Interview with Lionel Chetwynd, Screenwriter

"The Resurrection" movie has a new website!

Randy LaHaye, the executive producer of Tim LaHaye Productions, informed me that there is a new website for "The Resurrection" movie with all the current information included.

Please visit www.trpmovie.com to see the latest!

Here is Randy about the new website!

Latest on "The Resurrection" Movie

Thanks go out to Camille for updating on the present state of the "Resurrection" movie.  Apparently they are in need of raising more money to complete the film.  They also have a website with more information about the movie.  I will include some of the information here from the site:

The Resurrection Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating on a DBA under the Tim LaHaye Ministries organization. We are reaching out to the Body of Christ to help us fund a $25,000,000 major motion picture based on The Resurrection of Jesus Christ that has been 5 years in the making. We have a script in-hand that we believe will unite the Global Church as well as the Jewish community by creating a movie of the highest quality for the whole world funded by the Body of Christ. We are looking for 1,000,000 Christians to sew in $25 to help make this film a reality. Please see our DONATE page to make a contribution.

Follow our journey through fundraising, pre-production, filming, post-production and theatrical release as we make history by creating the first film fully funded and afforded by the Body of Christ which can be used to bring revival to the four corners of the world.

We will be speaking all over the world in the coming months to bring awareness to this campaign as well as spread the good news of the Resurrection. Please contact us HERE  to set up an appearance.

~ Here is a link to a flyer to spread the word about the film ~

Background:

• The Resurrection film concept is a God-Inspired idea given to Dr. Tim LaHaye, after seeing and experiencing Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' movie.
• The Resurrection movie was developed at Sony Pictures. After one year of negotiations regarding content control, Sony Pictures pulled the plug.
• Through intercessory prayer and a diligent legal pursuit, Tim LaHaye Productions retained the rights to The Resurrection script.
• Randy LaHaye has spent the last 4 years pitching every major Hollywood studio, their subsidiary and sister companies, and marketplace investors in the public and private sector 'The Resurrection' film. The package is commercially viable with Academy Award winning film makers attached to the project and a conservative financial forecast that projects monetary success. Despite his passionate efforts Hollywood simply does not want to see this film made.
• On August 1, 2010, Randy LaHaye poured out his journey and his passion for the Resurrection Movie, to a small baptist church in McFarland, CA. When he was done he sarcastically asked the congregation for $25 million to produce the film. Through Divine Providence, the pastor rose from the back of the church and said to Mr. LaHaye, "You don't need one man to give you $25M, you need a million christians to sew in $25.". The congregation immediately came forward and laid more than $25 each on the altar. This moment created a paradigm shift in the heart and mind of Mr. LaHaye and gave him the inspiration to create The Resurrection Project and bring this important film to fruition through the body of Christ.

Resurrection Release Date is Changed Again!

According to most sources, the release date listed for "The Resurrection" is now February 27, 2009.

Resurrection is filming!

According to IMDb, Resurrection is now filming.

Thanks to Chip for the head's up!

"Resurrection" one of 4 upcoming movies

Resurrection to Appear on Silver Screen Again, Again, Again

Scores of movies have been made to represent the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, but a new film pitched this month will be one of the first to document the time after Jesus’ death up until the Pentecost.

Tue, Mar. 27, 2007 Posted: 10:33:07 AM EST
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Scores of movies have been made to represent the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, but a new film pitched this month will be one of the first to document the time after Jesus’ death up until the Pentecost.

Risen—The Story of the First Easter has been put into the works by Hyde Park Entertainment, and will focus on the Apostle Peter as he retells the events following the resurrection of Christ up until the Pentecost, 40 days after Easter.

The movie is just one of at least four upcoming films that will tackle the same period until Jesus’ ascension, revealing a growing interest in the previously unexplored timeframe after Jesus’ Passion Week. Others include FoxFaith’s The Inquiry, Canadian based-film The Sword of Peter, and “Left Behind” author Tim LaHaye’s The Resurrection.

“I think there is a commercial marketplace and need for movies that have hope and values," said Hyde Park head Ashok Amritraj to the Daily Variety in response to the “chaos” in the world. "It's a big deal for us."

As of now, Risen still has not signed on a distributor, but popular screenwriter Paul Aiello has been confirmed to write the script.

No production schedule has been set yet as well.

Hyde Park has released several large studio affairs including Bringing Down the House, Raising Helen, and the recently released Premonition with Sandra Bullock.

The senior VP of the project also happens to be Patrick Aiello, brother to the screenwriter Paul Aiello.

Kevin Jackson
Christian Post Reporter

"Resurrection's" Release Date Changed

"The Resurrection" now has a release date of February 22, 2008, rather than the original Easter 2007 time frame.

"Resurrection" aims for Easter Release

'Resurrection' to appear at Easter
8 June 2006 (The Hollywood Reporter)

Picking up where the biblical story of Jesus Christ's passion leaves off, Screen Gems is angling for an Eastertime release of a feature film tentatively titled The Resurrection, people familiar with the project confirmed Wednesday. Using the Bible for its source material, Resurrection will tell the story of Jesus Christ beginning the day he died on the cross and ending about 40 days later with his ascension into heaven. According to insiders, Screen Gems, headed by Clint Culpepper, commissioned a script several months ago from Lionel Chetwynd, the veteran screenwriter, producer and director whose credits include The Hanoi Hilton for the big screen and the Emmy-nominated TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day.

Sony aiming for Easter box office "Resurrection"

Picking up where the biblical story of Jesus Christ's passion leaves off, Sony Pictures is angling for an Eastertime release of a feature film tentatively titled "The Resurrection," people familiar with the project confirmed Wednesday.

Using the Bible for its source material, "Resurrection" will tell the story of Jesus Christ beginning the day he died on the cross and ending about 40 days later with his ascension into heaven.

According to insiders, Sony's mid-budget Screen Gems division commissioned a script several months ago from Lionel Chetwynd, the veteran screenwriter, producer and director whose credits include the feature "The Hanoi Hilton" and the Emmy-nominated TV movie "Ike: Countdown to D-Day."

Set to produce is Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" series of books. A popular minister and frequent TV news pundit, "Resurrection" will mark LaHaye's first foray into mainstream filmmaking.

In mining biblical material, those behind the project hope to tap into the same vein that so richly rewarded Mel Gibson for his self-funded "The Passion of the Christ." The 2004 release earned $612 million in worldwide box office receipts, making it one of the 30 most-popular films of all time.

"'The Passion' ends with Jesus being taken from the cross, and 'The Resurrection' opens with the empty cross," a person familiar with the script said.

According to the Bible, women who visited the tomb of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion found it empty, and his disciples and other acquaintances, including Mary Magdalene, encountered him postresurrection on various occasions during a 40-day period.

The film will focus on these dramatic encounters and their implications for the Roman garrison in Judea and the broader Roman Empire, insiders said.

"This is not a fanciful rendering. It's a serious attempt to understand the Roman world in which Christ moved and the Christian era was born," a person familiar with the project said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

A sequel for 'The Passion'

Staff Reporter
Thu, 08 Jun 2006

Following in the steps of 'The Passion Of The Christ', and possibly hitting back at 'The Omen', there's a new big screen version of Jesus' life on its way.

Tentatively titled 'The Resurrection', it picks up where Mel Gibson's blockbuster left off, chronicling the 40 days from the day he was crucified until his ascension to heaven.

Based directly on the Bible, the movie is scheduled for an Easter release from Sony Pictures' Screen Gems branch.

The mid budget division hired Lionel Chetwynd, writer and director of 'The Hanoi Hilton' to write the screenplay some months ago.

The producer is co-author of the 'Left Behind' books that cover subjects like the Rapture and Apocalypse, the religious minister Tim LaHaye.

"'The Passion' ends with Jesus being taken from the cross, and 'The Resurrection' opens with the empty cross," a source familiar with the script told The Hollywood Reporter.

"This is not a fanciful rendering. It's a serious attempt to understand the Roman world in which Christ moved and the Christian era was born."

The Biblical version of the story states that people who visited Jesus' tomb three days after he died on the cross found it empty. Mary Magdalene, other people in his life, and the disciples saw him on various occasions during the days before his ascension.

The new film, which hopes to reach the same audiences that helped Gibson's 2004 film gross $612-million at the global box office, will focus on the encounters with Jesus and their implications on the Roman empire.

Apart from the 1987 'Hilton' film, the writer, director and producer Chetwynd was behind the TV movie 'Ike: Countdown to D-Day' which starred Tom Selleck.

Another film, the upcoming 'The Nativity', is to chronicle the birth of Jesus.