A Behind-The-Scenes Look at THE FORGE
By Jason Hooker
The Kendrick Brother’s next faith-based movie, THE FORGE, is arriving in cinemas on August 23rd 2024. At a press screening in Los Angeles on Tuesday July 9th, they shared about their inspiration, journey making the movie and the wonderful ways God moved through the production. They were joined on stage by the 3 lead actors: Aspen Kennedy, Cameron Arnett and BJ Arnett. The atmosphere in the room was joyous, with many audience members expressing the great emotional and spiritual impact the movie had on them.
Speaking of the film’s central theme, which is discipleship, the Kendrick Brothers stated, “Writing this film was very convicting. We started every day with prayer, and we cried over this film.”
THE FORGE is a fictional story about a young man named Isaiah Wright. A year out of high school with no plans for his future, Isaiah is challenged by his single mom and a successful businessman to start charting a better course for his life. Through the biblical discipleship from his new mentor, prayers of his mother and a prayer warrior named Miss Clara, Isaiah begins to discover God’s purpose for his life is so much more than he could hope for or imagine.
After the success of Number 1 hit WAR ROOM, the follow up from the Kendricks Brothers has been highly anticipated. Several of the Kendrick Brothers movies — FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF, OVERCOMER, WAR ROOM, and COURAGEOUS — have all won Movieguide® Teddy Bear Awards®.
The filmmakers spoke of the experience on set for THE FORGE as a great moment of Christian fellowship for all involved. Director and Writer Alex Kendrick stated, “We started every day with prayer, and the cast were people of faith.” Producer and Co-Writer Stephen Kendrick added that the movie’s emphasis on the power of prayer was immensely important to them, largely due to their own childhood, saying “We have grown up seeing answers to prayer.”
The cast also spoke of the film production as a powerful experience that left a positive mark on them. “Working on a Kendricks set is a little slice of heaven,” said actor Cameron Arnett. “This movie will revolutionize you. The church has forgotten who we are: this movie calls us back.” Lead actor and newcomer Aspen Kennedy, who gives a remarkable performance as Isaiah Wright, added that it was his first experience of a movie set where “the work comes second, and the Lord is first.”
Actress BJ Arnett, who is the real-life wife of co-star Cameron Arnett, spoke fondly of the moment when they both received the screenplay from the Kendricks Brothers. “You don’t get a script like this all the time. It resonated with my husband and I.”
After their past successes, and with THE FORGE on its way, it seems there is no stopping the Kendricks Brothers from boldly proclaiming their faith and changing lives via the cinematic medium. In The Forge, their intention is stronger than ever. “Truth translates best in the context of loving relationships,” Stephen Kendrick states. “We want to transform people with the power of the Gospel.”