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\u201cIt just told the second half of a father\u2019s story that we got to tell the first half with Bart,\u201d Erwin said, referring to Bart Millard, whose life inspired the original movie. \u201cNow we get to tell the second half of when life messes up like now, \u2018How do I give to my son, to my kids, what I never had?\u2019 There\u2019s a beautiful, just full circle moment, and this completes the loop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erwin said he was initially hesitant about making a sequel, even though the first film was a massive hit that helped pioneer the current landscape of faith-based entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of doing a sequel just was something that intimidated me a lot, because I just didn\u2019t want it to feel gimmicky,\u201d he said. He credited writers Bart Millard and Brett McCorkle with presenting a story that changed his mind. \u201cThe story that was pitched to me by Bart and Brett McCorkle just so shattered me, and it just told the second half of a father\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quaid, who returns for the sequel, said his decision to sign on was driven by the strength of the material and by a long-standing creative rapport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love working with Andy. It was such a great story again, and it was worth telling,\u201d he said. He described the series as \u201ca chain of fatherhood\u201d in which multiple generational relationships are linked by shared struggles and hopes.<\/p>\n
Quaid reflected on the impact of the original film, which he said defied industry expectations and found a wide audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so touched just by reading it and making it. And then the weekend it came out, those powers that be that decide everything about what\u2019s going to be success or anything they were saying, \u2018Oh, it may make 2 million, like these faith movies, or whatever,\u2019 made 17, and it was very, kind of gratifying,\u201d he said, noting the original\u2019s surprising box-office return and the audience\u2019s ability to detect authenticity in a film.<\/p>\n
Andy Erwin placed the sequel in the context of a larger evolution in faith-based entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a small group of us that we all started is these people that said, \u2018Hey, we want to represent what we believe, and we want it to be taken seriously\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a lot of struggles of finding our voices. There was a lot of cheese that we had to wade through. I was part of the cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Erwin said the last decade has seen the genre gain credibility and reach, pointing to high-profile projects and filmmakers who have raised the profile of faith-themed storytelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the moments that have come and to see what\u2019s happened, especially in the past, you know, eight years, has been really special. See what God\u2019s done with Dallas Jenkins, with \u2018The Chosen\u2019, what my brother (Jon Erwin) is doing with \u2018House of David,\u2019 \u00a0what Alejandro (Monteverde) did with \u2018Sound of Freedom\u2019,\u201d he said, referencing recent works that have expanded the genre\u2019s creative possibilities and audience reach.<\/p>\n
Erwin credited Quaid with helping legitimize faith-based projects at a critical moment for the filmmakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dennis signed on to do the film is, Dennis was the biggest star that we had worked with and for him to kind of take a risk when a lot of other actors hadn\u2019t done that up to that point, he was like, I\u2019m going to legitimize that,\u201d Erwin said. \u201cBecause he put his stamp of approval on us, and we made something special, that\u2019s why we keep working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quaid downplayed any sense of celebrity obligation and spoke plainly about his connection to the project and its themes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a very special film, just on its own, without, with, just, you know, as a story and stuff. It was, I was so touched just by reading it,\u201d he said, adding that audiences can often sense when a film is authentic. \u201cI really believe in audiences. And you know, that\u2019s an audience can smell whether a movie is like authentic, or they\u2019re all sudden they show up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both men struck a tone of camaraderie and mutual respect as they discussed the work that brought them together. \u201cI love working with Andy,\u201d Quaid said simply, stressing the trust that has developed over multiple projects.<\/p>\n
Erwin summed up the creative trajectory with characteristic candor: \u201cWe kind of formed something really special in that bond, and it\u2019s been cool to see that grow and the audience being taken seriously by the studios.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI Can Only Imagine 2,\u201d directed by Brent McCorkle and Andy Erwin and starring John Michael Finley, Milo Ventimiglia, Sophie Skelton, Arielle Kebbel, Sammy Dell, Trace Adkins, Dennis Quaid, releases in theaters February 20 from Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate Studios. Watch the interview with Dennis Quaid, Andy Erwin and DeWayne Hamby below:<\/p>\n