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More Jesus Movies on the Way
Aleteia ^ | April 27, 2015 | TOM HOOPES

Posted on 04/27/2015 11:49:59 AM PDT by NYer

Never believe rumors of Jesus’ death. He is alive and well — and coming soon to a theater near you.

Sean Bean is one a-list actor listed for a movie about Jesus’ boyhood that will hit theaters in 2016.

Hugh Jackman will star as St. Paul in another reported movie due out next year.

Pope Francis recently blessed the actor playing Jesus in a new version of Ben Hur.

Thus, in 2016, Hollywood will feature at least three movies that more or less affirm the basic Christian understanding of Jesus Christ.

Ironically, these three movies will come 10 years after The Da Vinci Code hit theaters, a Tom Hanks vehicle based on Dan Brown’s take-down of the basic Christian understanding of Jesus.

I remember the worry so many Christians had in the wake of The Da Vinci Code. Many expected widespread misunderstandings of Jesus to take root. That didn’t happen. Five years after the book and movie phenomenon, when I started to teach my Christianity and Mass Media class at Benedictine College, I found that my students had barely heard of it, had never heard its premise, and had not in the least been influenced by either the book or the movie.

Now, media versions of the real Jesus have totally eclipsed the phony Jesus of Dan Brown.

Consider the Christ-centered projects that have been attracting millions of viewers this year:

National Geographic produced a documentary called Killing Jesus based on the book by Bill O’Reilly. The documentary attracted a record 3.7 million viewers for the National Geographic Channel and handily beat the two previous O’Reilly projects the network did: Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln.

CNN this March presented Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery, a six-part examination of relics tied to Jesus. Kate O’Hare reports that the show at least makes a pass at being fair, and includes interviews with  Tim Gray of the Augustine Institute in Denver, Jesuit Father James Martin, S.J., and Notre Dame University’s Candida Moss.

The least hyped Jesus presentation this year was the art film Last Days in the Desert which stars Ewan McGregor as both Jesus and Satan. It debuted at Sundance in January, received mostly positive reviews that deemed its take on Jesus fairly traditional and non-contentious, and hasn’t been heard from since.

The most hyped Jesus show was probably the NBC hit miniseries A.D.: The Bible Continues that started at Easter.  Jesus in the series is played by Juan Pablo Di Pace — who says his parents named him after Pope John Paul II. In an interview with NBC News he guessed at why Biblical movies have been so popular. “After 2012 there's been a shift in humanity, society and economics,” he said. “We're witnessing a transition, everything is changing really fast — with that comes a wanting to see and believe, and faith and spirituality come into play.”

We will see next year what that new interest brings.

Christ the Lord, based on Anne Rice’s book about Jesus' childhood, will be released by Focus Features the week before Easter 2016.  The Internet Movie Database lists Sean Bean as “Severus” but few details are available yet.

Ben Hur is an MGM/Parmount production, and is expected in February 2016. The studio says it is not a remake of the Charlton Heston iconic role, but that “the film returns to the heart of Lew Wallace’s epic novel focusing on the nature of faith.” Wallace’s 1880 novel was titled Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The cast includes Morgan Freeman, Jack Huston and Ayelet Zurer.

Fewer details are available about Apostle Paul, a project reportedly produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and starring Hugh Jackman as the last apostle to meet Jesus — after the Resurrection, on the road to Damascus.

Add to all these the 2014’s Son of God and you get eight high-profile Jesus productions in three years.

Of course it isn’t just Jesus attracting interest, but Scripture, too. Darren Aronofsky’s overrated 2014 hit Noah and Ridley Scott’s underrated Moses: Gods and Kings from 2014 both made tidy profits. And more Biblical projects are rumored, focusing on Cain and Abel and Pontius Pilate.

The phenomenon makes one thing crystal clear: The much vaunted rise of atheism and decline of religion is not a done deal. Jesus Christ remains the figure who cleaved time in two, whether you say “Anno Domino” or “Common Era.”
Even after he is denigrated, dismissed and pushed to the margins by media’s gatekeepers, the crowds demand to see him.

Jesus still stands in the center of culture, demanding to be noticed  — exactly as you would expect of the Word of God made flesh.


TOPICS: Current Events; Religion & Culture; Skeptics/Seekers
KEYWORDS: biblemovies; hollywood; jesus; movies
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1 posted on 04/27/2015 11:50:00 AM PDT by NYer
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To: Tax-chick; GregB; SumProVita; narses; bboop; SevenofNine; Ronaldus Magnus; tiki; Salvation; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 04/27/2015 11:50:19 AM PDT by NYer ("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
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To: NYer

Hollyweird should be banned from making these


3 posted on 04/27/2015 11:51:34 AM PDT by GeronL (Clearly Cruz 2016)
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To: NYer

I’ve been watching the series “A.D.” And have been enjoying it very much. It seems to really capture the story of the gospels and Acts, and fairly honestly from what I’ve seen so far.

Anybody else have some comment or critique?


4 posted on 04/27/2015 11:56:32 AM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us one chance in three. More tea anyone?)
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To: GeronL

Some of these movies are worth seeing and are not even (that) blasphemous. I know.


5 posted on 04/27/2015 11:56:34 AM PDT by lee martell (The sa)
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To: NYer

Two thumbs up!


6 posted on 04/27/2015 11:59:31 AM PDT by Calpublican (No Comprendo)
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To: GeronL

why? AD was done well. Heard The Moses movie wasn’t awful.
If made in good taste, why not?
I know they are after our money, im not a fool. But if well made and faithful to Christianity, I’m for it.
Noah was an abomination, the Opposite of what the bible taught. It was an environmentalist movie an Crowe made fun of Christians.
Ben Hur without Chariot Race? don’t know if it will be in there or not.

Apostle Paul, a project reportedly produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and starring Hugh Jackman as the last apostle to meet... //

that’s the one that bugs me out.


7 posted on 04/27/2015 12:00:06 PM PDT by dp0622 (Franky Five Angels: "Look, let's get 'em all -- let's get 'em all now, while we got the muscle.")
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To: Ramius

I caught part of it and thought it was well done. I saw Roma and her husband on with David Jeremiah yesterday as well.


8 posted on 04/27/2015 12:03:16 PM PDT by JudyinCanada
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To: NYer

If any of these flicks have the Biblical authenticity of Noah, AD or Killing Jesus, I’ll stay home.


9 posted on 04/27/2015 12:03:24 PM PDT by Dr. Thorne (The night is far spent, the day is at hand.- Romans 13:12)
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To: Ramius

I’ve been surprised. A.D. seems to be nicely done.


10 posted on 04/27/2015 12:04:14 PM PDT by grania
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To: Ramius

Watched two episodes and stopped. Aside from the representation of the angel at the tomb I find the whole thing kind of anti-climatic. I find the dialog cheesy and their idea of somethings, like rebels throwing Molotov type cocktails, is a bit over the top.


11 posted on 04/27/2015 12:06:29 PM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Dr. Thorne

What was inauthentic about AD?


12 posted on 04/27/2015 12:08:12 PM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us one chance in three. More tea anyone?)
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To: Resolute Conservative
... their idea of somethings, like rebels throwing Molotov type cocktails, is a bit over the top.

Those weapons, like the pottery fire bombs, had existed for hundreds of years by that time. It's not unreasonable at all. Given how easy they are to make they made a great weapon for an unsophisticated militia. Molotov didn't invent the idea.

13 posted on 04/27/2015 12:13:03 PM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us one chance in three. More tea anyone?)
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To: NYer

On a slightly different topic, I watched a bit of Wolf Hall - covering Thomas More and found it disturbing - made a hero out of Thomas Cromwell and a villain out of More. I’m sure that A Man for All Seasons exaggerated the other direction but still - the court room scene where More was shouted down brought to mind our current campus environment.


14 posted on 04/27/2015 12:17:22 PM PDT by Mercat (Release the HildeKraken)
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To: GeronL

“Christ the Lord, based on Anne Rice’s book about Jesus’ childhood, will be released by Focus Features the week before Easter 2016.”

From the School Library Review (at Amazon):

“At age seven, the boy [Jesus} and his family leave Egypt to return to their home. . . He feels like a typical seven-year-old, but he’s also suddenly discovering abilities that no one else possesses. He brings clay birds to life, makes snow fall, and even resurrects a dead playmate. Stunned by these odd happenings, he turns to Joseph and Mary for answers. When they are not forthcoming, he’s forced to hunt out clues through local legends, rumors, and a strange spirit that taunts him in his dreams.”

Yeah, right...


15 posted on 04/27/2015 12:17:46 PM PDT by CondorFlight (I)
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To: Ramius

Yeah I know that. Be it that the Jewish Revolution did not occur until 66 A.D. I do not reconcile the Jews fighting against the Roman occupiers at that level prior to that, they were a conquered sheep.


16 posted on 04/27/2015 12:21:05 PM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: CondorFlight

That just sounds crazy


17 posted on 04/27/2015 12:22:39 PM PDT by GeronL (Clearly Cruz 2016)
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To: Resolute Conservative

“I do not reconcile the Jews fighting against the Roman occupiers at that level prior to that, they were a conquered sheep.”

Well, actually, there were lots of revolts. (See Josephus’ histories.) After one, a Roman general named Varus (later famous for his defeat in Germany) slaughtered a lot of people at a town named Emmaus.

And there were several revolts in Galilee, some led by one particular family. Presumably a member of that family
later headed the fighters at Masada— Eliezor ben Yair.
Or, as we would put it, Eleazor the son of Jairus.

Whether that fellow is related to the Jairus of the NT or not is unknowable; but an interesting possibility.


18 posted on 04/27/2015 12:27:09 PM PDT by CondorFlight (I)
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To: NYer
Be very careful about giving your money to Hollywood just because they come up with a "Jesus" movie. It's like a bakery using money from a queer's cake to fund pro-family groups. Hollywood will take your bucks and use them to destroy the very religion their movie is about.

If the cast and crew of the movie are consistently Christian, then it might be worth supporting. Otherwise, be very cautious about giving money to your enemies, just because they talk the talk.

19 posted on 04/27/2015 12:31:33 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: NYer
Remaking Ben Hur is like committing suicide. You can't improve upon perfection.
20 posted on 04/27/2015 12:36:03 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Hillary and the Ghosts of Nixons Past. An American Nightmare.)
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