Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 04/15/25

Trailer Town

Scared new world. Like his New York Times bestselling book of the same name, Rod Dreher’s four-part documentary series Live Live Not by Lies (currently streaming on the Angel platform with episodes dropping Tuesdays throughout the month of April) is something of a followup to The Benedict Option, his previous bestseller that drew on the lessons learned by Christian survivors of Soviet persecution and who now warn contemporary Americans about the approaching dark clouds threatening their freedom. You can view the trailer here.

From horror to hope. Based on the book by legendary horror novelist Stephen King (who, BTW, also wrote The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) fellow horror tale spinner Mike Flanagan wrote and directed the film version of The Life of Chuck (in theaters June 6th) which tells the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz as he “experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.” Could Chuck Krantz be this generation’s Forrest Gump? Though rated R for language, the award-winning film starring Tom Hiddleston is being hailed as a redemptive masterpiece.  A new trailer for the film just dropped. Check it out here.
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One-Two Punch. I first spoke with former CBS Entertainment executive Paul R. Friedman in 2022 when he turned a page on his career with the success of his novel The Unexpected Danny Green. With a new audio version of the story of the aspirational and inspirational boxer from the wrong side of the tracks now available, we decided to chat again.

JWK: It was in 2022 when we originally spoke. Your book has had quite a bit of success since then, right?

Paul R. Friedman: Yes. It’s been tremendously successful. I couldn’t be more pleased. The funny thing is a lot of people kept asking me “When are we gonna get an audio book?” So, I set about trying to accomplish that.

JWK: What has the reaction been to the book itself?

PRF: People have been very, very encouraged. People have been touched by it. People seem to like the character and enjoyed his journey along with his lady friend. People are very affected by it. They appreciate his drive, his persistence and the way he goes about life. I think when I spoke to you in the past I mentioned that I wanted to write about an American hero, someone who is somewhat idealized but is a slice of life character as well.

JWK: What was the experience of creating an audio book based on your book like?

PRF: Well, of course, first I had to find someone who I thought would do a great job of reading the book and bringing it to life. So, a gentleman named Dave Fennoy is a voice-over actor that I had worked with years ago. I thought Dave would be interested in the project – and he was, fortunately. So, we came to an agreement. Then we sat down and said “Let’s figure out how we can do this, how best to accomplish creating an experience that really is theater of the mind.”

So, I worked with Dave. He has his own studio. He’s a very accomplished fellow. He does a lot of voice-over work. We worked together to make sure we got the nuances. We got the feel of the characters and created the scenes as effectively as possible so that they would be as evocative as possible to the listener.

JWK: So, you pretty much personally pulled this together. Was your experience as a TV network executive helpful in doing this?

PRF: Yeah. As you may recall, I was a vice president and a creative director. Before that I was a writer-producer. As a writer-producer of segments, of promotional material (and) of marketing material that went on air at CBS, I was very instrumental in not only crafting scripts but then sitting with the announcers and making sure that they brought the material to life. Part of the experience as a writer-producer was writing, creating, editing and then finally going to the mixing room. So, my experience working with talent helped me develop a pretty good ear, I think, about what works, when someone might be hitting a sour note and how to be more successful in accomplishing what we want to accomplish.

JWK: So, will the same people who read the book want to listen to it – or is this a new audience you’re going for?

PRF: Well, fortunately, there’s a brand-new audience out there and people are being exposed to it. The funny thing is – I think you may have experienced this or be aware of it – a lot of people will say to me nowadays “Well, I’m reading such-and-such book” and it turns out they’re actually listening to it. A lot of people aren’t reading as much anymore but they are open to listening to it. I think that’s as a result of radio (and podcasts) being popular. During their travel time and their workout time they can have a tremendous experience listening to a book – especially this book, The Unexpected Danny Green.

JWK: Of course, we went over this during our previous conversation – but what do you hope people take from this story?

PRF: I want people to realize that Danny is a character that they might identify with – that they would find he’s persistent, he’s ambitious, he has a lot of drive and he seizes opportunities when they present themselves. I think, as we’ve discussed before, he’s the kind of person that has potential. As he goes through life experiencing things and confronting obstacles he also realizes what it takes to achieve.

JWK: So, I guess the theme can be summarized as shining a light on the value of persistence, perseverance and realizing your potential.

PRF: Yes – and, ultimately, the satisfaction that comes with achievement. That’s the key to me. For many, many years, it wasn’t so much (about) going after the money but finding things that (gratified me) in the work. It’s a funny thing. When I was true to myself, developed my skills and honed my talent, the money kind of came. I’m sure you’ve experienced this.

JWK: You’re right. I do believe that to be the case. So, I guess the next step would be developing The Unexpected Danny Green into a movie or maybe a limited TV series. Are you moving in that direction?

PRF: I am absolutely. We’re talking to people now. I think having the tool of it being an audio book has helped tremendously because it’s opened up a whole new world to the character, to the experience and to the story.

JWK: I can see how the proof of concept makes it easier to visualize. Then, there’s the fact that you can show that there’s an audience for it.

PRF: Right. That’s key – that people are relating to it, identifying with it and that there are characters here that people who have now listened to it can realize “Oh, this is so visual!” The settings where I put the characters – whether it’s New York, the South of Italy or Hollywood – these are all places that I think resonate with people. If I can make it seem like that’s a real live place through the reading of (or listening to) the story, I think you’re absolutely right, it helps people recognize that we have something here that’s viable.

JWK: Have you thought about casting? Have you thought that far into the future? Have you thought about who might play these characters, particularly Danny?

PRF: It’s an interesting thing. You’re sort of confronted with the fact that you want to find somebody who is really not that well known who also has a kind of attractiveness…That’s been a bit of a challenge, finding a young man who would play Danny Green.

JWK: What are you looking for in terms of description?

PRF: He would be a young man who’s got innate intelligence, who is tremendously gifted from a physical standpoint, who could handle the boxing, who would be a romantic lead and, at the same time, have people respond to him. He’s got to be a sympathetic character but he also has to be a no-nonsense guy as well.

JWK: It sounds like it could be a star-making vehicle for somebody.

PRF: Absolutely! Absolutely! That would be fantastic. I’ve got to tell you one thing about how we created the book. I’m used to using music to score pieces that I’ve written. Of course, that’s an impossibility when you have a book that has so much dialogue and the chapters are pages and pages long. So, what I did is I got little pieces of music. Each chapter starts out with something that kind of sets the tone.

JWK: Did you write the music?

PRF: I did not. I worked with a friend who writes music. He also has a library of music that he licenses. He and I made a deal where I could use some of his music. In some cases, it starts out with the characters flying some place so we put a little sound effect of a jet plane and mixed that together with music. It’s very subtle. It’s maybe the first ten seconds that introduces the chapter. I found that to be kind of a fun experience. People seemed to really like it because it’s not something you normally hear when you’re listening to a book.

JWK: Obviously, you’re promoting this book and planning for the screen future of Danny Green. Do you have any projects planned after that?

PRF: I have a project right now that I’m working on. In fact, I’m almost done with it. It’s a lot more personal, I suppose. It’s written through a character. It’s not a biography. It’s a novelization (but) it deals with a lot of experiences in my life, my travels and my family background. Hopefully, it’s an interesting story.

JWK: Well, we’ll look forward to that. When you’re ready, perhaps we can chat about that one too.

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.