Stephen Baldwin Movie 'The Least of These' About Martyred Missionary Set for Early 2019 Release
An upcoming Stephen Baldwin movie based on the life of an Australian missionary martyred in India in 1999 is slated for release in early 2019.
Titled "The Least of These," the plot centers on the life of Graham Staines, who along with his two sons was killed in India while ministering to lepers.
Skypass Entertainment, which is overseeing production of the film, announced on Friday that the film will be released early next year to mark 20 years since Staines' martyrdom.
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Victor Abraham, head of Skypass and the executive producer for the film, said in a statement released last week that the movie "beautifully illustrates the power of love, hope and forgiveness to overcome hate."
"It is the very edict of the commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself," he added.
Originally titled "Staines," the film was shot on location near Hyderabad and told the story of the missionary through the perspective of a fictional young journalist named Manav Banerjee.
"When speculation mounts that Graham Staines (Stephen Baldwin) is illegally proselytizing leprosy patients, Manav agrees to investigate undercover for the newspaper," Skypass says about the film.
"What Manav finds is a series of revelations that are difficult to fathom and even harder to explain, forcing him to make a choice between his own ambition and the truth."
The film stars Baldwin as Staines, Bollywood star Sharman Joshi as Banerjee, with Aneesh Daniel as director and with a soundtrack that includes Michael W. Smith, Nicole C. Mullen, and TobyMac.
In an interview with The Christian Post earlier this year, Baldwin explained that he believed that God called him to do the movie, adding that it was an answer to prayer and "empowered by the Holy Spirit."
When speaking about the movie at the National Religious Broadcasters Proclaim 2018 conference in March, Baldwin stressed the importance of "revival."
"The greatest need for revival in my mind — this is something that the Lord showed me the other day — I got this from the Holy Spirit in a prayer time. Every revival has always just been a reminder," said Baldwin.
"The Holy Spirit is always who He is, and He is the never-ending, immeasurable power of God and we just need to be reminded of that."
