Hugh's Biblical Movie: "Apostle Paul"

[mamaleh]

I just read on JL's FB page that he's likely doing a religious epic, playing Saul/Paul of Tarsus:

deadline.com/2015/03/apostle-paul-hugh-jackman-ben-affleck-matt-damon-1201401935/

I bet his Dad will like this one.

Ellen

[jo]

I just woke up to such great news!

Thanks for the link, Ellen.

This is a complete change in the kind of stories he wants to tell and, again, a very different kind of portrayal!

Hugh works best in his portrayals of men who are larger than life, men who stand out because they dare to be different. From a saintly man (Valjean) to a real saint (St. Paul)!

‘Apostle Paul’ With Hugh Jackman Sainted By Warner Bros.



by Anita Busch
and Mike Fleming Jr

March 31, 2015 11:24am

EXCLUSIVE: A new faith-based project with A-list stars involved is coming now from Warner Bros. The project, Apostle Paul, is being developed at the studio for Hugh Jackman to star in the role as the Jewish man of God (also known as Saul of Tarsus) who crossed over to speak to the Romans and preach the word.


Jackman would produce, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck under their Pearl Street banner. A screenplay is currently being penned by Matt Cook (Triple Nine, By Way Of Helena). Also producing are Jennifer Todd (Pearl Street) and Chris Clarke, who helped initiate the project.

Paul was not one of the 12 original disciples but was converted on the Road to Damascus when Christ came to him and he was blinded by a great,white light. He was blinded until a man named Ananias prayed and restored his eyesight. Paul became one of the most important messengers of Jesus and went on trips to Rome and appeared before the rulers because he was also a Roman citizen. He is credited with writing 14 of 27 books in the New Testament.


Paul was also the founder of many churches. He began as the son of a Pharisee and steeped in Judaism. However, after being converted by Christ, he continued to preach for God and carried the message of Christ’s word. He was also put in prison for preaching when a miracle occurred. While in chains, he began singing Jesus’ praises and the prison shook like a violent earthquake and his chains fell off and jails doors opened and they left as frightened prison guards allowed them to pass.

The move follows the success of several other faith-based films including Son Of God, God’s Not Dead, Heaven Is For Real, to name a few. Jackman, of course, has a huge fan base due to the X-Men and Wolverine movies so his name and star power is well-established across the globe. The next and probably last Wolverine film hits theaters March 3, 2017. He is also on board to star as PT Barnum for The Greatest Showman On Earth. Same with Affleck and Damon (Bourne Supremacy franchise).

Jackman, Affleck, Damon and Cook are repped by WME. Jackman is also repped by attorneys Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern. Cook is also repped by Anonymous Content.

[jo]

St. Paul is one of the Church's pillars!

From Wikipedia --

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle


His conversion has been celebrated in many artistic representations --


By Michelangelo --




By Caravaggio --







By Rembrandt --







Also --

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Saints_Peter_and_Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June...

The feast is observed in Rome because St. Paul and St. Peter are Patron Saints of the etenal city.

By El Greco


Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Oil on canvas by El Greco. circa 16th-century. Hermitage Museum, Russia

[hughmanity]

Actually see a resemblance in this representation.....
www.davidjnegron.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/religious-art-apostles-christian-saul-of-tarsus.jpg

[jo]

Where's the link between Hugh Jackman and Matt Damon/Ben Affleck?

They are all longtime clients of Patrick Whitesell of WME!


www.end-epilepsy.org/pdf/Whitesell_Patrick_BIO.pdf


Do you remember when Patrick and Matt attended the closing show of THE BOY FROM OZ



Question is -- when will this be ready for production?

At least there is studio backing now!


Jo

[jo]

Some people ask if faith-based movies have a wide demographics. Other than the story of Jesus ( Passion of the Christ grossed over $ 600 million worldwide) and the recent success of Noah...there have also been successful related stories with religious connotations portrayed on film( Da Vinci Code movies).

The story of the apostle Paul ( St. Paul in the Catholic faith) is very dramatic and could be a very good film subject. His story of conversion, his work of evangelization, and his death by martyrdom are dramatic highlights. Hugh is excellent when portraying heroic figures!

Jo

[jo]

Interesting twitter response --

Matt Bunk ‏@mattbunk · 10m10 minutes ago
I always considered Paul the Wolverine of Apostles.

Maybe because Apostle Paul took a different path to sainthood?


Jo

[jo]

Is it just coincidence -- but is Hugh getting back into producing duties? And he is serious at this job ( not like many film stars who are more like nominal producers).

His more recent producer jobs --

*The Wolverine - he worked out the tax rebate aspect which facilitated the greenlighting of the movie as well as working out the use of Fox Studios in Sydney for filming.

*Greatest Showman - he was known to have been doing some active workshops, to facilitate casting and testing of the book and score.

*Wolverine 3 -- he is expected to be a producer for this one as well.

*Apostle Paul -- he has been announced to co-produce with Matt and Ben.



Also, could Ben Affleck be tapped to direct this movie?



Jo

[foxie]

Mar 31, 2015 18:28:47 GMT -5 jo said:

Is it just coincidence -- but is Hugh getting back into producing duties? And he is serious at this job ( not like many film stars who are more like nominal producers).

His more recent producer jobs --

*The Wolverine - he worked out the tax rebate aspect which facilitated the greenlighting of the movie as well as working out the use of Fox Studios in Sydney for filming.

*Greatest Showman - he was known to have been doing some active workshops, to facilitate casting and testing of the book and score.

*Wolverine 3 -- he is expected to be a producer for this one as well.

*Apostle Paul -- he has been announced to co-produce with Matt and Ben.



Also, could Ben Affleck be tapped to direct this movie?



Jo

[foxie]

He is going wild!how much can one guy do?

[carouselkathy]

Are you guys sure this isn't an April Fool's joke? Of course, Hugh could play Saul (Paul), but wasn't St. Paul considered small of stature? I may be mistaken, but this development is very interesting. Pauline Lit was one of my courses in college many years ago, so I'm fascinated by this idea.

[carouselkathy]

Mar 31, 2015 17:42:30 GMT -5 jo said:

Interesting twitter response --

Matt Bunk ‏@mattbunk · 10m10 minutes ago
I always considered Paul the Wolverine of Apostles.

Maybe because Apostle Paul took a different path to sainthood?


Jo

LOL....He was an angry little guy.

[jo]

Hugh was all set to portray Harry Houdini who was of small physical stature.


Neither does P.T.Barnum's visage resonate in Hugh Jackman's chiseled features ( called "ridiculously handsome" in the Forbes article).





Jo

[carouselkathy]

Mar 31, 2015 22:49:22 GMT -5 jo said:

Hugh was all set to portray Harry Houdini who was also of small stature.

You're right, Jo. Wolverine was also short in the comics. For some reason, I pictured St. Paul as an angry little guy. This is all very interesting.

[jo]

LOL - his screen personification of the Wolverine from the comic books was what initially upset the comic book fans -- how can he be Wolverine? And it wasn't just the height problem -- this actor was too handsome

And Jean Valjean was described in the Les Miserables novel as "of medium height, and broad-shouldered and robust" ( more like a description of Colm Wilkinson )


There are many artworks that show representations of St. Paul.

www.jesuswalk.com/philippians/artwork-st-paul.htm


Will the movie trace his life from the time he was a young man to his old age, when he died by martyrdom?

How will they dramatize his many writings, via his much-quoted Epistles or Spiritual Letters?


Will Hugh trace St Paul's journey, like he did when he went on a French trip with the family for Les Miserables? Hugh will be thrilled to know that St Paul was supposed to have been born in Turkey. And Rome will be the last stop, where he was martyred.


Jo

[jo]

There's a whiff of potential controversy raised by some parts of media because Hugh is not a practicing Christian and Ben and Matt have been involved in faith-based movies that did not sit well with followers of the faith ( and also because of experiences with movies like NOAH)--

www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/01/hugh-jackman-apostle-paul-christian-film?CMP=share_btn_tw

Are they questioning the involvement of these actors/producers because of their personal beliefs? These people are filmmakers, not biographers. Besides Hugh is known for his spirituality and his good works and his reputation for being a very decent human being! Not to forget his total professionalism in his work!

Er...it is supposed to be a movie, not a documentary. I don't think the intention is to challenge religious beliefs (Am I going out on a limb here because we have no idea of what the script may be?) but to dramatize parts of the life of St. Paul for entertainment purposes. The same reaction to the Da Vinci Code movies came about -- because the storytelling contradicted certain church doctrines. But I enjoyed the storytelling both from the book and the movies ( Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons - both ex-future projects for Hugh, had Dan Brown's wishes came true ) -- and I did not find myself being challenged about my beliefs.

Maybe they should question the integrity of the work when the movie has been released and a proper critique ( artistic, moral, entertainment value aspects) is presented.

Jo

[mamaleh]

I'm confused. I know he subscribes to Practical Philosophy, which incorporates aspects of many faiths--but doesn't he also take part in Christmas celebrations and sporadically attend a church?

Anyway, shouldn't an actor's private beliefs have nothing to do with the parts he plays? Just as someone who plays a gangster on film doesn't need to belong to a crime syndicate in order to be believable. Seems like a non-issue to me.

Ellen

[foxie]

This is silly he is a Christian and who cares he will do a great job whatever!

[wildfire]

It makes no difference what religion he is or if he even has any religion. He is an actor and he will be playing a part. That is all.

[jo]

Cinemablend has an enthusiastic reation to the APOSTLE PAUL project --

www.cinemablend.com/new/Hugh-Jackman-Going-Play-Jesus-Biggest-Fan-70642.html

Hugh Jackman Is Going To Play Jesus' Biggest Fan

By Gregory Wakeman



Warner Bros.’ new religious epic Apostle Paul has found its leading man in the shape of Hugh Jackman, with the Australian set to take on the titular biblical role (a.k.a. Saul of Tarsus). Jackman will work as a producer on the project too, a position he will share with both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

According to Deadline, Jennifer Todd and Chris Clarke will join this trifecta of bona-fide acting titans as producers on Apostle Paul. Clarke and Todd have been instrumental in bringing the film to the big-screen, which they hope will match the box office of other recent religious features such as Noah, Exodus: Gods And Kings, God’s Not Dead, Son Of God and The Passion of the Christ. Meanwhile Matt Cook has been given the duty of writing the script.

Apostle Paul will see Jackman star in the role of the Jewish man of God who preached the word of Jesus Christ to both Jewish and Roman audiences. Paul was credited with writing 14 books of the New Testament, and his frequent trips to Rome to speak before rulers resulted in him being one of the most important messengers of Jesus.

Paul, who wasn’t one of the 12 original disciples, is even said to have met Jesus Christ. This occurred while he was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, during which he was blinded by a great, white light. Paul would eventually regain his sight after Ananias prayed for him. There are a variety of potential scenes from Paul's life that would perfectly compliment Apostle Paul as a film.

After converting to Christianity, Paul repeatedly preached the word of God and tried to spread the word of Christ. When he was imprisoned for his efforts, and while wrapped up in chains, Paul continued to speak about and praise Jesus. But then a miracle occurred as the prison began to shake as a violent earthquake enveloped the area, then his chains broke off, the jail doors opened, frightened prison guards fled, and Paul was able to leave.

Apostle Paul sounds as if it is shaping up very nicely. Not only are the Oscar-winning minds of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon deeply involved in the film’s development, but Hugh Jackman also has the innate ability to wrap his larger than life personality and elevate even the most bombastic of characters. He’s done that previously with Wolverine over seven instalments of the X-Men franchise, Van Helsing, Jean Valljean, and he'll almost do so again when he portrays Blackbeard in the upcoming Pan.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. have also hired one of the most in-demand screenwriters of the moment in Matt Cook to scribe the film. Not only has he recently scribed Triple 9, the latest from John Hillcoat (The Proposition, The Road, Lawless), but he’s also written the impending efforts By Way Of Helena (which will be led by Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and William Hurt), the recently announced Three Seconds (starring Luke Evans); and Joe Petrosino.

However, as always, the success of the film will mostly be down to Apostle Paul’s choice of director. And with so many prestigious creative talents already on board, they’re certain to have a number of illustrious filmmaker at their beck and call to take over the project.

[hughmanity]

I like this discussion from AMC Movie News:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jMBZW_Zp9g

[jo]

Excellent!


And we here have known that for a long, long time

that --

"he's a chameleon!"


And not everyone knows what this talent can do on stage !


Thanks for the link


Jo

[njr]

Mar 31, 2015 16:23:27 GMT -5 jo said:

Some people ask if faith-based movies have a wide demographics. Other than the story of Jesus ( Passion of the Christ grossed over $ 600 million worldwide) and the recent success of Noah...there have also been successful related stories with religious connotations portrayed on film( Da Vinci Code movies).


Jo

Don't forget about TV! "The Bible" and now "The Dovekeepers" and "A.D." All produced by Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett.

Nancy

[njr]

Apr 1, 2015 12:43:07 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

I'm confused. I know he subscribes to Practical Philosophy, which incorporates aspects of many faiths--but doesn't he also take part in Christmas celebrations and sporadically attend a church?

Anyway, shouldn't an actor's private beliefs have nothing to do with the parts he plays? Just as someone who plays a gangster on film doesn't need to belong to a crime syndicate in order to be believable. Seems like a non-issue to me.

Ellen

The man hired to play Jesus in the recent TV movie "Killing Jesus" was a Muslim!

Nancy

[mamaleh]

There ya go!

Ellen