From Metro Voice News : Jesus Revolution film to star Jim Gaffigan as Chuck Smith, Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie

A new film from the makers of I Can Only Imagine will spotlight the so-called Jesus Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s and star two well-known actors.

The new movie Jesus Revolution will star Jim Gaffigan (Chappaquiddick, The Jim Gaffigan Show) as pastor Chuck Smith and Joel Courtney (Super 8) as Greg Laurie, who at the time was a teenager.

Smith, who passed away in 2013, founded the Calvary Chapel movement. Laurie is currently senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif.

Deadline first reported the involvement of Gaffigan and Courtney. The film is in pre-production, and a release date has not been set.

“This is a distinctly American story of rebirth,” Gaffigan told Deadline. “The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time when spirituality was on the wane, leaving a lot of people searching for answers in other places. I’m excited to play a pastor who helped make a home for the people most desperate for those answers and built a congregation – a coming together of people – to make something greater than themselves.”

Joel Courtney

Jon Gunn (“The Case for Christ”) will direct from a script written by him and Jon Erwin. Kevin Downes and the Erwin Brothers are producing, while Jerilyn Esquibel is co-producing for Kingdom Story Company. Gunn and the Erwin Brothers recently teamed up on the Christian film “I Still Believe.”

“I love this era,” Gunn said. “The defiant search for truth, the fight against oppression, the hope for a better future in the midst of social turmoil. In that way, it’s not unlike our world today. And I couldn’t be more excited to work with Jim and Joel to tell this honest, captivating story that will serve as a powerful reminder that radical love really can change the world.”

The film will be made by Kingdom Story, the same company behind I Still Believe, I Can Only Imagine and Woodlawn. Jon Gunn, who directed Case for Christ, will direct Jesus Revolution. Andrew and Jon Erwin and Kevin Downes will produce it.

Jon Erwin said in May that the pandemic put them behind on production but they remain “more committed than ever” to engage the culture with movies.

“Ultimately I want to tell stories that really entertain people, that continue to lift the bar of what people think of when they think of faith-based films, and stories that bring people hope and draw them to the gospel,” Erwin stated.

“When I read the script, I was very drawn to the idea of portraying a man who is completely lost within himself and seeks to find a path and purpose during a time of national turmoil,” Courtney shared.

–Michael Foust | Metro Voice

From Insider : 'The Kissing Booth 2' star Joel Courtney teases his character's growth and the message he hopes fans take away from the sequel

• "The Kissing Booth 2" star Joel Courtney (Lee Flynn) spoke to Insider about what fans can expect from the movie, which hits Netflix on Friday.

• The actor told us that Lee is "the same fun-loving little goofball," but he's "matured a little bit" and encounters some challenges that "rock his world a little bit."

• Courtney said that he hopes fans will enjoy the sequel as much as him and "forget about their worries for about two hours and have a good time."

Joel Courtney spoke to Insider about reprising his role as Lee Flynn for Netflix's "Kissing Booth" sequel and what fans can expect when the movie is released.

"I could tell in the first one that we were making a really special movie and on the second one, I knew the exact same thing," the 24-year-old actor told us of returning for "The Kissing Booth 2," which hits the streaming service on Friday.

"The Kissing Booth 2" picks up after the events of the 2018 movie and centers on Elle (Joey King) and Lee's senior year as they submit college applications, gear up for another kissing booth at their school's fundraiser, and navigate their romantic relationships.

Following the success of the first film, which Netflix hailed as "one of the most-watched movies in the country," Courtney told Insider that he felt some pressure, but it "went away" once he stepped foot on the set. 

"It was one of those things where I was so elated to get the opportunity to come back and do a sequel and I started thinking like, 'Oh wow, what are they going to think of the second one?'" Courtney recalled.

The actor said that his concerns dissipated because of the returning cast and crew members from the first film. 

"I was so proud of the work that we were doing over there," Courtney said. "I let it go. I was like, 'No, I think we're going to be just fine. I think fans are going to love this.' And as it turns out, I think the second movie's actually better than the first movie and I am so excited for people to see it and I really hope that they love it."

When fans watch the sequel, they can expect Lee to be "the same fun-loving little goofball," but with some maturity. 

"He just loves with his entire heart and when he hurts he feels that hurt just as deeply," Courtney said.

The actor said that Lee has changed in that he's learned to accept his best friend Elle's relationship with his older brother named Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi).

The pairing caused a rift in Lee and Elle's longtime friendship because it violated one of their rules that they established as children ("relatives of best friends are off-limits").

"He's grown," Courtney told us. "He's matured a little bit, he's learned an important lesson: that you can't really put those kinds of limitations on the heart of your best friend if she happens to fall for your brother. That may not be your favorite, but you need to learn to accept it and take it for what it is."

He added: "In the second movie, he comes in and he has some also equally as important hard lessons to learn and they rock his world a little bit."

"The Kissing Booth 2" introduces two new characters that shake up the status quo: a high school classmate named Marco (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a college girl named Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), who Noah meets during his first semester at Harvard University.

"They elevated us so much, Courtney said of his new costars, who he called "the most kind-hearted, talented people."

He added: "They fit right into the dynamic on set. They made everyone feel so comfortable, everyone made them feel comfortable and welcomed them in with open arms. Honestly, our second movie would not be the movie that it is without them."

Courtney hopes that the sequel can bring some joy and levity during times of unrest and uncertainty. 

"I honestly just want people to have a good time," the actor said. "The world is in a state of disarray, just turbulence and overhanging fear. And I just want people to have a really good quality feel-good movie and I want people to forget about their worries for about two hours and have a good time."

Courtney added: "I want people to love this movie as much as I do. I'm such a fan. I'm as much of a fan as anyone out there. I love these characters and I just want people to enjoy it and forget about their problems a little bit."

Watch the trailer for "The Kissing Booth 2" below.

From Just Jared Jr. : Joey King Explains Why 'The Kissing Booth' Is Not a Movie for Critics

Critics weren’t too kind while reviewing the first The Kissing Booth movie and the film’s star Joey Kingisn’t bothered by what they think!

The 20-year-old actress opened up about the negative reviews while appearing on Variety and iHeart’s The Big Ticket podcast.

“I understand that critics weren’t all over this movie, but that’s the thing — it’s not meant for critics to be like, ‘Wow, what a movie!’ It’s meant for people to watch and have a great time,” Joey told podcast host Marc Malkin. “I’m thankful that I got to do The Act, where critics were like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome.’ But also not everything you do has to have critical acclaim. It doesn’t mean it’s not successful. And it doesn’t mean it’s not one of my favorite projects I’ve worked on. And just the fan reaction to it is all the criticism I need as far as just the way it fills my heart.”

While the movie has a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, it was a smash hit for Netflix and was the streaming service’s most re-watched movie of 2018. Clearly fans didn’t care about the reviews!