JESUS REVOLUTION Director Jon Erwin Launches Faith-Focused Studio
By Movieguide® Staff
JESUS REVOLUTION director Jon Erwin has launched The WONDER Project, a studio committed to creating content that serves “faith and values” focused audiences.
Erwin and former Netflix and YouTube executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten started the production house, based in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, to provide entertainment options for audiences often ignored by major studios.
“The dream of The WONDER Project is to create a trusted brand that serves the faith and values audience globally with movies and TV shows they didn’t know were possible,” Erwin said. “We will achieve this by giving the creatives dedicated to this audience (including myself) a level of freedom and resources they’ve never had before. This level of talent combined with the power of the stories we are developing is really inspiring! I can’t wait for the audience to experience the things we are working on.”
“I believe entertainment sits upstream from culture,” added Merryman Hoogstraten. “And today, the world needs a way to find common ground again. Here at The WONDER Project, our goal is to flood the world with hope. I am convinced we can make a difference by telling stories that restore hope in things worth believing in – family, community, God, and America. We will do this at scale for a global audience that seeks faith and values-driven entertainment. And we will give the audience a brand they can call their own.”
Per Deadline, Lionsgate, United Talent Agency, producer Jason Blum, Sovereign’s Capital and Powerhouse Capital have contributed over $75 million in seed and Series A funding, which was raised before the launch.
THE CHOSEN director and creator, Dallas Jenkins, will serve as a special advisor to the studio.
“‘I’m so thrilled there’s a place for people like me who can have the creative freedom and a connection to the audience. I don’t want to have to constantly have to convince people that there is an audience for’ faith-based movies and TV shows,” Jenkins said.
“The Wonder Project is tapping into a massive, global need,” added Ian Doody, managing partner at Powerhouse Capital. “The faith and values audience is global, and the quality shows being developed will meet the long-standing and growing consumer demand. We’ve been very impressed by the team at The Wonder Project, and we’re confident in their vision for creating best-in-class programming for this vast global audience.”
The WONDER Project plans to collaborate with filmmakers and build off the success of THE CHOSEN and movies including THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, WAR ROOMS, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, SOUL SURFER and SOUND OF FREEDOM.
“These projects’ accomplishments are a testament to the hunger for such storytelling; however, the mainstream, legacy entertainment industry has been inconsistent in its backing of values-centric films and TV shows, leaving an opportunity for WP to fill the demand from this global audience,” a press release explained.
“Wonder Project at present has about a dozen writers at work on the early stages of crafting scripts. They’re also looking for more like-minded creators who can help them expand the definition of faith-based content,” Variety reported.
“We need to create a scaled solution for the heartland, for the audience that goes to school with my kids,” Merryman Hoogstraten said. “I love the idea of doing so many great stories that are values-based. We just want to flood the world with hope right now.”
“We’re going to dream bigger because the audience wants more,” explained Erwin. “The content that we make can be infused with values and the things that pull us back together as a family and as Americans.”
- Content: +2Share:
- Content: +1