Sony Affirm Announces Cast for Upcoming Nativity Musical
By Movieguide® Contributor
Sony Affirm recently announced that Fiona Palomo, Milo Manheim and Antonio Banderas will star in a new movie musical, telling the Nativity story.
The logline for the story reads:
“A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical celebration for the entire family, weaves classic Christmas melodies in to new pop songs in a music-infused retelling of the timeless story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus.”
The movie is currently in production with Monarch Media and is slated for release in November this year.
Palomo stars as Mary, Manheim as Joseph and Banderas as King Herod.
Other members of the cast include Joel Smallbone from FOR KING + COUNTRY as King Herod’s son, rapper Lecrae as Gabriel and Rizwan Manji, Geno Seagers and Omid Djalili as the three wise men.
“This joyous and fresh take on Mary and Joseph’s journey, combined with the infectious music and insanely passionate vision of Adam Anders made this an undeniable fit for the story into a Christmas classic that will resound with young children, families, teens and adults,” said Rich Peluso, EVP and Head of Affirm Films.
Director, writer and composer Adam Anders, writer Peter Barsocchini and music composers Nikki Anders and Peer Astrom have been involved in previous musicals including GLEE, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL and ROCK OF AGES
“I first had the idea for the film years ago when I was looking for a musical to watch with my family at Christmas time,” said Anders. “I want this movie to be a bright light this Christmas season—as bright as the star of Bethlehem.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Affirm’s work:
Sony Affirm, the faith-based arm of SONY Pictures, will soon launch a television division.
“One of the great challenges working theatrical projects at AFFIRM Films is the limitations of the market- crowded release dates and narrow capacity for only the biggest and broadest projects. The expansion into episodic/television content allows us to better serve storytellers in reaching an audience through a greater number of distribution platforms including broadcast and streaming services,” said Rich Peluso, EVP/Head of Affirm Films.
Peluso is a longtime friend of Movieguide®, and Affirm has worked with multiple Movieguide® Award-winning projects, including SOUL SURFER, WAR ROOM, THE STAR, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, and MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, among others.
At the 26th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala and 2018 Report to the Entertainment Industry, Peluso won The Jeannette Clift George Award for Furthering Entertainment with Faith & Values for his tireless and superior efforts over many years to present the truth of the Gospel through Hollywood movies.
Sony executives have praised Peluso’s keen eye for content, especially in faith-based projects.
“[Peluso’s] understanding of the genre as well as his strong relationships within the faith community and with filmmakers have been key to our success,” said Steven Bersch, President, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) in 2013.
Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter, Co-Presidents at Sony Pictures Television Studios, are equally excited to move into television.
“We have been so impressed with the films that Rich Peluso and his Affirm team bring to the big screen, and feel that we’ve found a perfect partner to translate that brand to the small screen,” Parenell and Clodfelter said in a statement.
“We can’t wait to begin to develop series under the Affirm Television banner,” they said.
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