How This Sequel Holds Up on Its Own, According to Its Director

Published: January 19, 2026

Andy Erwin — Movieguide® Red Carpet Photo

By Shawn Smith

What happens after you reach the height of success and achieve all that you wanted? Is it happily ever after?

Director Andrew Erwin explored those questions in the upcoming sequel to the popular film I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2.

“The first [movie] was really complete in of itself. And it was important to Brent McCorkle, my co director, and I, to make sure we just, we didn’t go back and retread,” Erwin told Movieguide®.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 follows the true story of MercyMe front man Bart Millard after the reconciliation with his dying father Arthur, (Dennis Quaid) and their song “I Can Only Imagine” catapults them into stardom in the first movie. In the sequel, Millard (John Michael Finley) struggles balancing family life and fame especially after his son Sam (Sammy Dell) is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

“It just presented this beautiful question of like, what happens if you’re happily ever after breaks?” Erwin said. “[W]hat happens if, on the other side of this moment that you feel like it’s going to be the defining one of your life, what if there’s struggle and failure on the other side of that and where is God in that struggle?”

Quaid, who reappears in the follow-up movie in flashback scenes with Millard, touched on the movie’s themes of redemption and forgiveness.

Related: I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

“Arthur asked for that forgiveness…for that…redemption, which is something that we get for free, that we feel like we don’t deserve. And, you know, that’s, a very powerful thing,” he said.

Quaid shared that it was a “special” opportunity to reprise his role as Arthur, considering what an impact it had on audiences.

“[T]here’s a real thirst out there, I think, for this story. So it’s like the number one movie that people come up to me in airports about,” he revealed.

Erwin praised the crew, saying that “they were probably the best crew that I ever got a chance to work with, and putting them together was pretty special.”

He gave a special shout-out to Finley and Dell and their portrayal of a strained father-son relationship.

“The first IMAGINE was a father-son story. It was, you know, a son towards his father, and Bart trying to reconnect with his dad,” Erwin said. “And this one, Bart is the father, and he’s trying to connect with his teenage son…it really is a beautiful mirror image.”

“Sammy Dell is a newcomer, playing Sam Millard, and the camera just loves him he’s so charming. And he and John Michael played off each other so well.”

The AMERICAN UNDERDOG director hopes the audience gets out of the movie a “rush of hope” and are touched by the theme of “gratitude.”

“I think it actually is a better movie [than the first]. And I think it finishes the story in a way that people desperately need, but don’t know it,” he said.

Actress Danica McKellar agreed with Erwin’s sentiments as she attended an early screening of I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2.

“My family and I had the honor of attending an early screening at @kingdomstorycompany’s production studios of I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 – the sequel that defies the odds to somehow surpass the original,” McKellar posted on Instagram. “I was struck by the depth of the satisfaction in my heart and soul – this movie leaves you feeling so satisfied – and like you know how to tackle life.”