'War Room' directors Alex and Stephen Kendrick announce new film coming in 2024
Filmmaking brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick are gearing up for the release of a new faith-based film hitting theaters next August.
The project, which is scheduled to begin this summer with a wide North American theatrical release on Aug. 23, 2024, is a partnership between The Kendrick Brothers and AFFIRM Films, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. The film will be directed by Alex Kendrick and produced by Stephen Kendrick, while both brothers will write the screenplay.
While the title and plot details are being kept under wraps, the Kendricks’ film will be defined by “humor and heart” to inspire “audiences everywhere,” according to details shared with The Christian Post.
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“When we got the call, the Kendrick Brothers were ready to share their next story idea, we knew it would be a powerful one — and they delivered. We’re honored to partner with them again on another film that will entertain, challenge and lift up families in a time when so many people need encouragement and renewed hope,” said Rich Peluso, executive vice president and Head of AFFIRM Films.
The brothers are known for creating films that speak to society’s most pressing issues. The duo launched their filmmaking journey by founding Sherwood Pictures, an independent production company that served as a ministry for a local church based out of Albany, Georgia.
Since then, they’ve released a slew of faith-based films, including "Overcomer,” “Facing the Giants,” “Fireproof” and “Courageous.”
Their 2015 hit, “War Room,” which was filmed on a $3 million budget, was released by Sony in just over 1,500 theaters. It earned $27.9 million in just two weekends and eventually grossed $74 million worldwide.
Stephen Kendrick recently told The Christian Post that whatever issue they're tackling through their films, they've found that God's timing is "perfect," adding, "We're just in the bus hanging on for the ride."
Their latest film, "Lifemark," which stars Kirk Cameron, addresses abortion and adoption. The movie premiered just months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that usurped state laws and legalized abortion nationwide.
"Believers and churches and communities need to be reminded of the beauty and the compassion that they can demonstrate to girls that are in unwanted pregnancies, to the unborn that have no one speaking up for them, to families that will need to step up and demonstrate compassion and concern at every level," Kendrick said.
The brothers acknowledge that the film's subject matter is "sensitive," but it's nevertheless a topic the Church must address with "love and compassion."
"Sometimes the truth is hard to process, but we've got to go there," Steven Kendrick said. "And so we are now in a position to say that when Scripture says to stand for the innocent and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, that … God knows us in the womb, and He knows us before we're born, He knows everything about us, and He values us, for us to stand for the unborn."
In addition to the 2023 yet-unnamed project, the Kendricks are anticipating the re-release of their first film, "Flywheel" (2003) and a video curriculum for college students, "Heart of a Filmmaker.”
The curriculum will teach students "what we've learned as Christian [filmmakers]" about how "to include the Lord's principles and how we tell stories and make films,” Alex Kendrick recently told Christian Headlines’ Michael Foust.
"The goal is to be faithful with what God's called you to do and the platform that you have to honor Him," Kendrick said. "I cannot deny that He led us in that direction and blessed our loaves and fish. He's getting the glory. We're not getting the glory for it. … We commit it to Him. And we just trust Him with the results."
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
