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By India McCarty
Neal McDonough has joined the cast of JIMMY, the upcoming Jimmy Stewart biopic!
“[JIMMY] beautifully captures James Stewart’s transformative years in the 1940s,” a press release about the project reads. “From Hollywood’s award-winning leading man (and most eligible bachelor) to enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps. From World War II commanding officer to love-struck GI. From war hero to a broken man, Jimmy Stewart came home lost. Until IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE found him.”
Related: Jimmy Stewart Biopic in the Works—Here’s Who Will Play the Hollywood Icon
McDonough is set to play Stewart’s father, Alexander. He joins RIVERDALE’s KJ Apa, who will play Stewart, Christopher McDonald (Lionel Barrymore), Jason Alexander (Louis B. Mayer), Max Casella (Frank Capra), Sarah Drew (Hedda Hopper) and Jen Lilley (Gloria Stewart).
“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life,” Apa told Variety of the movie “As someone from New Zealand, I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity, and a deep sense of duty.”
He continued, “It is important to me to give back to a country that has given me so much, and what better way to do that than by honoring a man who served it with great honor.”
Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, Stewart’s daughter and an executive producer on JIMMY, said, “My family and I are delighted and excited that KJ Apa has agreed to play my father in this film. In addition to his considerable acting skills, KJ’s enthusiasm for the project will only add to the energy and depth he will bring to the role.”
JIMMY will also share Stewart’s upbringing in the church. His father was a deacon and instilled a strong faith in the actor.
“[His dad] just prayed for his son, raised him, invested [in] him,” producer and director Aaron Burns told CBN News. “And, all of a sudden, Jimmy winds up making it as an actor, heading off to Hollywood, and rising through the ranks to become a huge star.”
One scene in the movie will include a letter Stewart’s father gave him that included a copy of Psalm 91.
“It’s about the Lord’s comfort and Lord being with you,” Burns said. “And his dad said, ‘I have confidence and I will be praying for you the whole time you’re away that God will be with you. You’ll make it home safely,’ and [Stewart] kept that with him in his uniform every mission that he went on.”
He concluded, “I want my kids to be able to know the hero that Jimmy Stewart was and to see what he went through, the sacrifice he made for us, and to see what the powerful prayers and love of a father for their son — the impact that that can make, so that’s a story that we’re helping to tell.”
With a star-studded cast and a heartfelt script, JIMMY is sure to be a hit with fans of Stewart’s story — and create a new generation of fans for the actor.
Read Next: How The Faith of Jimmy Stewart’s Parents Impacted His Life
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