Los Angeles,
CA (BlackNews.com) - Take a powerful biblical story, apply
it to modern movie sensibilities and you have a formula for
a gripping contemporary tale of family, music and hope. That
is the underlying theme of "The Gospel," writer-director Rob
Hardy's updated interpretation of the biblical tale of the
Prodigal Son, the story of a young man who abandons his father's
home to find his stake in life. He sets off to work for another
family, but finds himself starving while others prosper. He
resolves to return home and make amends to his father, who
receives him with open arms after the son admits to his sins,
causing ire and from an older brother.
In "The Gospel," a Sony/Screen
Gem/Rainforest Films picture opening nation-wide October 7,
Boris Kodjoe ("Soul Food," "Love & Basketball") stars as a
young man blessed with a gifted voice who decides to leave
his father's congregation after a heated dispute to find his
niche in secular music. He becomes wildly successful, but
a series of personal and family tragedies brings him back
into the fold, where he finds his childhood best friend plans
to take over the congregation from the ailing father. The
congregation is in disarray and the son attempts to right
the ship, but his friend is scornful and mistrusting of Kodjoe's
return, thus giving "The Gospel" a new, yet effective storyline
twist of the Old Testament that bulges with drama and music.
Written
and directed by Rob Hardy, produced by Will Packer and
Executive-Produced by Holly Davis-Carter, and Fred Hammond,
"The Gospel" adds yet another plot twist. In the biblical
version, the son returns to a stable house, while the
movie version, the congregation is in utter confusion.
Mix in today's most compelling gospel stars-Donnie McClurkin,
Hezekiah Walker (both in strictly acting roles), Yolanda
Adams, Martha Munizzi, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond,
and, and an arresting cast of stars include Idris Elba,
Nona Gaye, Keisha Knight-Pulliam, Clifton Powell, Omar
Gooding, Tamyra Gray, and Delores "Moms" Winans in prominent
roles-and "The Gospel" is a prescription for success
in music, movie and message.
Hardy, Packer, Davis-Carter and several of "The Gospel's"
stars sat down recently to discuss their participation
in this groundbreaking movie. Hardy, a veteran writer-director
of such movies as "Trois," "Motive," "Pandora's Box"
and "Chocolate City," says of the gospel superstar lineup,
"We were able to assemble this amazing cast because
our actors and heavyweights in the gospel industry such
as Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams
read the story and said it felt genuine to them, that
it was a drama about faith that they could relate to.
Basically, after doing those movies, I wanted to tell
a story that looked into the inner workings of a church,
dealing with real people, dealing with faith issues
and things like that." Hardy and Packer had several
false starts with "The Gospel," but "nothing seemed
organic," Hardy said. "But then, Holly Davis-Carter
put me and Fred Hammond in a room. We wound up just
talking and kicking around ideas. As a result of that
conversation, I was re-inspired to pick the project
back up."
Speaking of inspiration, the Bible has long been a source
of rich stories that emphasize the importance of faith.
The Prodigal Son has been one of the most trusted parables
in the Good Book, used extensively in Westerns and war,
but not from the perspective of a church background,
with a plot tweak that pits former best friends against
each other in so dramatic a way. Packer recognized this
early as the storyline unfolded: "It's about really
having the inner fortitude to overcome anything that's
in front of you, and doing that with the help of God.
It's a faith-based, inspiration-themed film, one we've
wanted to do for some time." Davis-Carter added, "You
see the character Boris plays of David, who's raised
in the church, goes away, gets into a life of fame,
money, women, wealth, drugs and sex. As he journeys
back, it's the redemption that he finds, it's the hope
that he finds, it's the salvation that he finds."
Hardy relates how he was drawn to the story of the Prodigal
Son: "So many of us, as people, have a religious background,
whether you grew up in a church or are vaguely familiar
with the church. Most of us have a reverence toward
God, but in our adult lives and teenage years, we tend
to try different things and explore different options;
we try to define the world on our own terms. A lot of
the lessons that we ultimately learn, experiences that
we go through, ultimately bring us back, closer to God.
So this is a story of one such individual." Although
he did not wish to elaborate, Hardy also added elements
of his own life into "The Gospel."
Rob Hardy came to prominence with the independent film,
"Chocolate City." It was followed by "Trois" at the
beginning of the Millennium. In 2002, Hardy directed
"Pandora's Box," which garnered a Best Actress award
for its star Monica Calhoun at the American Black Film
Festival. In 2003, he produced "Motive," which starred
popular actors Vivica J. Fox and Shemar Moore. That
led to "Trois: The Escort" in 2004, and an untitled
Usher movie project. Alongside "The Gospel," Hardy is
executive-producing actor Mekhi Phifer's directorial
debut, "An Easier Softer Way," which is scheduled for
a 2006 release.
Undoubtedly, one of the most compelling elements of
"The Gospel" is its stellar lineup of gospel music superstars.
Holly Davis-Cater revealed that there was a specific
and important reason for attracting gospel stars to
the project: "People will not listen to the gospel spoken;
they are captured by the gospel song." Yolanda Adams
commented about her participation: "I heard about the
project about a year and a half ago. They said they
needed some gospel stars to play themselves in this
particular film, and I was happy to participate because
it seemed so real. It was a story of faith and believing."
Kirk Franklin, who composed the majority of the music
in the movie, says "The Gospel" allowed him to do something
he had not done in a long time: "It gave us a chance
to do traditional music that we don't get a chance to
do a lot of." Martha Munizzi, affectionately known as
the Teena Marie of gospel, adds electric energy in her
performance and comments, "Rob Hardy listened to my
music and asked me to become a part of it, which I was
very glad to do." And Donnie McClurkin adds, "I'm particularly
drawn to the music in this film because the music helps
to tell the story, because traditional music represents
what the church used to be (in the storyline)." However,
McClurkin purposely does not sing in the movie because
he wanted audiences to see another side of him, but
he and Franklin are planning a soundtrack music video
to the classic song "Ooh Child," made famous by the
5 Stair Steps. The soundtrack will be released on Verity
Records on September 6. The first single will be "Victory,"
by Yolanda Adams. Hardy says this is a very special
song because "(rapper-actor) Snoop Dogg and Pharrell
wanted the beat, but the producer owed Yolanda a favor,
and so she got it."
Screenings of "The Gospel" were held in key cities across
the United States for taste-makers, who commented on
the movie's impact on them. Les Brown, popular motivational
speaker, said, "I thought it was an awesome film," while
Ebony Magazine's Shirley Henderson commented, "I thought
the movie had a good storyline, and it was good to see
actors like Clifton Powell play a positive, major role.
I think Boris Kodjoe's character was well-developed."
With the runaway success of Tyler Perry's recent "Diary
of a Black Woman," Hardy paid attention to how Perry
tapped into the core church audience, which resulted
in $21 million first-week sales for the movie. An innovative
concept to the marketing of "The Gospel" is an ambitious
"Adopt a Theater" campaign that Hardy and producer Will
Packer are launching to heighten the movie's visibility
among their core demographic. "We asked churches around
the country to adopt a theater where they can send their
congregations to. We'd like people to visit our website,
www.gospelmovie.com,
starting August 17. We will have a listing of all the
movie theaters that are going to carry 'The Gospel.'
That way, you will be able to log onto the website and
sign your church up for a specific movie theater. We'll
be creating a church night out at the movies. It's a
PG-rated movie, so congregations can go out and enjoy
something for the entire family" It is similar to a
campaign that actor-director Mel Gibson used for his
highly successful "The Passion of The Christ."
"The
Gospel" is a marriage of mainstream Hollywood actors
with the biggest names in gospel music. Hardy is pleased
with the arrangement, summing up: "If the movie featured
all gospel stars, the question could be asked, 'Are
they really acting, and is it really gonna be a good
movie? And, if it was a movie with just Hollywood stars,
would it be authentic?' I think we have a really good
hybrid between the two, and the musical element adds
something different. And, this movie comes from a dramatic
standpoint that audiences can really sink their teeth
into."
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