Say Your Prayers: Billy Graham's Getting a Biopic
Filed under: Independent, Casting, Religious, Cinematical Indie
When you think of TV preachers, you probably first think of the scandal-plagued hypocrites. Guys like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson gave televangelism a bad name, and countless Christians have been disillusioned by their shenanigans. So it's nice to see that someone's making a biopic about the guy who gave televangelism a good name in the first place: the Rev. Billy Graham. Graham, who will turn 90 this year, managed to avoid controversy almost entirely throughout his long ministry -- he achieved this by actually being a decent guy -- and he earned the respect of millions of people of all faiths. Now comes word that an independent film called Billy: The Early Years is in the works, with Armie Hammer (Batman in the upcoming Justice League flick) playing the preacher as a young man. Lindsay Wagner and Martin Landau (who is evidently still alive) are also in the cast.
Oh, and the director? Teen-heartthrob-turned-TV-director Robby Benson! I had no idea, but apparently the guy has directed dozens of episodes of TV comedies over the last 15 years.
Billy: The Early Years started filming in Tennessee this week. It's an indie production, so there's no definite time-frame for a theatrical release, or even a guarantee that there will be one. We'll keep you posted.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-04-2008 @ 4:18PM
DS said...
Billy Graham's record is not exactly spotless. He made some pretty widely reported anti-semitic statements in taped conversations with Richard Nixon, and even once referred to AIDS as a judgment from God.
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 4:29PM
Eric D. Snider said...
... and subsequently profusely apologized for both. With the anti-Semitic remarks (which seemed out of character anyway, considering he has always been supportive of Israel), he said he would get down on his knees and beg the Jewish community's forgiveness if necessary. Unlike a lot of public figures who offer half-hearted apologies when they get caught doing something, his seemed sincere, at least in my opinion.
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 4:35PM
DS said...
Graham at first claimed to never have made the anti-semitic remarks, and then when presented with the tape of them, said he did not remember making them. How many times have we seen political figures go through this exact same pattern? His public apology was clearly an attempt to save his public image, nothing more.
4-04-2008 @ 4:57PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
"Graham, who will turn 90 this year, managed to avoid controversy almost entirely throughout his long ministry."
That's a 60 year ministry, BTW.
"Almost entirely" may have been a little strong, but I didn't read the word "spotless" anywhere in Eric's piece.
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 4:58PM
Philpott said...
grrr!!!!
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 5:08PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
oh great, we've pissed off the bear!
4-04-2008 @ 8:10PM
Philpott said...
I have to comment about the comments.
Reply
4-04-2008 @ 8:11PM
Philpott said...
...but that was not to be my intended comment. Fuck it. Grrr!!!
4-06-2008 @ 1:00AM
DonDarling said...
Does anybody here remember 30 years or so ago when Graham was pleading poverty that his ministry was going to crash if he didn't
get an infusion of money. It turned out he had $ 30,000,000 or so in reserves. The equivalent of about $ 100,000,000 today! He made that
plea without seeing a 900 foot tall Jesus or hotel rooms to sell
Reply
5-24-2008 @ 1:34AM
Ben said...
Your opinion of Billy Graham is obviously not going to change, but your information is false.I suspect you're mad at God about something and make statements because deep in your heart is pain.Most people that dislike Billy Graham,don't hate him but hate the person of his massage , Jesus Christ. And all Jesus ever did was love the world , as He died on a Roman cross.
Ben
4-06-2008 @ 1:15AM
Eric D. Snider said...
Don, you're thinking of Oral Roberts, not Billy Graham. It was Roberts who had a vision of the 900 foot Jesus and who claimed God would smite him if he didn't raise enough money.
Reply
5-23-2008 @ 11:09AM
bruncrazy1 said...
Dear brothers and sisters,
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Billy Graham is a man, his message has always been sound. Being a man, he also has acknowledged his own sin nature and never claimed perfection. He did, however, step aside and make Jesus the focus, not himself, and that is a good example of how a Christian should live. I love the fact that any time I heard him preach or talk, he never said, "I think", or "I say", he always stated clearly with Bible at the ready, "The Bible says" or "God said", or "Jesus said". That in itself is more admirable than most preachers I have ever heard. If I were to pick a human model to follow it would be Billy Graham, but we are to pick our heavenly model of Jesus, as He was the only One to be perfect in the human form. God bless.
Rev. Barry Skinner
Reply
5-24-2008 @ 4:08AM
samson said...
hi everybody!
GOD IS THE JUDGE AND HE WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS SO HE RAISED BILLY GRAHAM . HE IS NOT PERFECT AS HE IS HUMAN BUT GOD HAS USED HIM TO THE MAXIMUM FOR HIS GLORY AND HONOUR.
ARE U WILLING TO COMMIT YOUR LIFE TO LORD JESUS CHRIST AS BILLY GRAHAM DID? IF YES THEN RESPOND TO THE CALL OF GOD AND HE WILL USE YOU.
DONT SAY THIS BULLSHIT AGAIN AGAINST ANY BODY .
Reply