Tis the season to be holy. Everybody is getting in on Christianity! It’s the hot new fad in movie land, and even if The Nativity Story was aborted by the wire coat hanger of complete disinterest, Hollywood thinks there’s gold to be mined in them thar Jesus Freaks.
Fox has already started their new Fox Faith distrib arm, and now the Weinstein Co – headed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, a pair of Catholic schoolboys if ever there were any – is teaming with Impact Entertainment to woo the Christian market.
Of course this isn’t the Weinstein’s first foray into religion – they previously were involved with such faith films as Priest, about a homosexual clergyman, and Dogma, about a monster made of shit. Clearly they have been harboring an interest in Christian-themed films for years.
"This is a rapidly emerging and important area in the entertainment industry, and this deal fits perfectly into our strategy of acquiring and producing films that target niche audiences," said TWC’s Bob Weinstein, explaining his Road-to-Damscus-like conversion to accepting Jesus Christ as his lord and the savior of his retirement nest egg.
Variety describes the first few projects as such:
"The Penny," set to be published next year, follows the adventures of a girl in 1950s St. Louis who finds hope after discovering a penny, all set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement.
Novel "The Christmas Candle," released in October, is a holiday tale set in 19th century England about a candlemaker who receives a visit from an angel.
First homevid release will be "Resurrection" this spring. Pic, based on a Lucado book, is described as "picking up where ‘The Passion’ left off."