The studio behind the sleeper hit of the summer “Sound of Freedom” is ready to shock Hollywood again when it drops its new apocalyptic movie “Homestead” which will later transition into a TV series.
Angel Studios said it has completed production on its faith-centered original movie and TV show based off the best-selling book series, “Black Autumn,” from Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross. The film comes from the same studio responsible for the popular faith-based television series “The Chosen.”
“Homestead, based on the best-selling book series ‘Black Autumn,’ is a post-apocalyptic family survival drama,” a description about the movie read. “A string of attacks and collapses drives troubled Green Beret Jeff Kirkham to take a job as head of security for a wealthy doomsday prepper, Ian Ross. Ross has built an elaborate permaculture compound for friends and family. As the fabric of America goes to pieces, a few dozen families scramble to ‘The Homestead’ in a last-ditch effort to survive.”
“They quickly discover that Ross’ elaborate plans will not protect them,” the description added. “Outside the gates, desperate neighbors, criminals, and opportunistic rivals look to The Homestead’s resources as a treasure trove. Inside, the community divides into factions: military versus civilian, compassionate versus practical, spiritual versus rational. These groups clash over every fatality, every demand of survival, and over the strange prophecies of Jeff’s adopted daughter.”
“Eventually, the gentle rhythms of the land permeate all, and a spirit of unity begins to overtake the community,” it continued. “As they cultivate the plants, animals, and the soil, and as they face looming destruction, their modern squabbles give way to ancient, forgotten truths.”
A teaser trailer dropped this week giving viewers a sneak peak of what they could expect. The opening shot showed a burning building with a voice over that said, “Everyone wondered how the world broke…”It was followed by numerous images of people fighting in the streets before a report comes on announcing some kind of nuclear explosion. One person can be overheard saying, “America’s just been attacked.”
Near the end of the one-minute plus long clip, a voice over said, “Everyone Wants To Know How The World Ended….This is the story of how it began again.”
“I’m always a fan first when it comes to Angel films,” Jeffrey Harmon, Co-Founder of Angel Studios said in a press release obtained by The Daily Wire.
“I’m excited to see a hope-filled, family apocalypse story hit the screens—because isn’t God always doing something incredible, even during tough times?” he added. “Homestead goes on a wild ride through the crash of civilization, only to reveal that family, community and love are the ultimate survival advantage. I can’t wait to watch the movie and the TV show.”
Set to release sometime in 2024 on the big screen, “Homestead” is lead by a star-studded cast such as Neal McDonough (“Yellowstone”, “Minority Report,” and “Band of Brothers”), Bailey Chase (“Longmire,” “S.W.A.T., 24: Legacy”), Dawn Olivieri (“1883,” “House of Lies”), Jesse Hutch (“Batwoman”), and Kevin Lawson (“The Shift”), the release noted.
Directed by Ben Smallbone (“I Still Believe,” “Steve McQueen: American Icon”) and produced by Ben Kasica and Andrea Royer, “Homestead” was made after $1.25 million was raised because of nearly 3,000 Angel investors, the release added.
After the film’s theatrical run, it will transition into a TV series, the press release noted. However, it is unclear how long the later will take.
The “Homestead” TV series will be led by showrunners Ben Kasica (“Miracle,” “I Still Believe”) along with one of the original authors of the “Black Autumn” book series, Ross. The series has sold more than 750,000 books to date.
“Homestead” will follow the huge success of the faith-centered independent film from the studio, “Sound of Freedom.” The movie, which deals with the horrors of human trafficking, made it into the top ten grossing films of 2023 domestically after earning $184,177,725 by the end of the year, Christian Headlines noted.
“Sound of Freedom” is based on a true story of Tim Ballard — played by actor Jim Caviezel — a federal agent who quits his job and embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue a young girl from sex slavery in South America.
The film became the surprise hit of the summer after it opened in select theaters across the country on July 4 and ended up earning $19 million at the box office opening weekend, beating out the highly-anticipated movies like “Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny” from Disney.
Despite critics giving it a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, movie goers loved it and gave the film a 99% audience score on the site. One critic wrote that the movie,” is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that is both socially relevant and artistically impressive.”
Its success also makes it the highest grossing independent film since 2019’s “Parasite.”