The same studio that released the 2023 box office hit Sound of Freedom and the 2024 critically acclaimed film Cabrini unveiled a new slate of projects Thursday and pledged to continue to transform how movies and television series are made. Angel Studios unveiled three new projects and announced that eight additional ones that previously were greenlit are in the production stage or have wrapped up production, meaning that 11 new titles are in the pipeline for the studio known for its inspiring family-focused titles. The announcements came during Angel’s annual Illuminate event in Provo, Utah.
“We’ve got some remarkable new projects,” Angel co-founder Jordan Harmon told members of the Angel Guild, which has nearly 300,000 members across the world and has the sole responsibility for greenlighting projects.
Angel, he said, is “shaping the future of storytelling and film and shaping the future of our culture.”
Harmon unveiled three new projects:
-- Fellowship, follows the story of friends and contemporaries C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as they write their classic novels. (Lewis penned The Chronicles of Narnia, while Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings.) “This film gives us a peek behind the minds of the great classics,” Harmon said. Paul Syrstad will direct it.
“Fellowship”
— Angel Studios (@AngelStudiosInc) May 10, 2024
“Fellowship” tells the story of friends C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien as they write their classic novels. This film offers a peek into the minds behind the classics like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia.”#angelstudios #angelilluminate pic.twitter.com/Q7rOrjsTF8
-- A Week Away: The Series, a musical spinoff of the popular Netflix musical A Week Away, tells the story of foster teens whose lives are changed for the better when they attend a summer camp. “Think High School Musical, but way better and more meaningful,” Harmon said. It will be Angel’s first musical and is set to be produced this fall. Alan Powell and Steve Barnett, two producers of the Netflix film, are behind the new series.
“A Week Away: The Series”
— Angel Studios (@AngelStudiosInc) May 10, 2024
A musical series that follows the journey of teenagers navigating through troubled experiences in the foster system. Their lives take a transformative turn when they attend a summer camp that defies expectations.#angelstudios #angelilluminate pic.twitter.com/PimQcOmBbY
-- Sweetwater, a film that tells the story of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, who was the first African American to sign an NBA contract, according to NBA.com. The film will be available exclusively to Angel Guild members, Harmon said.
Angel Studios rose to prominence among movie buffs last year with the success of Sound of Freedom, which was the 10th-highest-grossing film of 2023 and even edged the film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Angel has released several titles since that one, including 2024’s Cabrini, which holds the distinction of topping 90 percent approval at Rotten Tomatoes among both critics and audiences.
Angel will release two movies in the coming weeks. Sight, which hits theaters May 24, tells the uplifting true story of a Chinese immigrant who overcomes all obstacles to achieve global fame as an eye surgeon. Sound Of Hope: The Story Of Possum Trot, which releases July 4, follows the inspiring true story of a couple that sparks a faith-focused movement whereby 22 families adopted 77 children.
The Hollywood system of making movies, Harmon said, is broken.
“It's a few Hollywood executives sitting in boardrooms in LA, living in a bubble where all their friends think like them,” he said. “They don't really know the rest of the world that well.”
For an Angel studio to be greenlit, he said, it must pass the Angel Guild.
“We're completely replacing that [Hollywood] gatekeeper model with the Angel Guild,” Harmon said. “And it's a system of governance built to make Angel a studio that can keep its moral compass for over 100 years.”
Eight projects that were previously announced are in advanced stages, Harmon said. Those titles are:
-- The German King, which follows the story of one of Africa’s forgotten heroes, Rudolf Bell, has finished the scripts for season one and is going into production.
-- Testament, a modern-day retelling of the book of Acts, is wrapping up production this month.
-- Gabrielle and the Guardians, an animated fantasy series that draws inspiration from ancient Hebrew text, has finished season one scripts and is going into production.
-- Homestead, a post-apocalyptic family survival drama, will enter production for season one soon. A Homestead movie is scheduled to be released in theaters this Christmas.
-- The Riot and the Dance, a nature-centric documentary series with a biblical worldview, is finishing production of season one and is scheduled for a Christmas release. The creators of Netflix’s Hello Ninja are behind it.
-- Bonhoeffer, which follows the story of World War II hero pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is scheduled to be released in theaters Thanksgiving.
-- Truth and Conviction, which tells the story of three teenage boys who stand up to Hitler during World War II, has entered into production.
-- Live not by Lies, which reveals the stories of families who suffered during totalitarian regimes, has entered production for season one.
Meanwhile, Neal and Ruvé McDonough announced a first-look deal with Angel Studios which will give the Angel Guild the first opportunity to partner with the couple on any new projects. Angel, they said, is making movies that other studios reject.
“We are so excited,” Neal McDonough said. “...What Angel has devised is something truly unique that no one else has done.”
Image Courtesy: Arthur Strong & Epistle of Dude
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.