The Erwin Brothers Tell Kurt Warner’s Powerful Story of Faith in AMERICAN UNDERDOG
By Movieguide® Staff
Andy and Jon Erwin’s upcoming movie, AMERICAN UNDERDOG, details the true story of Kurt Warner and the uphill journey he took to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
“Jon and I, we love true stories and we ultimately choose stories of redemption, of the human spirit,” Andy said in a recent press conference. An underdog story was something we had really wanted to do.”
Andy, a former chairman for ESPN, also knew many stories with those qualities in the sports world. The brothers eventually had the opportunity to talk to Kurt and his wife, Brenda.
“Jon and I got a chance to sit down with Kurt and Brenda, the first thing we asked them is, ‘what do you think your story is? What do you see it as?’ and Kurt said, ‘I feel like this isn’t about me on the football field. I feel like this is about my partnership with my wife and us fighting for our family, and ultimately, our son Zach inspiring that journey.’ And I said, ‘that’s a movie we want to tell.”
Brenda, who had Zach in a previous marriage, said that her son’s disabilities inspired them to share their story with others who may have children with similar difficulties.
“When you watch the movie, when you sit through the credits, at the end, you will see this story and in a beautiful way because of Zach’s life,” Brenda said. “We just got to the point in our lives that we’re like, we’re here to figure out how to help others do what we’ve done. That’s this movie. And when Zachary graduated high school, if you have a child with special needs, you know, you’re done with any help at all, you’re on your own. So Kurt and I looked at each other and said, ‘We got to do something, he needs and deserves a full life just like our other six kids.’
“We decided to build this residential facility for adults with intellectual disability called Treasure House,” she continued. “That to me is why we went through all we went through, that we are here to say there’s hope. Zachary is shining. That’s my baby. That’s my champion, like I want to be able to share it with the country. So this is just the stepping off point.”
“It’s a whole lot better as she said Treasure House is full,” Kurt added. “So, so much of what you see on the big screen has really been what spearheaded our mindset to say, ‘hey, God’s not done with us yet, we got a lot of work to do.’ And that’s what it looks like in our lives right now.'”
The Erwin brothers are experts at bringing stories of faith and perseverance, like the Warner’s, to the big screen. Jon noted that faith is one of the most critical aspects of their movies, which have earned I CAN ONLY IMAGINE and I STILL BELIEVE award nominations and wins at the Movieguide® Awards Gala.
“When we did this film, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, we landed on this phrase, ‘a rush of hope.’ And that’s probably the connective tissue in the stories that we tell is we love to tell true stories and we wanted to just create this rush of hope,” Jon said. “The goal of this film was always about telling this story and getting the story right. We talked about it so many times, but to reinvigorate the dreams of the audience, [and for] people to watch this film and say, ‘You know what? if they can accomplish their dreams, maybe we can accomplish ours.
“We can do it together and the idea that nobody wins alone,” he continued. “Faith is infused in the stars’ entire story, faith in God, faith in a dream, faith in each other. And I just think that those are themes that we need right now.”
AMERICAN UNDERDOG is set to premiere on Dec. 25, on Christmas Day.
“I love the time that this movie is coming out,” Jon said. “To think that it’s coming out on Christmas Day, when you go see a film with your family, that’s just the perfect occasion for this movie.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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