Modern remake of iconic 1979 Jesus film announced at Museum of the Bible
Jesus Film Project, a leading initiative dedicated to engaging the watching world with Jesus, announced yesterday the launch of its latest cinematic undertaking, JESUS (2025). This ground-breaking film, set to hit theatres worldwide in December 2025, brings the story of Jesus to life as depicted in the Book of Luke, introducing His story to a new generation through cutting-edge film technology.
JESUS (2025) serves as a spectacular remake of the iconic 1979 JESUS film, which holds a Guinness World Record as the most translated film of all time. Fusing unparalleled visual effects and computer graphics, the film benefits from the expertise and talent of a stellar technical and production team, whose credits include Pixar, Disney, and Star Wars.
Dominic Carola, the director of JESUS (2025) has worked on notable animated films such as Mulan, The Lion King and Lilo & Stitch. Carola said, “I feel honored to serve with this truly dream team of feature animation veterans and impressive studio industry artisans. We are working towards presenting the true story of Jesus beautifully animated and making His story more accessible to the world. Leaning into a classic artistic approach, we’re combining that with ground-breaking digital innovations to deliver a visually stunning and emotionally resonant portrayal of Jesus’ life like never before. The team is thoroughly excited that subsequent aspects of the animated film will be used across various platforms, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and the emerging Metaverse.”
History
Back in 1956, a young American Christian missionary, Jim Elliot, was martyred by the Waorani tribe’s warriors along with four missionary partners and friends, for sharing the Gospel in Ecuador. Today, the Jesus Film Project Initiative – The Animated Story of Jesus – coincides with the ground-breaking development of the 2,100th translation of the original live action – JESUS film – released in 1979, into the Waorani tribe’s language from Ecuador.
Next-gen Jesus Film Project
Josh Newell, Executive Director of Jesus Film Project, said, “Following a request for the film in the language, it will be delivered by a partnership comprised of the Jesus Film Project, indigenous Waorani translators, and voice actors from communities across the Waorani people. Just like the original, we hope this animated experiential film will ultimately touch lives in over 2,000 languages, spreading the hope of Jesus to people around the globe.“It’s amazing to be a part of the continued dispersal of the story of Jesus. Even today in 2023, we’re sharing the gospel in new languages and new ways. The telling of the story of Jesus has evolved throughout history, from the Roman Road to the Gutenberg Press, and right up to the present day through the medium of animated film.”
Jen Huff, the daughter of Paul Eshelman the director of the original JESUS Film said, “Through the 1979 JESUS film, tens of millions of people came to know Jesus. It’s a blessing to see the continuation of that legacy JESUS (2025) and to know that tens of millions more people will get to know the hope of the gospel. This film will authentically portray the greatest story of all time to the world, in people’s heart languages and across traditional and digital mediums – it’s so exciting.”
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