The contest between faith-based films to see who can come up with the most on-the-nose title has just heated up, as now to the pantheon of Heaven Is For Real and God’s Not Dead, we add Do You Believe? (possible subtitle: Because If You Don’t You’re Going To Hell). It’s a new film set to finish shooting this week from Pure Flix, who also gave us God’s Not Dead. This one’s got a humdinger of a cast that includes Ted McGinley (!), Cybill Shepard (!!), Mira Sorvino, Sean Astin, Lee Majors, Delroy Lindo, and Brian Bosworth (!!!). Tough luck, surviving member of Milli Vanilli.
Do You Believe? focuses on a dozen different lives that intersect on the streets of Chicago, starting with a local pastor (Ted McGinley) being moved by the visible faith of an old street-corner preacher, played by Delroy Lindo.
Ooh, intersecting lives. Great, I’m picturing Crash, but instead of a dopey, overwrought ode to white guilt, a dopey, underwrought ode to white evangelicalism. Or, as a producer would call it, $$$$$$.
“God’s Not Dead resonated with audiences because it explored and validated the existence of God,” Do You Believe? producer David A.R. White said.
If you’ll remember, God’s Not Dead was essentially the film-length version of the Marine Todd meme, in which an Atheist professor (played by KEVIN SORBO) demands that his students sign a pledge that says God is dead, until one brave kid righteously proves him wrong or something. It went on to earn $62 million on a budget of $2 million, which seems pretty good. These movies are basically that scene in Good Will Hunting where Matt Damon explains why he won’t work for the NSA, only the NSA is atheism.
“Do You Believe? takes Christianity to another level…the Cross.” [Variety]
Drop the mic, David A.R. White, that’s a walk off.
…I mean, I guess? I actually have no idea what that means. But it sounded cool as long as I didn’t think about it at all. Oh well. Anyway, I hope Brian Bosworth plays some kind of ex-Marine Todd.