After they ceremoniously took an oath to be men of courage, the lead cast of fathers in the 2011 movie “Courageous” ended with the fathers in various stages of fulfilling their new vow to God and their families.
Officer Adam Mitchell was becoming a more present father for his 15-year-old son Dylan. Officer Nathan Hayes had instilled in his teenage daughter Jade her worth and had begun to mentor the fatherless boy Jade wanted to date. Rookie cop David Thomson acknowledged and began to care for his out-of-wedlock daughter, officer Shane Fuller’s greed landed him in prison and the officers’ comical friend Javier Martinez was enjoying a promotion at work.
Moviegoers will see the fathers’ progress in “Courageous the Legacy Edition,” the film’s 10th anniversary update the Kendrick Brothers and Sherwood Pictures will release in September 2021.
“We had a conversation about the fact that the principles in ‘Courageous,’ especially for fatherhood, were just as applicable today as when the movie was released a decade ago,” director and actor Alex Kendrick said Dec. 8. “And in many circumstances, you had a new generation of fathers that did not have children 10 years ago.
“Then we began talking about how interesting it would be to see where the characters were 10 years later. When you begin applying new principles to your role as father or parenting, what would that look like over a decade? What would the result of that be?”
New ending planned
With Sony Pictures on board, the Kendrick Brothers wrote new scenes, filmed them in October and are in the post-production phase of the updated film. The original “Courageous” has been re-edited to flow more quickly, new cinematic shots have been added, deleted scenes have been reborn and new technology has been utilized.
“If you loved the original movie, it’s still there. But now, you’ll see new shots … and then an entirely new ending,” Kendrick said. “The original movie ends with the climactic scene, and then it will literally say ‘10 years later’ on the screen, and we’ll fade in on the city 10 years later.
“I love the result of it. I love seeing how these characters grow over the course of the film, and where you get to catch up to them 10 years later. I’m not sure how many movies have done that. I know movies will age their actors with makeup … but actually seeing the same people in the same movie 10 years later is very interesting.”
Addressing concerns
The new movie will address some of the current law enforcement struggles and societal crises, Kendrick said, but will primarily address timeless concerns of fatherhood and discipleship.
The Kendrick Brothers will present as a complement to the movie the documentary “Show Me the Father,” presenting true stories of people’s relationships with their earthly father and the heavenly Father. “Show Me the Father” will be a separate theatrical release in 2021, Kendrick said.
Church connection
Sherwood Pictures, a ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia, under the leadership of Pastor Michael Catt, will own the new film. Catt produced “Courageous” and other Sherwood Pictures offerings produced before the Kendrick Brothers expanded their filmmaking ministry beyond the church, with their pastor’s blessing.
Their latest movies, including 2015’s “War Room” and 2019’s “Overcomer,” were produced independently of Sherwood Church, although brothers Alex, Stephen and Shannon Kendrick are still active members of the congregation.
Courageous earned more than $35 million at box offices worldwide, according to TheNumbers.com movie earnings tracking site.
The trailer for “Courageous the Legacy Edition” is set to release in the spring with details available at Courageousthemovie.com.
Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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