By Don Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The script for the Biblical epic “Mary,” which tells the birth story from the perspective of Mary of Nazareth, languished in Hollywood for nearly 15 years before entering production.
As the independent film neared completion this September, it attracted the interest of three major Hollywood studios and streaming giant Netflix, which stepped in as the global distributor and released the film this month.
“Mary” has ranked among Netflix’s top 10 English-language films, with 24.6 million views.
“The market has changed dramatically over the last five years,” said director DJ Caruso. “Especially in the epic or high-quality, faith-based genre. There’s a real desire or hunger there now.”
Hollywood is turning to God, the American West, and outdoor enthusiasts to attract wider audiences. Major film studios, wealthy investors and streaming services are pouring money into faith-based films, rodeos and outdoor lifestyle programming as an alternative to superhero sagas or dramas filled with sex and violence.
Studio executives, talent agents and television showrunners told Reuters the industry acknowledged it was missing a wide swath of the United States. The election of Donald Trump as president in November, fueled by working-class voters, underlined the importance of programming not just for coastal cities, but for the entire country.
Hollywood has mined the Bible for box office gold time and again with movies like “The Ten Commandments” and “Noah.” The success of Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom,” the 2023 thriller based on the story of a Homeland Security agent who rescues children from sex trafficking, won over religious and conservative audiences and sparked new interest in the genre.
from fear to faith
Hollywood’s master of modern horror, “Paranormal Activity” filmmaker Jason Blum, joins Lionsgate and other investors in backing The Wonder Project, an independent studio planning to produce faith-based films and series for Amazon Prime Video. Raised over $75 million for. Its series about the Biblical king, “House of David,” will be released in February.
Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns said, “There are a lot of people all across the country who think this is exactly the type of programming they would love to see, especially with their families.”
Lionsgate this year renewed its partnership with Kingdom Story Company, the production company behind “Jesus Revolution.”
Meanwhile, Netflix signed a multiyear deal with acclaimed filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry to create faith-based films for the streaming service.
Some executives told Reuters the industry recognized it was lacking in broad areas of the US, where there are films and TV shows that receive critical praise but attract a limited audience.
The disparity is exemplified by the commercial success of Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone,” the Western family melodrama that took America’s heartland by storm. “Yellowstone” drew more than 11.4 million viewers in its fifth season finale, nearly four times more than the 2023 finale of the Emmy-winning HBO series “Succession.”
Thomas Tull, founder of superhero filmmaker Legendary Entertainment, recognized this opportunity before many others. Together with Mark Walter, CEO of TWG Global and Guggenheim Partners, he launched Teton Ridge in 2019, a western sports, entertainment and lifestyle brand built around rodeo. The company, owned by TWG Global, attracted additional investment from venture capitalist Jim Breyer and the Lee Bass family office.
Live competitions including bull riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing attract a global audience of 80 million people per year.
cowboy hero
Teton Ridge acquired The Cowboy Channel and Cowgirl Channel last month, a deal that secured exclusive media rights to more than 600 professional rodeo Cowboy Association rodeos. It expands its collection of western sports properties, including the American Rodeo Contender Series, whose championship weekend airs live on Fox Sports, and the “Let’s Freakin’ Rodeo” podcast, hosted by top-ranked tie-down roper Ty Harris and his Is hosted. Cousin, film producer Cole Harris.
Meanwhile, Teton Ridge Entertainment is exploring Western stories in films, series and documentaries, including an adaptation of the late bestselling author Louis L’Amour’s novel “Fallen,” set in the Old West, which is attracting audiences. CEO Deirdre Lester described it as “… “Cowboy’s curious.”
“Our mission is to create content for underserved audiences,” said Jillian Share, president of Teton Ridge Entertainment. “Making things where it appeals to a larger portion of our country than things we ourselves are involved in has been a focus for the last 20 years of my career.”
He called the cowboy “the first true, great American hero.”
“You look at superheroes and you look at Marvel and DC, and you think, what’s more iconic than cowboys?” Share said.
Veteran entertainment executive Peter Chernin’s investment fund Chernin Group in 2018 became the lead investor in MeatEater, an emerging media brand founded by outdoorsman Steven Rinella, a best-selling author, podcaster and creator of the upcoming History Channel series, “Hunting History.” Is built around a host of.
However, some feel sidelined by Hollywood’s pursuit of the American heartland. He worries that executives have become intimidated by the “woke” branding imposed on Walt Disney by Florida Governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.
A television showrunner, who was in the final stages of negotiations for a streaming series featuring a diverse cast, learned the day after Trump’s election that the project would not move forward. The listener, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, saw a connection between the programming decision and Trump’s victory.
Another development executive shared an email from a network executive who rejected a project as “political.”
Earlier this year, producers of “The Apprentice,” a biopic about Trump, struggled to find a distributor even after an enthusiastic reception at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
A lawyer for Trump sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers. Briarcliff Entertainment released the film in October, and stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong were nominated for Golden Globe Awards.
This week, Disney said it had removed a transgender storyline from the upcoming Pixar animation series “Win or Lose.” The character will remain in the show, but some lines of dialogue that reference the character’s gender identity have been removed.
A Disney spokesperson said, “When it comes to animated content for younger audiences, we recognize that many parents will prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and timelines.”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
