Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 11/01/24

Yes, Virginia, faith can be funny. In bringing the classic Christmas book The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever to the big screen (opening next Friday  Nov. 8th), prolific faith-theme producer Andrew Erwin (Ordinary Angels, Jesus Revolution) continues to demonstrate an ability to tell bridge-building stories that reach beyond the proverbial choir.

Based on the international bestseller by Barbara Robinson, the beloved story tells the tale of the Herdmans who are known to their community as absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world who somehow end up with the lead roles in the town’s annual Christmas pageant. Directed by Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen), the film adaptation stars Judy Greer (Jurassic World, Ant-Man), Pete Holmes (Prime Video’s The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh) and Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood).

JWK: So, what attracted you to this story. Were you familiar with Barbara Johnson’s book growing up?

Andrew Erwin: I remember reading it as a kid. You know, we would read it as a family as part of our Christmas tradition…I had hadn’t thought about the property in quite a while – but Dallas Jenkins, the creator of The Chosen, had thought about it every day for about 20 years. His wife brought a copy of it home one day after being at Pottery Barn. She bought it at a checkout line. She fell in love with the story…and they read it for the family. They would always tease him that at the end of the book Dallas would always breakdown and cry. He just became obsessed that this needs to be a movie. It had been a made-for-TV movie in the eighties but he wanted as a big feature film. So, he chased the rights for 15 years and just felt like that was his story to tell. When he finally got the rights he brought it to us. We took it to Lionsgate and here we are about to release his vision that he fought for all those years. It is a Christmas classic. It’s one of those movies that your family will want to watch over and over again at Christmas.

JWK: From the trailer, it seems to strike a balance between playful irreverence and actual reverence. How did you balance the deeper messages with the humor of the story?

AE: I think laughter gives you the opportunity to kind of hit the audience with unexpected heart. I think really great earned comedy does that. Dallas does it really well…I always tease Dallas. I call him the master of the slow burn. He does it all the time – on The Chosen as well, where he’ll have a moment that you’re laughing about and then, all of a sudden, he’ll take a turn and you’re like “I didn’t see that coming!”

In this story the idea (is) this Christmas pageant that hasn’t changed for 75 years gets this family of “bad” kids, the Herdmans, thrown into it and they kind of take over the Bible play –  but these kids who are the ones that are the least likely to understand the meaning of Christmas in the eyes of this community end up being the ones that are the closest to the heart of Christmas. They understand the true meaning. So, when it takes the turn at the end of the story there’s not a dry eye in any theater that I’ve watched it in. It is an earned, authentic emotion reminding us about what’s really important. The message behind the story of Christmas comes through loud and clear.

JWK: The movie, as you mentioned, is directed by Dallas Jenkins. You’re both associated with faith-themed storytelling. The cast is lead by Judy Greer, Pete Holmes and Lauren Graham. They’ve done very good work of course – but they’re not necessarily known for the faith-themed genre. How did you all mesh together on this story?

AE: It was pretty magic. If you look at the history of our work at Kingdom Story Company, we really like to kind of catch people off guard with our casting. We like to work with people that aren’t familiar faces (in the genre). We loved doing that earlier this year with Hilary Swank (in Ordinary Angels). It’s just really amazing (to work with talented) people that really engage in the story and take it seriously.

You know, for Judy and Pete: Pete is such a funny comedian and a really talented guy. He really brought just an honest goodness and humor to the role of the father in the story. Judy Greer steals the show though. Her take on Grace, this mom who is tasked under duress with saving the Christmas pageant, brings such authentic earned heart to it. I like when people that are benevolent skeptics kind of enter the space and it’s fresh and it’s new to them. They bring something really unexpected. So, I think the audience is in for a treat. I’m really proud of the cast.

Then Lauren Graham anchors it as the narrator of the story. Her voice is just so beloved and well-known. She’s an icon.

JWK: And your mentioned Hilary Swank – and then there’s Kelsey Grammer who might be a little more associated with faith-theme projects. You and your company seem to be able to draw very successful stars from mainstream media into the faith space.

AE: I think you’re right, John. The exciting is we all started in proximity. There was us, the Kendrick Brothers, Dallas Jenkins,  DeVon Franklin and Jon Gunn. There was a group of us that all started around the same time trying to figure this thing out. The sandbox was really, really kind of constricted as to what faith films could be – but, as the audience has shown up with their voice and really engaged with our stories in theaters, the sandbox has gotten really broad where we’re able to do things that continue to serve the faith audience that we love and that we don’t apologize for. We’re proud. We’re members of that audience – but then to invite people from the mainstream and be like “You might be pleasantly surprised that it’s not what you expect.”

I think that approach has allowed us to attract bigger and bigger actors in as well in front of the camera and to find really kind of unexpected entry points for the audience. I just think it speaks to the healthiness of faith films as a whole. It’s been exciting to watch that core group that we all started with all individually find their voices in their own unique ways. Then, when there are opportunities to combine our voices and collaborate…it’s kind of amazing to see (those teams) assemble. So, working with Dallas on this we got to reminisce (about) seeing what this faith genre has become.

JWK: Regarding this movie, what is the message you would like to see the audience take from it, both adults and kids?

AE: I think remembering what the true meaning of Christmas is. You know, the last line of the book and the movie is “Unto you a Child is born.” I think that whole idea of who the Savior came for. In this story people think that the Herdmans would be the last people that a Savior would come for. It turns because of their circumstances – of where they came from – they were the closest to understanding the heart and true meaning of Christmas. This pageant that had been going on the same way for 75 years had made the pageant sacred – but the meaning of the story had been forgotten.

So, I think right now in a world that can be very fear-driven and very divided, the idea of putting a story of hope out into the world that feels good, that draws families together, can be very rebellious. It’s so exciting to tell stories like that right now because people desperately need hope.

JWK: You’re also about to begin Season 2 of The Storytellers Podcast. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

AE: Dallas Jenkins is actually my guest today. So, check that out. It’s been really a lot of fun. The Storytellers Podcast continues to grow. We’ve got the chance to have Gary Sinese on and all sorts of just iconic people. You’ll see some familiar faces from our body of work – like Joel Courtney from Jesus Revolution. We’ve got Kelsey Grammer on. There are just a lot of really cool episodes to come. The final two episodes of the year will make a special announcement. It’s gonna be exciting. You’ll get a hint when you see who the guest is…We’re gonna have a special two episodes come out right after the first of the year. I’m about to go record the interview. The person I’m interviewing never says yes to podcasts – and he said yes to ours! So, I can’t wait to tell you who it is. I can’t announce it yet. There’s a scoop coming! It’s going to be amazing!

JWK: Maybe we can circle back on that.

AE: Yeah, I’d love that.

JWK: So, what’s next for you after this film?

AE: We’ve got a movie coming out with Zachary Levi after the first of the year that Jon Gunn directed called The Unbreakable Boy. It’s a true story, a beautiful father-son story about a son with special needs. It’s a movie that we completed a little while back but it’s now finally getting its day in the sun – and deservedly so. It’s a great story. So, that will be out in February.

Then…I’ve taken several years off from directing and focused on producing with Kevin Downes, my producing partner, just really building up Kingdom and telling other stories – but I’m about to get back in the director’s chair. So, I’m co-directing a movie with Brent Mccorkle from Jesus Revolution. We go into production after the first of the year. I can’t announce what it is yet but…I get to kinda go back to a story that I love.  So, stay tuned.

JWK: Finally, how are you spending Christmas this year?

AE: This year is going to be exciting. My daughter just turned 13. My son is 16. So, I’ve got two teenagers. My youngest, Penny, is eight. We love it in Nashville! There’s nothing more magic than a Nashville Christmas. So, we’ll be spending time on our property here and enjoying the Nashville scenery.
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A timeless – and timely – hero. After bursting onto the Hollywood scene as a producer of the 2003 Christmas comedy classic Elf, Todd Komarnicki has gone on to prove himself to be one of the industry’s most versatile talents. Among his most acclaimed works is his script for the acclaimed Clint Eastwood-directed 2026 biopic Sully (adapted from the book by the late Jeffrey Zaslow).

Now, as both the writer and director of Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin, he is again in real-life hero territory. This time his subject is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who stood against the anti-Semitism of Nazi-era Germany, even to the point of joining in a conspiracy to kill Adolf Hitler. I recently spoke with Komarnicki about how Bonhoeffer’s message is as relevant today as it was when we was alive, as well as the provocative current-day issues raised by the film – including the slippery slope created by comparing one’s political opponents to the leader of the Holocaust. You can watch the trailer for the film below and read our conversation at Religion & Liberty Online here.

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.