomorrow (Saturday, February 22 at 8:00 PM). She has been growing her relations with the folks at Great American Media since the miniseries based on another of her hit novels, A Thousand Tomorrows, received a strong response when it dropped on Pure Flix a year earlier.

JWK: Great too speak with you again. It’s been about a year since Someone Like You was released in theaters. What kind of reaction have you received?

Karen Kingsbury: Well, I’m so happy to tell you, John, that we were verified “hot” by Rotten Tomatoes as having one of the top audience scores of the past ten years. That is huge! So, the theatrical release was very successful. We’re so excited to have Great American Pure Flix Someone Like You streaming on its platform. It’ll be available on Great American Family for everyone to see through cable on their channel (tomorrow) night…So, we’re gonna go from that great audience excitement at the theatrical release to now it’s gonna be there for all to see. 

JWK: So, since the film debuted a year ago, the issue of frozen embryos has only grown hotter, so to speak. How do you feel about how that whole issue has played out since then?

KK: I think it was amazing. Obviously, only God could have allowed that timing. The idea of embryo adoption has become such a public talking point. People feel different ways, of course, about what leads to embryo adoption which is in vitro fertilization. People have different thoughts on that. I can only say it must be very difficult to be married and ready to have a family, not able to have kids and to be, you know, at the end of your rope trying to figure out what to do. So, I don’t really have any thoughts on that except to say that each couple has to make that decision before God with each other – but, once you have these embryos, now they’re little tiny babies and they’re in deep freeze. So, there are more than half-a-million that are waiting for adoption right now. I guess I would say that (the movie) has really done a beautiful job of raising awareness that, if there’s a couple that’s facing infertility, this is certainly another beautiful way to bring a child into this world.

We run a foundation. I don’t know if you knew that, John, but we have the One Chance Foundation. We give grants to Christian couples who are looking to adopt. We help with international and domestic adoptions and, now, we’ve had three grants we’ve given to embryo adoptions – and those little babies have been born and they’re beautifully healthy. So, it’s not only raised awareness really across the land (since) it’s been a talking point in the news but, even among my readers, and even in our family as we get to help these other couples.

JWK: That’s great. As you did with the Great American Pure Flix miniseries A Thousand Tomorrows, you collaborated on the screenplay for Someone Like You with your son Tyler Russell who also directed the movie.

KK: Yes.

JWK: So, what’s he up to now?

KK: It’s interesting because Pure Flix has really become a home for us. We love Great American Pure Flix. We watch it! Right now it does have our six-episode series called A Thousand Tomorrows. Tyler and I wrote that. It’s now on Pure Flix for people to watch anytime. I don’t know now long it will be there but I’m so thankful it’s there right now. We did not make that series. We didn’t produce it but it’s beautifully done. That’s there – and then also a movie that was made about a decade ago called Like Dandelion Dust that is based on my book Like Dandelion Dust. We didn’t write it or have anything to do with the movie but it’s also on Pure Flix. So, if you want to see some Karen Kingsbury movies and TV shows that’s the place to be – which is exciting.

Tyler and I just finished writing our next movie script, To the Moon and Back. We’re gonna film that this spring hoping for a release next year at about this time…based on my book.

JWK: Can you tell me a little about the plot?

KK: Yes. To the Moon and Back is set against the backdrop of the Oklahoma City bombing. So, it’s inspired by true events. It is about two six-year-olds who came from different parts of the city and didn’t know each other, obviously, but they were both orphaned on that day.They’re fictitious but, again, all of this is inspired by the true events of April 19th, 1995. Then when they’re sixteen they meet on the ten-year anniversary at the memorial (which is) just holy ground, John. It’s so beautiful.

I went there once and this is what inspired me to want to write this book. These two sixteen-year-olds meet and they discover their common loss. It’s like the whole world existed to bring them together. Then they get separated. Twelve years go by. They’re kind of wondering about each other and looking for each other but for one reason or another they couldn’t make that work and a different tragedy brings them back together. Now, they’re left to explore how they have handled this great loss in their lives – a very public tragedy but a private loss for these two. One has found faith through that process and one has not. One is still angry at God. It’s a love story that brings up the truth that God is not the reason for the bad things that happen. He is the rescue. That’s a similar theme in Someone Like You.

JWK: What is it about Great American Family that draws you and Tyler to having your work produced for them?

KK: I love that the content that we’re creating is winding up on the Great American Family channel or their streaming platform Pure Flix because it’s like-minded with the other kind of content that’s there. A lot of times people will say Christian content is cheesy. It really has changed over the years. There is so much content now on Pure Flix that you can go watch anytime. It’s just beautiful. We just watched God’s Country Song the other day. The lead actor, Justin Gaston, did such a phenomenal job. He’s actually in our Bible study because Nashville has such a small family town kind of vibe.

You know, when we want to watch something, we want to enjoy the story and be touched by it. Then we want to have a conversation about the healing or about the redemption or the forgiveness that kind of comes up. We don’t want to worry if somebody is coming through the house or whatever and it’s like “Oh, sorry. We’re watching something we shouldn’t be watching.” We never have that happen with Pure Flix. If someone doesn’t have that now they should get it. Cancel something else because it’s not just great entertainment and it’s not just gonna touch your heart. When you watch movies like Someone Like You on Pure Flix or on the Great American Family channel, your heart feels better. You feel like you have found some healing and some purpose in life you didn’t have before.

JWK: A TV series based on your book franchise The Baxters was picked up by another streamer. Any chance that you’ll be doing another series – perhaps for Great American Media, perhaps even an original?

KK: I sure hope so. I have several series of books even. I think I’ve amassed 70 novels. I hope I live long enough to make them all into films or TV shows. There’s Angels Walking which is a three-book series (that) would make a fantastic TV show on Pure Flix. We’re in conversations about how we can partner next. They’re still gaining their feet. They’re still growing. They’re growing really well. We’re loving it. I think as they get more and more people who are part of the platform and watching the channel then they’ll have to room to be able to consider another series. So, I’m excited for that possible day.

JWK: Are you writing another book?

KK: Right now, I just feel the Lord saying put the pen down when it comes to writing books for another year or two and just write scripts and make movies because I’m loving it. It’s so fun. We’re really in a good lane with them. This new script is being so well received, John. It’s really exciting. One producer said “This is the best script I’ve ever read.” I was like “Oh, wow! Thank you so much!” That was for To the Moon and Back. So, I want to do that. While we can, I want to make movies and TV shows. If there’s some spare time I’m gonna write a novel but, in the past, for most of my books I had a contract before I wrote the book. It was like “Contract for Karen Kingsbury Book 7” or whatever. Then I would make up a story, God would give me the words and I would write something to meet the deadline. Rather than having a bunch of deadlines, I really want to the chance to give film all I can. It’s just too exciting. I can’t wait, literally, for people to tune in and get to see Someone Like You on Pure Flix or on Great American Family and then to hear their feedback…So, that’s what I’m looking forward to here in the next few weeks.

JWK: Your books certainly supply a lot of great content for TV shows and movies.

KK: Thank you.

JWK: Do you feel like the success of your work and the success of Great American Media has opened up the industry broadly to more of this kind of uplifting content in that you’ve shown that there’s an audience appetite for it?

KK: I really think so. I mean I’ve been writing books for 28 years that I call life-changing fiction – because that’s what the readers were calling it. So, I think the idea (of life-changing stories as books) has been going on a long time. The idea of that coming to film – and having it be really excellent and well-received – is new. I think it’s just gonna only grow from here. People need that kind of help. They want to be inspired.They want to feel the love that’s genuine, that comes through every scene…So, I think it’s going go continue to grow. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it.

JWK: Great. Anything you’d like to say as we wrap up?

KK: If anyone wants to find out more information about Someone Like You or the other books, they can go to karenkingsbury.com and sign up for my newsletter. I’ll keep you posted on all the things coming.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.