Mark Burnett and Roma Downey—the Christian couple responsible for such well-loved faith-based films and television series as "The Bible" and "A.D. The Bible Continues"—are back again as the executive producers of a new film that aims to bridge the racial gap in America.
Their new film "Woodlawn," which is produced under their LightWorkers Media company, tells the true-to-life story of the members of the Woodlawn High School football team in Birmingham, Alabama, who defied the laws of desegregation back in the 70s and changed the perspectives not just of the people in the school but those in the entire town as well.
During the promotional video for the film entitled "Who Is Going to Stand Up for Jesus," Burnett said "Woodlawn" hopes to "bring the country together" with its inspiring themes of racial reconciliation, love, friendship, and hope, according to the Gospel Herald.
"The entertainment world around faith is undeniable. I'd like to think we had little to do with that, with the 'Bible' series being so prevalent in 100 million households. And we said at that time we thought it was a door opener. It opened the door for others to make faith films as long as they were made well. 'Woodlawn' is such a movie. This is brilliantly made," he further said.
"Woodlawn" stars newcomer Caleb Castille as Hank, the chaplain who inspires the football team to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Castille is joined by "Ray Donovan" actor Jon Voight and "Lord of the Rings" actor Sean Astin, among many others.
Burnett's wife Downey said one of her favorite scenes in the movie was seeing the whole team literally up stand up for Jesus. "We have a scene in 'Woodlawn' where the chaplain says, 'Who's going to stand up for Jesus?' And they all stand up. I was watching the scene in my bedroom and I wanted to just stand up on the bed and say, 'I want to be counted! I want to follow you,'" Downey described the scene. "I follow this message of love and forgiveness, this one message of unity, and you see the potential of this. If it's seen around the country it will bring people together."
"Woodlawn" is directed by Jon and Andy Erwin, and it is produced by Kevin Downes. It will be released on Oct. 16, 2015.
