Origin Entertainment

Harvey Keitel-Starring Religious Drama ‘Fatima’ Lands at Picturehouse

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 18:58:00 GMT

Marco Pontecorvo’s period drama about Our Lady of Fatima also stars Sonia Braga and Stephanie Gil.

Picturehouse has nabbed the North American rights to Fatima , Marco Pontecorvo’s religious drama about Our Lady of Fatima that stars Harvey Keitel, Stephanie Gil and Sonia Braga.

The feature is set to open theatrically on April 24, 2020, just after Good Friday and the Easter holidays next year. The story behind Fatima centers on three Portuguese children at the apex of World War I who witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary who told them three secrets.

Doubting family members and aggressive government officials tried to silence them from sharing these messages that would change the world, but the Roman Catholic Church validated the children’s visions establishing Fatima as a pilgrimage site. Lucia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida and Goran Visnjic also star in Fatima.

The distribution deal was unveiled by Bob Berney and Jeanne R. Berney, co-heads of Picturehouse, and James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.

“Marco Pontecorvo has created a beautiful and inspirational film telling the emotional story of three young children whose visions captured a nation at a time when World War I was ravaging Europe,” said Bob Berney and Jeanne R. Berney in a statement.

Bob Berney — earlier when at Newmarket Films — released and oversaw the marketing strategy for the box office success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

Fatima is produced by Volk, Dick Lyles, Stefano Buono, Maribel Lopera Sierra, Rose Ganguzza, Pontecorvo and Natasha Howes.

The film is Pontecorvo’s second feature after Pa-ra-da , and his cinematography credits include work on HBO’s Game of Thrones and Rome and John Turturro’s feature Fading Gigolo .

Bob & Jeanne Berney Reopen Picturehouse With North American Rights Deal For ‘Fatima’

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 18:06:00 GMT

In his first major move since exiting Amazon Studios, distribution executive Bob Berney has teamed with wife Jeanne Berney to reopen Picturehouse, the label he once headed. They have acquired North American distribution rights to Fatima, a feature film starring Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Lúcia Moniz (Love, Actually), Joaquim de Almeida (Queen of the South) and Goran Visnjic (Beginners) with Sonia Braga (Aquarius) and Harvey Keitel (The Irishman).

Picturehouse was formed in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line, with Bob Berney at its head.

The Time Warner subsidiaries acquired the theatrical distribution operation of Newmarket Films, which under Berney’s leadership had released such films as the record-breaking The Passion of the Christ; Monster , for which Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Academy Award and the surprise hit Whale Rider . Picturehouse acquired and released Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth , which won three Oscars, Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose , winner of two Oscars including Marion Cotillard); Sergei Bodrov’s Mongol ; Patricia Rozema’s Kit Kittredge: An American Girl; Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion ; and Seth Gordon’s documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters . The company relaunched as an independent theatrical distributor under Bob Berney and Jeanne Berney’s ownership in January 2013, with the release of Metallica Through The Never .

Fatima is a powerful and uplifting drama about the power of faith. It tells the story of a 10-year-old
shepherd and her two young cousins in Fátima, Portugal, who report seeing visions of the Virgin
Mary. Their revelations inspire believers but anger officials of both the Church and the secular
government, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens
of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle. What they
experience will change their lives forever. Fatima will open in theaters nationwide on April 24, 2020.

Directed by Marco Pontecorvo and written by Pontecorvo & Valerio D’Annunzio and Barbara Nicolosi, Fatima is produced by James T. Volk, Dick Lyles, Stefano Buono, Maribel Lopera Sierra, Rose Ganguzza, Marco Pontecorvo and Natasha Howes. The film features the original song Gratia Plena (Full of Grace) performed by Andrea Bocelli and composed by renowned Italian composer Paolo Buonvino. Fatima is the second feature directed by Pontecorvo following the award-winning drama Pa-ra- da . His numerous credits as a cinematographer include HBO’s Game of Thrones and Rome, and John Turturro’s feature Fading Gigolo .

Said Volk: “It is amazing to realize that in 1917, before television, the internet or any reliable mass communication, 70,000 people gathered at this remote site to witness an anticipated miracle,” said Volk. “It’s truly a remarkable story, based on real events, and we are excited to partner with Picturehouse in the release of this film.”

“Fatima is not a film about religion,” added Ganguzza. “It is a film about the power of faith in times of conflict and turmoil.”

Nash Grier, Nia Sioux, D’Ambrosio Twins, Nina Kiri Star In ‘I AM MORTAL'

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 07:31:00 GMT

Social media star, Dance Moms original, twins Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio ( Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn ), and ( The Handmaid’s Tale ) have all been tapped as leads in, a sci-fi adventure feature written and directed by ( Safelight , Sugar ).

Co-produced by Origin Entertainment and Hacienda Film Co., the film is set in the distant future, in an age where humans have enjoyed centuries of peace, prosperity, and immortality due to a genetic modification called ‘The Code. In this utopian society, a small band of rebels — Suria (Bianca D’Ambrosio), Siona (Chiara D’Ambrosio), Medorin (Kiri), Sonitas (Sioux), and Gergot (Grier) — dares to question whether they want to live forever, launching a revolution of unparalleled proportions.

Filming is currently underway.

Grier is repped by UTA and Legacy Talent and Entertainment; Sioux by UTA and Monogram Management Group; D’Ambrosio twins by Snow Entertainment and The Savage Agency; Kiri by Gersh and Inphenate.

Miracle of Fatima drama underway with Harvey Keitel, Sonia Braga

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 16:39:00 GMT

Goran Visnjic Joins Harvey Keitel in ‘Fatima'

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 16:35:00 GMT

The story centers on three Portuguese children at the apex of World War I who witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary, who told them three secrets. Doubting family members and aggressive government officials tried to silence them from sharing these messages that would change the world, but the Roman Catholic Church validated the children’s visions establishing Fatima as a pilgrimage site.

Marco Pontecorvo is set to direct Fatima and will produce along with Rose Ganguzza, Natasha Howes, Richard I. Lyles and James T. Volk and Origin Entertainment. The movie, which also stars Sonia Braga and Joaquin De Almeida, is shooting on location in Lisbon, Portugal.

Visnjic is repped by WME, Management 360 and Jackoway Tyerman.

A Cannes Marco Pontecorvo presenta “Fatima”: un film per tutti

Sat, 14 May 2016 17:13:00 GMT

Roma, (askanews) – E’ stata annunciata ufficialmente a Cannes, nel 99esimo anniversario della prima apparizione di Fatima, la produzione in Italia del film “Fatima”, una coproduzione internazionale per la regia di Marco Pontecorvo e la sceneggiatura dell’americana Barbara Nicolosi, che vede la collaborazione di Cinecittà Studios.

Un film dedicato alla storia degli eventi soprannaturali accaduti nella cittadina portoghese, che culminarono con quello che è conosciuto come “il miracolo del sole”, testimoniato da 70mila persone il 13 ottobre 1917.

Marco Pontecorvo ha anticipato che lavorerà al film con un approccio universale: “L’idea è proprio quella di non rivolgersi solo al mondo dei credenti perché è una vicenda importante a prescindere ed è giusto che si rivolga a tutti e porti un messaggio positivo, di pace dentro, che anche chi non è credente può cogliere”.

Il progetto è americano: “E’ un film internazionale con un cast internazionale, i primi tentativi di approccio e dialogo per vedere se c’è interesse sono tutti su personaggi, alcuni anche molto grossi”.

Le riprese dovrebbero iniziare a settembre e una gran parte si svolgerà a Cinecittà:

Giuseppe Basso, amministratore delegato di Cinecittà Studios.

“Ci stiamo preparando, abbiamo riservato due teatri di posa, stiamo leggendo bene le sceneggiature per cercare di interpretare insieme al regista al meglio le loro esigenze, noi ci siamo sempre e dimostra che siamo a presidio del mercato”.

Cannes: Prominent U.S. Indie Producers Team on Miracle of Fatima Film

Sat, 14 May 2016 16:50:00 GMT

ROME — The miracle of Our Lady of is set to get a new high-profile cinematic treatment.

In the latest of a growing crop of major faith-based films, several prominent U.S. indie players, including Origin Entertainment (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) and Rose Ganguzza’s Rose Pictures (“Kill Your Darlings”), have teamed up on “Fatima,” to be directed by Italy’s and shot at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios.

“Fatima” will mark the most ambitious attempt to reconstruct the solemn supernatural events surrounding the supposed apparition of Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, since Warner Bros.’ classic “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima” in 1952.

On May 13, 2017, the Catholic Church will celebrate the 100th anniversary of what became known as “the miracle of the sun,” said to have been witnessed by thousands of people. Pope Francis has stated he will visit Portugal for the occasion.

The new “Fatima” film appears to be supported by the Vatican. Father Vitor Coutinho, who is Vice-Rector of the Shrine of Fatima, called it “a praiseworthy initiative that can become a great instrument to spread the word of Fatima,” in a statement.

The screenplay is by U.S. scribe and author Barbara Nicolosi, founder of Act One, a Christian organization for training aspiring Christian scriptwriters and producers working in Hollywood.

Casting is still being decided.

Founded and headed by James T. Volk, Origin Entertainment specializes in faith-based pics, including upcoming authorized Mother Teresa biopic “Thirst” being co-produced with Flame Ventures. Frida Torresblanco, who ran Alfonso Cuaron’s Esperanto production outfit, more recently produced “The Maid” (“La Nana”) through her Braven Films shingle.

New York-based Rose Ganguzza is known in indie circles for shepherding works by first-time filmmakers, including Antonio Campos (“Afterschool”) and JC Chandor (“Margin Call”).

In an original marketing move tailored to the film’s core audience, the producers will be launching “Fatima” in Cannes with a mass to be held on May 13 in the town’s Notre Dame de Bon Voyage cathedral, which is very near the Palais des Festivals. The mass, followed by a cocktail party at the Italian Pavillion in the Majestic Hotel, will kick off a global year-long Pray for Peace campaign leading up to the 100th anniversary.

Marco Pontecorvo, who is the son of late-great Italian auteur Gillo Pontecorvo (“The Battle of Algiers”), has several features under his belt, including “Patch Adams”-like “Pa-Ra-Da,” which screened in Venice, and some TV skeins, most recently immigrant crisis-themed mini-series “Lampedusa” for Italo pubcaster Rai.

Pontecorvo was brought on board by the Agency for the Performance Arts’ Anthony Marotto who “forged numerous alliances that are crucial for the project,” Ganguzza said in the statement. In packaging the project Marotto, who is a rising star at APA, also brought in prominent Italian line producer Marco Valerio Pugini (“Zoolander 2”), who often works with Pontecorvo.

British executive producer Natasha Howes praised Pontecorvo as “having the right visual style and approach” for the story.

Investors from several countries are putting up the financing. The budget has not been disclosed. The plan is to start shooting this summer.

“We are very happy to be hosting ‘Fatima’ at Cinecittà,” enthused the studio’s topper Giuseppe Basso. He added that Cinecittà, which is known for its top notch craftsmen, will be creating great sets in its theaters and backlots for the pic.

Thanks to recently introduced Italian tax incentives, which are proving effective in luring back international productions, Cinecittà recently hosted the entire shoot of Paramount and MGM’s “Ben Hur” remake, another film targeting the faith-based crowd.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Robin Williams and Genius

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 01:55:00 GMT

Rarely does an entertainer’s death have such a broad impact as did Robin William’s. People of all ages were both surprised and deeply touched by his passing. No one denies his comedic genius or his incredible acting talent. His talents were extraordinary.
But along those same lines, not many people truly appreciate what it took on his part to achieve such high levels of both creative, comedic genius and the ability to project that genius in a way that would touch people in very special ways.

Reading and listening to people talk about the genius and talents of Robin Williams reminded of a quote from Albert Einstein I heard as a teenager and never forgot. In his later years many people approached Einstein in an effort to determine the sources of his genius. One friend, a physician by the name of Hans Musan, one time asked Einstein to trace his family tree in order to determine the source of his intellectual talent.

Einstein replied: “As far as my forebears and ancestors go, no one alive knows much about them and if they had any special talents they were hidden from me. Moreover, I know quite certainly that I, myself, have no special gifts. Curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance have brought me my ideas.”

The part about curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance is the part that played in my mind every time I heard people recount stories of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters spending endless hours working to perfect their comedy together. If anyone characterized dogged endurance in the context of refining his gifts, it was Robin Williams. People who saw Williams stand up and improvise for two hours at a stretch often wrongly concluded he was born with this ability to improvise, when in fact, it was a gift developed through hours of practice.

We can all benefit from being incessantly curious, obsessed with defining and achieving excellence in our craft, and never failing to endure doggedly in an effort to breathe life into the fullness of the gift potential God has given each of us. We’re all born with potential to do different things, but it is up to us to follow the examples of Robin Williams and Albert Einstein to develop that potential to its fullest.

Mother Teresa Film in the Works

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:21:00 GMT

Mother Teresa’s life story is headed for the big-screen treatment.

Keir Pearson, who received an Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, is set to write the screenplay for I Thirst, the first authorised biopic of the late religious sister.

“Keir’s presentation and his Oscar-nominated script of Hotel Rwanda and his sensitive script for Chavez made him the perfect choice,” producer Tony Krantz said.

“I Thirst is the first and only authorised film about the life of Mother Teresa on the big screen. We couldn’t be more excited for this movie about a woman who stood for total commitment, faith, charity and love.”

He added: “This is not going to be a movie about Catholicism. It’s going to focus on her deeds.”

The film, which will be in collaboration with the Mother Teresa Centre, will focus on Mother Teresa’s work in Calcutta during the 50s when she founded the Missionaries of Charity after hearing a call from the Lord to begin ministering to the poorest of India’s poor.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and by the time of her death at the age of 87 in 1997, the order had grown to more than 4,000 sisters running orphanages, hospices and charity centres.

Tony will complete his research trip with Keir in the Indian city of Kolkata Tijuana in Mexico during the coming month, with Keir expected to start writing the script at the end of February.

Producer Jamey Volk said: “We’re eager to get this story to the global audience. Our goal is to go into principal photography by the end of 2014 with a broad global release during spring or summer of 2015.”

A director and cast will be announced later.

’24’ Exec Producer Tackling Mother Teresa Biopic

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 01:57:00 GMT

Tony Krantz , the former head of Imagine Entertainment’s television division and executive producer on shows such as 24 , has teamed up with Origin Entertainment and the Mother Teresa Center to bring the story of Mother Teresa to the big screen with a biopic titled I Thirst.

Keir Pearson , the Oscar-nominated scribe who co-wrote Hotel Rwanda , has been tapped to pen the script telling the story of the Albanian-born Catholic sister whose work with the poor in India made her a worldwide icon.

Krantz, whose credits also include NBC’s Dracula, Felicity and Sports Night , will produce the project via his Flame Ventures banner along with Origin’s Jamey Volk . Also involved are the legal trustees of Teresa’s estate, giving this biopic an official stamp of approval as well as access to rarely seen archives.

The producers say Pearson will conduct research in Kolkata, India, and Tijuana, Mexico, and begin writing by the end of February.

Volk said he hopes to begin shooting the movie by the end of 2014 with an eye toward a release in spring or summer 2015.

Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, helping lepers, orphans and the sick in the early 1950s. In 1965 she opened its first international branch in Venezuela, and her organization spread to dozens of countries by the end of the 1970s. She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and brokered a temporary cease fire in Beirut so she could evacuate 37 children from a frontline hospital but engendered criticism from certain quarters for the poor health conditions in the hospices and hospitals she set up.

The film originated when Krantz was working with attorney Corey Field of Ballard Spahr on an unrelated project. When that fell apart, Field, who liked how Krantz handled himself, revealed that he also repped Teresa’s estate and the Missionaries of Charity. Would he be interested in telling Teresa’s story?

The estate and the charity had seen Hollywood come their way before, but “they never had creative participation,” Krantz tells The Hollywood Reporter . The producer believed that any project should be done in “lockstep with the Missionaries of Charity. They should not just be a part of it but also be one of the authors.”

The parties made a deal so the estate has creative and business approval, even veto power. Krantz does not believe this will dilute or whitewash the telling of Teresa’s story.

The narrative, he says, is not a cradle to grave biopic but one that will focus on Teresa’s arrival in Calcutta in the 1950s, her starting out on her lifelong journey, and the existential and spiritual doubt that would plague her for years.

“That aspect is fundamental to our story,” says Krantz. “The Missionaries of Charity and the people who are in charge of her legacy have been interested in telling her real story and putting her out there as a real human being — a real woman who had a sense of humor, who was tough, was smart, and who was up against major odds.”

Reece Pearson , Flame’s head of production and development, and Origin’s CEO Dick Lyles will executive produce. The Mother Teresa Center will serve as technical consultants.

Despite heavy TV credits, Krantz has worked in film. He directed The Big Bang , which starred Antonio Banderas , and was a producer on David Lynch ‘s Mulholland Dr. He is also prepping a sci-fil thriller he wrote and will direct titled Six .

Origin, which finances and packages projects that tell inspiring stories, is executive producing Mary , the story of how Christ’s mother and little Jesus escaped King Herod.

Pearson is repped by MetaMorphic Entertainment and Del, Shaw. Teresa’s estate is repped by Ballard Spahr.

Hotel Rwanda Screenwriter Keir Pearson to Pen Mother Teresa Movie I Thirst

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 16:40:00 GMT

‘Hotel Rwanda’ Scribe Keir Pearson Tapped To Pen Mother Teresa Biopic

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:33:00 GMT

The plan is for Pearson to complete a research trip in India and Mexico and begin writing by the end of next month. Producer Jamey Volk said the goal is to begin production by the end of 2014 and release the pic during 2015. The Mother Teresa Center, the legal trustees of her estate, will serve as technical consultants. Flame Ventures’ Reece Pearson will executive produce with Origin’s Dick Lyles.

Krantz’s Flame Ventures has several film and TV projects in the pipeline including Cold Dead Hands , the family drama series in development at Sundance Channel set against the backdrop of the NRA.

Mother Teresa Movie in the Works with ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Writer

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 17:20:00 GMT

The life of Mother Teresa may be headed for the big screen with independent producers Tony Krantz and Jamey Volk working with The Mother Teresa Center to develop an authorized “I Thirst” project.

The story will focus on Mother Teresa’s work in Calcutta during the 1950s when she founded the Missionaries of Charity after hearing a call from the Lord to begin ministering to the poorest of India’s poor. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and by the time of her death in 1997, the order had grown to more than 4,000 sisters running orphanages, hospices and charity centers.

“Keir’s presentation and his Oscar nominated script of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ and his sensitive script for ‘Chavez’ (the story of Cesar Chavez to be released this year) made him the perfect choice,” Krantz said. “’I Thirst’ is the first and only authorized film about the life of Mother Teresa on the big screen. We couldn’t be more excited for this movie about a woman who stood for total commitment, faith, charity and love.”

Krantz told Variety that he and Pearson will go to India to complete research during the next month and Pearson will begin writing by the end of February. He’s hoping that the project will attract a top-line director and actress and that shooting can take place in Calcutta later this year.

“We’re eager to get this story to the global audience,” Volk said. “Our goal is to go into principal photography by the end of 2014 with a broad global release during spring or summer of 2015.”

Krantz told Variety that he began working on “I Thirst” following an attempt to develop a Buck Rogers project through those rights holders, who were repped by Corey Field of Ballard Spahr LLP. After those efforts fell through, Field told Krantz that he also represented the Mother Teresa Center, the exclusive licensee throughout the world of all intellectual property rights of the estate of Mother Teresa (owned by the Missionaries of Charity Sisters).

Krantz met with the center’s respresentatives, who told him that issues of creative control had stopped two previous efforts to produce an authorized Mother Theresa movie.

“I told them that they would have final approval and we had an agreement in about 15 minutes,” Krantz said.

He also said “I Thirst” will include personal episodes in Mother Teresa’s life such as her crisis of doubt.

“This is not going to be a movie about Catholicism,” Krantz said. “It’s going to focus on her deeds.”

Reece Pearson of Flame Ventures and Dick Lyles of Origin Entertainment will serve as exec producers and The Mother Teresa Center will serve as technical consultants.

Krantz has executive produced such series as “24,” “Sports Night” and “Felicity” and has directed three feature films, including “The Big Bang.” Krantz also produced “Mulholland Drive” and is in pre-production on a sci-fi thriller “Six,” which Krantz will direct and produce next year.

Origin is also exec producing a pair of upcoming features — “Mary” and “A Guy Called Michael Egan.”

Hollywood’s New Bible Stories

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:24:00 GMT

When it sets sail in the coming film “Noah,” a massive 148-foot wooden ark will carry not only a slew of zoo animals, but one of Hollywood’s biggest wagers in years.

“Noah,” a $125 million epic from Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Darren Aronofsky, is one of a boatload of religious films in the works from major movie studios.

There are compelling economic reasons for Hollywood to embrace the Good Book. The studios are increasingly reliant on source material with a built-in audience, something the Bible—the best-selling book in history—certainly has. And like the comic-book superheroes that movie companies have relied on for the past decade, biblical stories are easily recognizable to both domestic and the all-important foreign audiences. What’s more, they’re free: Studios don’t need to pay expensive licensing fees to adapt stories and characters already in the public domain.

With floods, plagues, burning bushes and parting seas, Bible movies make great vehicles for big-budget special effects, a key selling point for a wide swath of audience members. Paramount is hoping “Noah” will connect with religious Americans who “may not necessarily go to more than one or two movies a year,” said Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore.

In addition to “Noah,” Time Warner’s Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a movie about Moses, tentatively titled “Gods and Kings,” which Steven Spielberg is in talks to direct, according to people familiar with the matter. Warner Bros. also recently acquired the script for “Pontius Pilate.” Another Moses project, “Exodus,” is in development at News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox, with Chernin Entertainment producing and Ridley Scott expected to direct. (News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal.)

Sony Pictures is developing “The Redemption of Cain,” a supernatural film loosely inspired by the fratricidal tale of Cain and Abel, a project slated to be Will Smith’s directorial debut. And Lionsgate will distribute “Mary, Mother of Christ,” which is being billed as a prequel to “The Passion of the Christ.”

Not since the 1950s has Hollywood been so smitten with scripture. After World War II, Hollywood relied on religious epics as vehicles for its biggest stars, particularly Charlton Heston, who carried both 1956’s “The Ten Commandments,” about Moses’ exodus from Egypt, as well as 1959’s “Ben-Hur,” about a Jewish prince sent into slavery and rescued by Jesus, only to witness Jesus’ crucifixion. Cecil B. DeMille’s biblical epic “Samson and Delilah,” released in 1949, was another hit.

By the 1960s, however, several epic-style biblical movies flopped, including 1965’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” which cost $20 million, a substantial sum at the time, and took in only $1.2 million. As a result, pricey religious movies and musicals were blamed for the movie industry’s financial troubles during those years, said Drew Casper, a film historian and professor at the University of Southern California. “These were genres to be avoided from this point on,” Mr. Casper said.

The postwar secularization of American culture that gained momentum in the 1960s and ’70s caused biblical films to fall further out of favor, Mr. Casper said.

The last overtly biblical film to capture mainstream audiences was “The Passion of the Christ,” Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which took in $611.9 million world-wide. But few solidly biblical tales have found major commercial success in recent years. DreamWorks Animation SKG’s highly touted 1998 animated film “The Prince of Egypt” took in $218.6 million world-wide, below expectations.

For the studios, the commercial benefits of reviving biblical movies could be substantial. For one, the comic-book heroes Hollywood has banked on for the past 10 years require studios to pay licensing fees with publishers, authors and heirs who own copyright to the characters. Walt Disney’s Marvel Entertainment, for instance, licenses its Spider-Man property to Sony and its X-Men to Fox. Marvel receives a percentage of the film’s gross, estimated by analysts to be as high as 5%. Licensing also opens the door to legal skirmishes, such as Warner Bros.’ protracted copyright battle over the rights to the Superman franchise.

The bible also provides plenty of dramatic storylines and characters. “If you’re doing big, epic effects films, you’re going to run out of flying superheroes. These are superheroes of the ancient time,” said Bob Berney, who oversaw the marketing of “The Passion of the Christ” when he was president of Newmarket Films.

Still, biblical material presents plenty of challenges. Not only have the stories been subjected to centuries of interpretation and scholarly research, but each individual filmmaker, studio executive and moviegoer approaches the content with his or her own perspective, and religion is an area where there is typically little consensus.

The potential downside is significant, said Jonathan Bock, president of Grace Hill Media, a marketing firm that has helped several Hollywood studios target religious audiences. “You do it wrong, and not only are you not going to get your wider audience, but you’re not going to get your core,” he said.

Controversy embroiled “The Last Temptation of Christ,” Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film about the life of Jesus Christ and the temptations he faced. The film—including a scene where Jesus imagines himself having sex with Mary Magdalene—drew outrage from numerous Christian fundamentalist groups, which staged boycotts and protests of the movie and Universal Studios. The film, which was banned in several countries for years, was a flop, taking in just $8.4 million.

Several industry executives say that today’s audiences may be open to the inspirational lessons of the Bible at a time when much of the world is facing economic turmoil and the Middle East is racked by political instability.

Director Paul Verhoeven, whose credits include “Black Book,” “Showgirls,” and “Basic Instinct,” said he was motivated to develop “Jesus of Nazareth,” a feature film based on a book he co-wrote, because he believes modern culture can benefit from Jesus’ story.

“I strongly feel that what I call the new ethics of Jesus—love your enemy—should be applied in our human thinking and are not very often done so,” said Mr. Verhoeven.

Mr. Verhoeven’s movie is being financed by the production company of Chris Hanley, whose films have included “American Psycho” and “The Virgin Suicides.”

Some filmmakers have recently discovered yet another motivation: counteracting the waves of violence rippling across the Middle East as a result of an anti-Islamic film clip posted to Google’s YouTube.

“That movie did such destruction, and when I see something like this happen, I do hope that maybe we can help in some small way,” said Mary Aloe, a producer of “Mary, Mother of Christ.”

Paramount has designed the production schedule of “Noah” to accommodate extra time for script consultation with biblical scholars and, in the postproduction phase, for test screenings for religious groups. As a result the film isn’t scheduled for release until March 2014.

Written by Mr. Aronofsky (who directed “Black Swan”), his longtime collaborator Ari Handel and John Logan (who co-wrote “Gladiator”), the movie is filming in the U.S. and Iceland now.

Because the book of Genesis, which is the basis for the film, provides only a rough sketch of the “Noah” story line, Mr. Aronofsky and his team will have to flesh out the narrative with their own interpretations. And that’s where things can get tricky.

“There’s creative interpretation that goes into things that aren’t directly addressed in the underlying material, and so you always run the risk that people take exception to those stories,” Mr. Moore said.

Once that process is complete, the challenge shifts to getting both mainstream moviegoers and religious audiences into theater seats, a process that relies both on specialized marketing to those eager for a faith-based film as well as marketing that appeals to those searching for a “popcorn” movie.

The marketing team on “The Passion of the Christ” successfully threaded that needle, despite the significant challenges presented by its subtitles and R rating. “Our job was to make it more ‘Braveheart,’ ” said Mr. Berney. “Really to make it a big, epic action movie in the genre.”

His team emphasized the music and action in the film’s promotional campaign, and by selling it as a “Mel Gibson movie.”

For “Noah,” Paramount plans to employ a dual-pronged marketing strategy.

“To the frequent moviegoer, we’ll be selling it as an action-adventure movie with spectacular visual effects and with great filmmakers and an amazing cast,” Mr. Moore said. The studio will also be “directly appealing to groups who we hope will come to it as a way to talk about and think about a story of faith, either with their family or even potentially reaching out to youth groups.”

Ultimately, said Mr. Bock at Grace Hill, “you have two cultures that are rediscovering each other. Hollywood has the best storytellers. And religion has the best stories.”

Write to Erica Orden at erica.orden@wsj.com

Ben Kingsley Circling ‘Mary Mother Of Christ’ With Julia Ormond, But Didn’t Peter O’Toole Retire?

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 04:12:00 GMT

Centered around Mary’s ardent efforts to save her son by defying King Herod, the film has reportedly interested Sir Ben Kingsley for the lead royal role. Kingsley already has quite the high-profile slate lined up, with Gavin Hood ‘s “ Ender’s Game ” and “ Iron Man 3 ” all being released next year, but more peculiar in this case is his apparent co-star in the prequel, one Peter O’Toole . The legendary actor recently announced his retirement from a 50-year acting career in July, but apparently for Grierson’s project, he’ll be reporting for duty as Symeon nonetheless. Whether that casting proves accurate remains to be seen, but it’s a definite selling point for a film already ripe with many.

The rest of the cast is rumored to include Odeya Rush as Mary, Julia Ormond , Dame Judi Dench as Anna the Prophetess, and Hugh Bonneville as Satan if producers get who they want. The reason for the prequel tag comes in the form of writer Benedict Fitzgerald , who co-wrote the ‘Passion’ script with Gibson and now is teaming with Barbara Nicolosi for ‘Mary.’

Whether the project mirrors the success of ‘Passion’ remains to be seen, but if the filmmakers can actually pull this cast together, it definitely has a chance of doing so. [ The Wrap ]

Ben Kingsley Circling ‘Mary Mother of Christ’ (Exclusive)

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:07:00 GMT

Ben Kingsley is circling the project “Mary Mother of Christ,” which has been dubbed as a prequel to Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.

Kingsley would play the role of King Herod in this film, to be directed by Alister Grierson. The story revolves around Mary’s attempts to defy King Herod in order to save her son, Jesus.

The script was written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Barbara Nicolosi. Fitzgerald co-wrote “The Passion of the Christ” with Mel Gibson.

Odeya Rush has been cast as Mary, with Peter O’Toole due to play Symeon and Julia Ormond in the role of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin.

Also read: Cannes: Alister Grierson to Direct Biblical ‘Prequel’ ‘Mary Mother of Christ’

In what is turning out to be an all-English nativity play, the producers were also said to be interested in Judi Dench for the role of Anna the Prophetess and in Hugh Bonneville for the role of Satan.

Lionsgate is distributing the film in North America. Texas pastor Joel Osteen is executive producing, and Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and Shawn Williamson of Bright Light Pictures are producing. Motive Entertainment will also play a role in selling the film.