HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — A full-length drama about the life and work of Ellen G. White, the female co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is in pre-production and Jennifer Lawrence has been announced as the actress to play White.
Provisionally titled Messenger, the film is completely funded by the General Conference and has been billed as a culturally-relevant way to tell the story of the woman whose visions and writings have shaped the church.
A number of General Conference committees have been assembled to ensure that the film stays true to the historical record. GC leadership is desperately trying to avoid the recent controversy surrounding the cancellation of The Record Keeper, a steam punk web series adaptation of White’s book The Great Controversy. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent producing the series only for the project to be canceled at the last minute by unimpressed senior GC leadership.
The film will highlight White’s impact on the church through her extensive writing on practical Christianity, health and prophecy. The White Estate has decided to stress White’s progressive stances on women to appeal to audiences both in and outside the church and to help rehabilitate the image of the denomination after a damaging vote last summer to ban women’s ordination.
“Jennifer Lawrence is no pushover, she has taken a stand on issues ranging from the hacking scandal that disseminated private photos of celebrities, to her demands for pay equality between male and female actors,” said Ellen G. White Estate representative, Noalas Compilaciones. “Ellen White did all she could to empower the women of her day and we thought that based on her outspoken track record, Jennifer would be able to best convey this dedication to the cause.”
Messenger is due for release on October 22, 2016. It will be released online and will also be showing in church fellowship halls around the world. “We are obviously not releasing an Ellen White movie in theaters,” said Compilaciones.
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