Nicholas Cage gets Left Behind

The Hollywood Reporter announced that the rapture focused reboot of the “Left Behind” series has been green lit.  And whats more, the casting for the reboot is moving up a notch with Nicolas Cage joining the group of survivors left after Jesus wisks the faithful off just before all hell, and the anti-Christ, break loose.

Or will the sometimes creepy Cage end up being the Anti-Christ himself? Looks like its still to early to comment.

Legendary stuntman Vic Anderson (he was Harrison Ford’s stunt double who got thrown through a jeep window and then slides back under using the bullwhip in Raiders of the Lost Ark) will direct the first film in what is planned to be a trilogy.  Says Anderson:

The story will be more in the mold of a classic disaster film. The plot unfolds during the first few hours after the Rapture and focuses on the survivors.

I guess that means a little less evangelism and a few more buildings getting blown up.

I admit, although I found the theology of the books a little (a lot) suspect, (full disclosure, I think I made it to about book 4 or 5) the original movie starring Kirk Cameron was…OK.  Not the train wreck it is often described as.  I even participated in the great project that all the churches and pastors were getting behind and rented a big room to show the film to my neighbors.  When the film was finished they all pretty much agreed to still be my friends after but I did blow some relational capital in the process 🙂

But now my position is: Christians need to STOP making End Time movies.  They are almost impossible to do without looking cheesy, they are hugely irrelevant to anyone’s life situation, and they pretty much eliminate love and grace as part of the Christian message.

But wait, I DO have a great idea though for an End Time movie.

What if Jesus does come back for a rapture and takes all the really conservative… um….”interesting Christians” away.  You know, the ones that feel that homosexuality causes hurricanes, that flip out when a courtroom doesn’t display the Ten Commandments, or rail against homeless people as they drive past on their way to church.  What if the movie showed Jesus taking them all off to heaven and then turns back to rest of us with a loving smile, a knowing wink, and whispers “I’ll be back to join you once I get the kids to bed.”

Then rather than disaster and tribulation, a huge celebration breaks out on Earth because all the party poopers are gone.

That’s an End Times movie I’d pay to see!