The official trailer for the groundbreaking Bible-based musical Journey to Bethlehem was released this week, showing the story of Mary and Joseph set to modern-style music in what the trailer bills as the "Greatest Story Ever Told."
Journey to Bethlehem will be released in theaters on Nov. 10 and is the first musical from Affirm Films, the same studio behind such movies as War Room, Fireproof, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Miracles from Heaven.
The trailer features upbeat music and shows actors portraying Mary, Joseph and Herod, among others.
The film's director, music producer Adam Anders, received Grammy nominations in 2011 and 2012 for Glee and in 2013 for Rock of Ages and has produced music for faith-based projects The Passion (2016) and Son of God (2014).
Journey to Bethlehem features classic Christmas melodies and pop-style music.
"I have had a dream to create a Christmas musical for years and to see it come to life with a stunning cast has exceeded every expectation," Anders said. "We could not be more excited for this film to be a classic for years to come."
Milo Manheim, who portrays Joseph, called it "one of the best musicals I've ever been a part of."
"I hope this music goes down in history because I'm going to be listening to it for a long time," Manheim said.
Fiona Palomo (Outer Banks) portrays Mary. The film also includes For King and Country's Joel Smallbone, Christian singer Moriah and Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae.
"This is Affirm Films' first musical in 17 years and over 65 films, and the opportunity to work with one of the most successful music producers and songwriters for our first outing has resulted in a film that far exceeds our expectations," said Rich Peluso, executive vice president and head of Affirm Films. "We're looking forward to sharing this accessible and amazing musical journey with audiences around the world."
Photo courtesy: ©Affirm, used with permission.
Video courtesy: ©Affirm Films
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.