"With this much of a following, and with the significance of the events the series examines, it's time to make this historical story into a quality feature film. And that's what we'll be doing over the next year," announced Larry H. Miller.
Miller, along with film producer Scott Swofford and film director/screenwriter Russ Holt, detailed the project's timeline and purpose. Joining them was Deseret Book president and CEO Sheri Dew, representing the interests of the author and publisher. Deseret Book will also serve as the marketing and distribution partner for the movie soundtrack and future DVD and VHS products.
"We don't underestimate the magnitude of this film project," said Swofford. "We are properly funded, have a book that flows easily into a screenplay, and have collected the most qualified talent to produce what we believe will be a film of excellence. This story requires that."
Miller, Swofford and Holt have formed the company Manchester Pictures to handle the production of this film.
With a growing number of films produced for and by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Lund had been approached before for the movie rights to his series. "This offer was right, the pieces were all in place," said Miller, financial partner for the film and longtime friend of Lund. "He looked at the talent of those involved and knew it was the right opportunity. He is excited to watch his series, which took a significant part of his life to write, come to the big screen." Lund will be involved as script consultant on the film and Miller will be involved as an executive producer.
Although not able to attend the announcement (on LDS Church assignment in England), Lund issued the following: "I have complete confidence that the team assembled will produce a film that will engage the mind, lift the spirit and enliven the soul. I was especially pleased when Larry Miller became part of this project. His business wisdom and experience will bring a critical dimension to the team. But more than that, some of the people who were deeply involved in the Restoration story are Larry's ancestors.
"It has been gratifying to find that many people, including those who are not members of the LDS Church, have found the Restoration story to be compelling. My hope is that the movie will help people better understand the Restoration and the events that are so much a part of the LDS heritage and American history."
The first motion picture, The Work and the Glory, will cover volume one of the series. Set in the 1820s, it follows the Benjamin Steed family as they move to Palmyra Township in upstate New York. There they meet a young man named Joseph Smith and are caught up in the conflict and controversy surrounding him.
"The film is primarily a love story, set against the backdrop of the historical events of the day," said Swofford. "You have intrigue, suspense, romance, betrayal and dramatic action. These are the elements of any good motion picture."
It is expected that at least two sequels will follow, covering further volumes in the series.
Production on the film will begin this fall in the eastern U. S., portraying 19th century New England. Casting begins immediately, with talent searches being conducted in London, New York City and Los Angeles. "We're looking for highly experienced acting talent, not necessarily well-known names," said director Holt. "That doesn't mean we won't cast a known actor, but that isn't our primary focus." He referenced the film Sense and Sensibility as the level of performance quality the film team is pursuing. The movie is projected to take 12 to 14 months for production and is expected to be in theaters in late 2004 or early 2005.
"The Work and the Glory series is one-of-a-kind," said Dew. "As the publisher of this series, we have complete confidence in the integrity of those producing this movie and that the integrity of the books will be maintained while crafting an artistic and first-rate movie. Everyone involved with this production epitomizes excellence and quality. This movie is going to touch many lives."
Scott Swofford is best known for his work in IMAX hits Mysteries of Egypt starring Omar Sharif for National Geographic; Olympic Glory with Frank Marshall; Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure for NOVA; and Amazon, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1998. He also was the producer for LDS productions Legacy, Testaments, Luke II, Road to Emmaus, and on the production team of Our Heavenly Father's Plan, The Last Leaf, Labor of Love, and over 150 commercials and radio programs. His work includes seven independent feature films: Rigoletto, Buttercream Gang, Seasons of the Heart, Wildest Dreams, Split Infinity, and Secret of Treasure Mountain. He currently is working on an IMAX film with Walt Disney Productions entitled Mars.
Russ Holt directed the epic period film The Lamb of God, which has become one of the most highly awarded and widely distributed films of the LDS Church, having been broadcast annually as an Easter movie in top media markets across the country. His directorial debut, How Rare a Possession, won a CINE Golden Eagle, has been released internationally in more than a dozen languages, and is still being distributed worldwide. Until recently, he served as a producer for the LDS Church, having written, produced and directed over 30 films, including Lives of Service, Gordon B. Hinckley - Man of Integrity (award winner, Columbus Film Festival), An Ensign to the Nations, and Special Witnesses of Christ. He was second unit director and supervisor of visual effects for the 70mm Testaments.
Larry H. Miller is the film's financial partner. He also will serve as executive producer.
Gerald N. Lund will review the screenplay and serve as consultant.
The Work and the Glory, the best-selling series of books about the early history of the LDS Church and the pioneer migration to Utah, is hitting the big screen.
At $7.4 million, the film will have the biggest budget of any movie in the recent spate of Mormon-themed films, including "God's Army," "Brigham City" and "The Book of Mormon Movie." "The Work and the Glory" film will be entirely financed by auto dealer magnate and Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller.
"It's a project whose time has finally come," Miller said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the movie.
The first book of the nine-volume The Work and the Glory series, Pillar of Light, focuses on the Benjamin Steed family in the 1820s as they move to upstate New York -- where they meet Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The books, written by Church General Authority Gerald N. Lund, have sold more than 2 million copies in the series. They were ranked "the most important [fictional] books of Mormonism" in a 2001 survey of LDS scholars conducted by Brigham Young University's Department of Church History and Doctrine.
"This is not an ordinary series of books. It's a landmark series of books," said Sheri Dew, chief executive of Deseret Book, which publishes the books and will distribute the film on home video after a theatrical release sometime in late 2004 or early 2005.
The film is being produced by Scott Swofford, a one-time producer for Oscar-winning director Kieth Merrill, who made an LDS-sanctioned film, "Legacy" and has produced IMAX films for National Geographic Society and Disney.
The writer and director of The Work and the Glory is Russ Holt, who has directed more than 30 films for the LDS Church.
Though the script is only two-thirds done, initial second-unit photography begins in about two weeks in Vermont, Holt said. The bulk of the shooting will be done next year. Casting will begin soon in London, New York City and Los Angeles.
Holt describes the story as "multifaceted and multilayered" and an epic look at the beginnings of the church, but he emphasized that the movie will first be a love story.
"It's a 'Gone With the Wind' type of approach," he said. "You'll see the broad scope, but you'll also see the intimate lives of these people."
Miller, who is friends with Lund and called himself a "background confidante" to the author during the writing of the books, has always wanted to turn them into movies and said he expects to make at least the first three films unless the first one bombs. They hope to tell the entire book series with five or six films.
"It's an exciting concept, [but] it's always risky . . . on how it will be received," Miller said.
It's an especially hairy gamble since movies in the recent Mormon cinema trend have failed to reach audiences outside Utah or beyond church members.
The latest, "The Book of Mormon Movie," took in only $282,000 in its first two weeks. Another film based on a popular LDS-themed book, "Charly," amassed only $813,000 its entire run.
The exception is "God's Army," director Richard Dutcher's look at life on an LDS mission, which took in $2.6 million at the box office -- modest by Hollywood standards, but nearly nine times the movie's budget, according to The Numbers.com, which tracks theatrical box office figures.
Despite tepid theatrical revenue, though, these movies tend to make much or most of their money back in video sales. A publicist for Salt Lake City-based HaleStorm Entertainment, which produced "The R.M." and "The Singles Ward," said those films, although they each made more than $1 million in theaters, were especially made to make money on the home-video market.
So far, more than 15 LDS-themed movies have been produced for theaters since the success of "God's Army" in 2000, and a half-dozen or so others are planned for the next year. Two will hit theaters in the next two weeks: the mock-documentary "The Work and the Story" and the courtroom drama "Day of Defense."
Also coming are Dutcher's "God's Army 2" and "The Prophet," about the life of Joseph Smith; the World War II drama "Saints and Soldiers"; and the comedies "The Home Teachers," "The Best Two Years," "Church Ball" and "Eat, Drink and Get Married."
PHOTO CAPTION:
Utah entrepreneur Larry H. Miller, left, and movie producer Scott Swofford field questions Wednesday about their project to turn a best-selling The Work and the Glory book series into a motion picture. (Paul Fraughton/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Up to now, LDS filmmaking has been taking baby steps, according to screenwriter Russ Holt. But he hopes his big-screen adaptation of Gerald Lund's "The Work and the Glory" will step it up a notch.
"We feel it is time to go beyond that to another level, because the genre has come of age," Holt said during a news conference Wednesday, where the upcoming film was announced.
With Holt were the film's chief financial backer, Larry Miller; Sheri Dew, president of Deseret Book; and Scott Swofford, who will direct the film.
When pressed for the budget, Miller, who will serve as the film's executive producer, reluctantly announced that it will cost $7.4 million.
"The Work and the Glory: Pillar of Light" will be the first in what is intended to be a film series, with as many as "five or six movies," Miller said. The book series has nine volumes. The first was published in 1990, and more than 2 million copies in the series have been sold by Deseret Book. The books tell the story of the fictional Steed family in the early 19th century and their involvement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as they mingle with real-life characters in the midst of dramatic historical events.
Swofford, an experienced documentary filmmaker, and Holt, whose credits are primarily for LDS Church-sponsored movies, have formed Manchester Pictures to produce "The Work and the Glory." Dew pledged marketing and distribution support, including production of the film's soundtrack and the eventual DVD.
Casting calls will begin immediately in New York, Los Angeles and London, where the producers will seek "top-notch talent" for the roles of the Steed family and other characters. Swofford said shooting will begin "immediately," but that "the bulk of the filming will take place in the spring and summer of 2004, with the goal of finishing it in late 2004 or early 2005."
Elder Lund, the books' author and a member of the LDS Church's Quorums of the Seventy, is currently serving the church full time in England. Dew read a message from him that his books have "all the elements of great drama -- conflict, courage, betrayal, treachery, love, sacrifice, violence."
He will act as a consultant, and he retains the right to approve the script. Elder Lund also said he is "especially pleased" that Miller is involved.
Miller, the well-known owner of the Utah Jazz and numerous automobile dealerships, said he began reading the first volume of "The Work and the Glory" in 1993 and "became hooked 50 pages into it."
PHOTO CAPTION:
Larry Miller, Scott Swofford and Russ Holt are teaming up on film project.
"The Work and the Glory" will not be Larry Miller's first foray into the world of filmmaking.
The auto dealer and Utah Jazz mogul helped finance "Brigham City," the second movie by Richard Dutcher, who had hit it big with "God's Army." And "Brigham City" led to Miller's reported involvement with the third film Dutcher wanted to make, a biography of LDS prophet Joseph Smith.
However, during a press conference Wednesday to announce "The Work and the Glory," Miller said those reports were greatly exaggerated.
"When we had a gathering similar to this one to talk about 'Brigham City,' " Miller said, choosing his words carefully, "I got more than a small surprise when Richard began to talk about the rollout of 'The Prophet' soon -- at least a year earlier than I expected."
Miller said his support of that project hinged on how well "Brigham City" performed.
"The time line accelerated dramatically without me knowing about it. Then 'Brigham City' did not go on a couple of fronts the way I had anticipated."
Miller said Dutcher's approach made him uncomfortable.
"Although the knowledge became widespread that I would be involved in the Joseph Smith film, Richard never came to me," Miller said. "He never actually gave me a proposal. After that, he kind of faded off into the sunset."
Dutcher is currently making a sequel to "God's Army," but he has said that he still hopes to find funding for "The Prophet."
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - "The Work and the Glory," a series of books about early Mormons, is to be set to film in the biggest-budget Mormon movie to date.
The estimated $7.4 million project will be entirely financed by auto dealer and Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller.
"It's a project whose time has finally come," Miller told a news conference Wednesday.
"Pillar of Light," the first book of the nine-volume series, tells the story of the Benjamin Steed family in the 1820s as they move to upstate New York and meet Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The books, written by Gerald N. Lund, a member of the church's Quorums of Seventy leadership echelon, have sold more than 2 million copies in the series. They were ranked "the most important (fictional) books of Mormonism" in a 2001 survey of Mormon scholars.
The film is being produced by Scott Swofford and will be written and directed by Russ Holt, who has directed more than 30 films for the church.
Though the script is only two-thirds done, initial second-unit photography begins in about two weeks in Vermont, Holt said. The bulk of the shooting will be done next year. Casting will begin soon in London, New York City and Los Angeles.
Miller, who is friends with Lund and called himself a "background confidante" to the author during the writing of the books, has always wanted to turn them into movies and said he expects to make at least three films unless the first one bombs. They hope to tell the entire book series with five or six films.
"It's an exciting concept, (but) it's always risky ... on how it will be received," Miller said.
Most of movies in the recent Mormon cinema trend have failed to reach audiences beyond church members.
The latest, "The Book of Mormon Movie," took in only $282,000 in its first two weeks. Another film based on the book, "Charly," got only $813,000 its entire run.
The exception is "God's Army," director Richard Dutcher's look at life on a Mormon mission, which took in $2.6 million - m nearly nine times the movie's budget, according to The Numbers.com, which tracks theatrical box office figures.
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller is helping turn "The Work and the Glory," a series of books about early Mormons, into the biggest-budget Mormon movie to date by financing the estimated $7.4 million project.
"It's a project whose time has finally come," Miller said Wednesday.
"Pillar of Light," the first book of the nine-volume series, tells the story of the Benjamin Steed family in the 1820s as they move to upstate New York and meet Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The books, written by Gerald N. Lund, a member of the church's Quorums of Seventy leadership echelon, have sold more than 2 million copies in the series. They were ranked "the most important (fictional) books of Mormonism" in a 2001 survey of Mormon scholars.
The film is being produced by Scott Swofford and will be written and directed by Russ Holt, who has directed more than 30 films for the church.
Though the script is only two-thirds done, photography begins in about two weeks in Vermont, Holt said. The bulk of the shooting will be done next year. Casting will begin soon in London, New York City and Los Angeles.
Miller, an auto dealer who's friends with Lund and said he was a "background confidante" to the author during the writing of the books, has always wanted to turn them into movies and said he expects to make at least three films - unless the first one bombs. They hope to tell the entire book series with five or six films.
By: Steve Salles
Date: 3 October 2003
Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner
[EXCERPT]
...The title, "The Work and the Story," is a play on words from a popular series of historical novels among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called "The Work and the Glory" -- which, ironically, was announced this week will be made into film. So don't get confused. Slated for a 2005 release, "The Work and the Glory" has the public backing of Jazz owner Larry Miller, who is insistent that his film have the polish and necessary financing to elevate Mormon Cinema to new levels.
That remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, "The Work and the Story" remains not to be seen...
As far as Mormon movies are concerned, it seems anyone with an acting class under his belt is the next star and nearly every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a few bucks (or a few million) is a producer.This doesn't guarantee a quality product, however. So why doesn't the LDS public demand more from LDS filmmakers?
While this is a topic worthy of a roundtable discussion filled with critics and philosophers in turtleneck sweaters, the Mollywood machine steams on, pistons cranking. It seems that only a disaster of Titanic proportions will slow it down. (Like, for example, if "The Singles Ward," while being shown on an Atlantic cruise to thousands of people, caused the gigantic ship to burst into flames, run into an iceberg and sink.)
In a news release from Deseret Book, Larry H. Miller recently announced his intention to back the biggest-budget Mormon theatrical release to date. "The Work and the Glory," based on a series of wildly popular, well-loved books written by Gerald N. Lund, places fictional characters in events related to LDS Church history. Its budget is estimated to be $7.4 million.
In the same news release, Miller, a successful auto dealer and owner of the Utah Jazz, said he thinks this is the perfect time for this kind of movie.
"The offer was right, the pieces were all in place," he said.
Based on its resume alone, "The Work and the Glory" may be a more successful film than "The Book of Mormon Movie: Volume I," which most critics have panned. The new film will be written and directed by Russ Holt and produced by Scott Swofford, both filmmakers with relatively impressive pedigrees.
However, the news release also mentioned that there will be at least two sequels.
"That is, of course, contingent on the first one doing well," said Gail Brown, publicist for Deseret Book.
Filmmaker Gary Rogers also gave a similar disclaimer when he announced that "The Book of Mormon Movie: Volume I" would have as many as eight sequels -- before the first movie had even opened. Call it blind faith, but it seems these local producers don't see a problem with announcing sequels before a movie's release.
We do.
One lesson we should take away from Hollywood is that, aside from the superhero or horror movie genres, few movies get approved for sequels, let alone dramas with limited distribution and audience. And unless you terrorize promiscuous teens, rarely does a character get more than one or two chances to come back in celluloid form. Four to eight sequels is A LOT. Even the most critically acclaimed feats of cinema, such as "The Godfather," stopped after a few sequels.
We just don't want to see anyone get hurt. You remember what happened to the Hindenburg, right?