Andrew and Jon Erwin, known as the Erwin Brothers, are American Christian film directors, screenwriters and film producers known for such films as Woodlawn,[1] October Baby,[2] Moms' Night Out[3][4] and I Can Only Imagine which have collectively grossed more than $150 million worldwide. They are the leaders and co-founders of the production company Kingdom Story Company.
Andrew Erwin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Andrew in 2021 | |
| Born | September 1, 1978 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, film producer |
Jon Erwin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jon in 2021 | |
| Born | May 19, 1982 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, film producer |
Early life
editThe Erwin brothers were born in Birmingham, Alabama.[5] They are the children of former state senator Hank Erwin and grandsons of Henry Eugene "Red" Erwin Sr., a Medal of Honor recipient and World War II veteran.
Career
editEarly projects
editAfter stopping their studies at a film school, the Erwin brothers produced The Cross and the Towers, a documentary about the steel cross found in the debris of the World Trade Center towers after September 11 attacks.[6]
Jon Erwin served as second unit director for Alex and Stephen Kendrick's 2011 film Courageous.[7] When asked by Alex in reference to his career, "[w]hat is your purpose?", Jon and Andrew conceived the idea for their first feature film, October Baby, a Christian pro-life drama which was released in 2011.[8][9] The brothers went on to produce and direct several other faith-based films, including comedy Moms' Night Out (2014), and sports drama Woodlawn (2015).
Commercial breakthrough and Kingdom Story Company
editTheir 2018 music biopic I Can Only Imagine, became a surprise box-office hit with $17.1 million from 1,629 theaters during its debut weekend, and went on to become the most successful independent film of the year of 2018, as well as the third-highest grossing music biopic at the time of its release. Distributed by Lionsgate, made more in box office receipts than all of their previous films combined and is their most successful film to date, with $86 million in worldwide box office against a production budget of $7 million.[10][11]
The success of I Can Only Imagine led to the founding of Kingdom Story Company, a subsidiary of Lionsgate founded by the Erwin brothers and frequent filmmaking collaborator Kevin Downes, specializing in Christian films.[12] Some will be directed by the Erwins, while other movies will use newcomers and other veteran directors.[13] Jon Erwin compared it to a "Christian Pixar" or "Christian Marvel". As Baptist Press put it, the company will specialize "in a specific area"—the faith-based genre—and be able to "work on multiple films at one time."[13]
In early 2019, the Erwins revealed that their fifth film, I Still Believe, would be focusing on the life story of Christian musician Jeremy Camp.[14] It was released on March 13, 2020.
In February 2020, Andrew Erwin related the Erwins' goal in filmmaking:
Our focus is still firmly rooted within the church, but it's focused out[.] ... And so our goal is to reach out beyond the church walls to engage a generation that's walking away from the church – as an introduction to Christianity.
— Andrew Erwin, in an interview with Christian Headlines[15]
In 2021, they released The Jesus Music, a documentary about contemporary Christian music. They also released American Underdog, a biopic about NFL quarterback Kurt Warner. The film drew $27 million at the box office and was positively reviewed by critics.
In 2023, the brothers released Jesus Revolution, a drama about the life of the Christian men who sparked a countercultural movement in Southern California in the 1960s. Though it received mixed reviews, the film grossed $54 million on a budget of $15 million.
In 2024, they released Ordinary Angels, based on a true story during the 1994 North American cold wave. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and grossed $20 million on a $12 million budget.
The Wonder Project
editIn 2023, Jon Erwin founded a new studio called The Wonder Project with former Netflix executive Kelly Hoogstraten "to create a trusted brand that serves the faith and values audience globally with movies and TV shows they didn’t know were possible."[16] The new company received $100 million in seed funding from companies including Lionsgate and filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, who is a shareholder in the company.[17] Their first project is House of David, a historical drama series scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime Video in 2025.
Filmography
editJon Erwin
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Cross and the Towers | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary film Also cinematographer and editor |
| 2011 | October Baby | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also executive producer and cinematographer |
| 2012 | Fully Alive | Yes | No | No | |
| 2014 | Moms' Night Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015 | Woodlawn | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| 2017 | Steve McQueen: American Icon | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2018 | I Can Only Imagine | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| 2020 | I Still Believe | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Jesus Music | Yes | Yes | Executive | Documentary film |
| American Underdog | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2023 | Jesus Revolution | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2024 | Ordinary Angels | No | No | Yes | |
| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2025 | The Unbreakable Boy | No | No | Yes | Completed |
| Sarah's Oil | No | No | Yes | Post-production |
Andrew Erwin
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Cross and the Towers | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2008 | Hearing Everett: The Rancho Sordo Mudo Story | No | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | October Baby | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also story writer and executive producer |
| 2012 | Fully Alive | No | No | Yes | |
| 2014 | Moms' Night Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015 | Woodlawn | Yes | Executive | Yes | |
| 2017 | Steve McQueen: American Icon | No | Yes | No | Documentary film |
| 2018 | I Can Only Imagine | Yes | Executive | Yes | |
| 2020 | I Still Believe | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | The Jesus Music | Yes | Executive | No | Documentary film |
| American Underdog | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2023 | Jesus Revolution | No | Yes | No | |
| 2024 | Ordinary Angels | No | Yes | No | |
| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2025 | The Unbreakable Boy | No | No | Yes | Completed |
References
edit- ^ McNary, Dave (November 20, 2014). "'Woodlawn': Jon Voight Starring as Bear Bryant in Football Movie". Variety. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
- ^ Ryzik, Melena (April 4, 2012). "'October Baby' Film Makes a Dent at the Box Office". The New York Times.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (May 8, 2014). "Dad's Watching Us? Call Social Services". The New York Times.
- ^ Goforth, Dan (May 6, 2014). "Filmmakers The Erwin Brothers Schedule a Moms' Night Out".
- ^ Gregory E. Miller, Brothers want to ‘build a bridge’ between Hollywood and Christians, New York Post, 15 mars 2018
- ^ Bob Carlton, 'October Baby,' first feature for Birmingham's Erwin brothers, opens this weekend, al.com, October 27, 2011
- ^ S David Acuff, ‘October Baby’ The Erwin Brothers, Christian Blockbusters and the New Roman Road, linkedin.com, USA, March 22, 2018
- ^ Neil W. McCabe (March 11, 2012). "'October Baby' a comedy-drama of teen abortion survivor trauma". HumanEvents.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ Melena Ryzik, Film Inspired by ‘Abortion Survivor’ Is Quiet Hit, The New York Times, April 4, 2012
- ^ "I Can Only Imagine (2018). Weekly". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ "I Can Only Imagine (2018)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Mia Galuppo (March 27, 2019). "'I Can Only Imagine' Producers, Lionsgate Set Faith-Based Film Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Foust, Michael (October 18, 2018). "Erwins unveil next plans, envision 'Christian Pixar'". bpnews.net. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ Longs, Herb (March 3, 2019). "Jeremy Camp Inspired 'I Still Believe' Movie Coming March 20, 2020". TheChristianBeat.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ Michael Foust (February 19, 2020). "Director: "I Still Believe" Is a 'Huge Opportunity' to Reach the Unchurched". Christian Headlines. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Jon Erwin, Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten Launch Faith-Based Indie Studio The Wonder Project; Jason Blum, Lionsgate, UTA Among Backers
- ^ Religious Movies Are Sweeping Hollywood. Rich Investors Are Pouring In Millions.
