Christian novelist Karen Kingsbury is taking on a new endeavor, producing her first full-length feature under her new production company–Karen Kingsbury Productions.
The “queen of Christian fiction” is getting behind the camera to bring to life her novel, Someone Like You. It’s a love story with redemptive themes of reconciliation, sacrifice, and beauty from tragedy.
“I really felt like it wouldn’t be what I pictured it to be unless I did it myself,” Kingsbury told Christianity Today. “I’m running towards the Red Sea. God’s parting the water, but my toes might get a little wet.”
The New York Times Bestselling author and writer of more than 70 titles has had films produced by the Hallmark Channel, films released on the streaming service Pure Flix, and several other novel-to-film adaptations at film festivals.
But Kingsbury felt it was time to step out in faith and try something new.
She and her husband have invested more than $2 million into Someone Like You and have plans to put $1 million more towards advertising and publicity.
But her success in the movie industry is not guaranteed.
“The advice I got was ‘Don’t use your own money,'” Kingsbury said. “And ‘Don’t put it all in one film.’ Everything I heard, I’m going the other way. But I feel good about it.”
Kingsbury follows a long line of faith-based writers who have taken the leap into the film industry under their own production companies.
Notably, Dallas Jenkins, creator, and co-writer of The Chosen began his production company with his mother Diana. Now “The Chosen Season 3” is capturing the attention of audiences worldwide and last December hit the number three spot at the box office.
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“We have the ability to try new things, such as putting a TV show in theaters, because our fans are so passionate and supportive. Hopefully, this causes others to check out Seasons One and Two,” said Jenkins.
“For me, it’s about the impact and seeing what God is doing,” he told CBN’s “The PrayerLink,” last year. “God has something to say and I’m just wanting to be a part of it.”
Pastors turned writers, Alex and Stephen Kendrick, are the dynamic duo behind box office hits like LifeMark, Courageous, War Room, and God’s Not Dead.
The Kendrick Brothers production company has more than 100 faith-based theatrical releases, which have earned a total of $1.34 billion in theaters, WSB-TV reports.
Kingsbury and her team are excited about having full creative control over her work.
“By producing our own films, we hope to give a wide audience everywhere an experience they haven’t yet had,” Kingsbury told Publishers Weekly in September. “Through the years, I have learned many things about making a beautiful picture. But this will take my movies and TV shows to an entirely different level.”
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