John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress' to Become Faith-Based Film

Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven Wikipedia

Christian filmmakers King Street Pictures have begun to produce a groundbreaking faith-based fantasy adventure film, "Heavenquest: A Pilgrim's Progess," which is a modern take on an old tale, The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), cited as the first novel written in English, has been translated into over 200 languages and read for centuries. Now it will be watched on big screens.

The production is taking place in Redding, California. Director Matt Bilen said he wants the movie to challenge how people usually think about Christian films.

"With this film, we're trying to break new ground in the faith-based genre. It's dirt-under-the-fingernails, action-packed, grittier, more stylistic, and more cinematic than what audiences have seen previously. Our cast is diverse, representing faith around the globe. We think this unique combination is the 'next step' faithful moviegoers have been looking for," said Director Matt Bilen in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

The cast features many well-known international actors including South Korea's In-Pyo Cha, Mexico's Fernanda Romero, America's Alan Powell, and Australia's Peta Sergeant.

Inspired by Bunyan's classic tales, the film will feature a war between the Northern (Heaven) and the Southern (Hell) Kingdom, a lone man's quest to reach the North with the help of an ancient book.

The filmmakers said there is a growing market for Christian films abroad.

"As we have traveled the world, especially Asia, we have seen the strong demand for such content amongst Christians abroad, and we believe the next generation faith films should be designed to engage all of those audiences worldwide," said Mark.

"We believe our modern, edgy retelling of this classic story with a diverse international cast is going to pioneer new markets for faith-based content abroad and will capture the imagination of audiences worldwide, especially in Asia," he added.