The “Jesus movement” of the 1960s and 1970s will be the subject of a new movie from the filmmakers behind I Can Only Imagine and American Underdog.
According to a news release, the new movie, titled Jesus Revolution, will tell the true story of the “national spiritual awakening” of the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California.
Five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer will play the late Chuck Smith, the pastor who founded the Calvary Chapel movement and was a mentor to Greg Laurie. Laurie – now a well-known pastor – was a young man at the time and experienced a spiritual awakening under Smith’s guidance.
It also stars Anna Grace Barlow, who stared in The Big Lead, NCIS. She plays Laurie’s friend Cathe, and Jonathan Roumie from The Chosen who plays hippie preacher Lonnie Frisbee.
The Jesus movement was the focus of a Time Magazine cover story in June 1971. The cover art included a depiction of Jesus under the headline, “The Jesus Revolution.”
Grammer said of his role, “Jesus has been a profound influence in my life. I am proud to be a part of this film.”
Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn co-wrote the script. It will be directed by Erwin and Brent McCorkle and produced by Kevin Downes.
Erwin said “The movie’s theme of finding a deeper meaning to life, in the midst of a fractured and broken world, is timeless.”