Another Christian film is set to hit the big screen soon.
Deadline announced Friday that financing was set for "Christ the Lord," the film adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt."
The book follows the life of Jesus Christ as he discovers he is the Son of God, and travels with his parents from Egypt to Nazareth. The film is expected to begin production on September 15 in Italy.
The film will be produced by 1492 Productions, Ocean Blue Entertainment, CJ Entertainment, Hyde Park International, and Ingenious Media, and distributed by Focus Features and Hyde Park. A wide U.S. and international release is planned.
"Passion of the Christ" executive producer Enzo Sisti will produce "Christ the Lord," and Cyrus Nowrasteh will direct. Nowrasteh co-wrote the script with his wife, Betsy.
2014 has been a great year for films with Christian themes. "God's Not Dead" has grossed $57 million, and "Noah" has grossed over $330 million internationally.
A film about the 40 days following Jesus' crucifixion, titled "Resurrection," is slated for an Easter 2015 release. The movie will follow an agnostic centurion dispatched by Pontius Pilate to investigate Jesus' resurrection. He begins to question his beliefs as he interviews apostles, witnesses, and other followers of Christ.
The rights to Reza Aslan's controversial book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" were bought by Lionsgate in December, and in January 2014, MGM announced that it was remaking the epic film "Ben-Hur." The 2015 version will focus more on Jesus in a parallel storyline, A.V. Club reported.
Two weeks ago, the distribution company behind hit Christian film "God's Not Dead" announced that a new Christian documentary project, "God the Father," will be released in October. The documentary will present the life and spiritual deliverance of former mobster Michael Franzese.
