The actors behind a powerful new movie that imagines a dystopian America where Bibles are banned, Christianity is vanquished, and believers are forced into underground churches are sharing the miracles that helped make the movie possible and the powerful messages they hope audiences take away. "Disciples in the Moonlight" stars Drew Varvel, Brett Varvel, and Josh Strychalski joined CBN News to explain the ins and outs of the movie.
"I would describe it primarily as an action suspense thriller," Brett said. "This [is a] movie that was based off of a question that Josh came to me with over 10 years ago, which was, 'What if the Bible was illegal?'" With that in mind, "Disciples in the Moonlight" focuses on seven characters who are trying to smuggle the Bible to underground churches across the U.S. at a time when the Scriptures are illegal and a new, "less-offensive" and watered-down version of the Bible is available.
Brett's real-life brother, Drew, who co-stars in "Disciples in the Moonlight," said the most exciting part of the project is that "there's nothing else like this." While the movie imagines a terrifying America — one in which the government cracks down on faith — Brett said this situation exists in other countries today. "We have freedom here in America, and what I've seen happen over my lifetime is a continual growth of apathy in the church of America," Brett said. "And, so, all of a sudden, this desire started building in my heart."
And that desire is to wake up the church and prepare people to stand if and when more intensive persecution does strike. "It really centers around the question of: 'How much do we treasure the Word of God?'" Brett said. "Is it absolute truth? Is it absolute authority in our lives? Josh has had a great quote in some of our interviews where he says, 'Am I a practicing atheist in my faith?'" He continued, "I really desire to see the church wake up here in America."
Strychalski said there were "challenges and setbacks" along the way to getting the movie made. But those issues led the team to lean into God. "All of the challenges and setbacks that we encountered in every phase of the project was really an opportunity for us to press into ... prayer," he said. "The release of this movie [can] only be explainable because God did it. And it wasn't something that we were able to muster up our strength to do on our own willpower."
and this is a show where we go behind the headlines every day to bring you an interview with a pastor, entertainer, politician, or other notable news figure. And this is a show, again, it's daily, but it's based on our weekly TV show, which is also called Newsmakers. You can watch it on the CBN News channel and also on our YouTube page. And on this show, every day we dive deep, it's a little more longer form with one of the people who you will often see on our Newsmakers show or across the CBN News platforms. On today's Newsmakers, the actors behind a powerful new movie that imagines the dystopian America where Bibles are banned, Christianity is vanquished, and believers are forced into an underground church. Our joining us on the show, Disciples in the Moonlight Stars, Drew Vervell, Brett Vervell, and Josh Strychalski join CBN News to talk all about the ins and the outs of the movie and why it matters and the real life persecution we see around the globe, with no further ado, here are those actors to join us on today's Newsmakers. So the new film, Disciples in the Moonlight, really exciting plot line, and you've been working on this, Brett, for a long time. For those who don't know the plot line, how would you describe it to fans? I would describe it primarily as an action suspense thriller. This was a movie that was based off of a question that Josh came to me with over 10 years ago, which was, "What if the Bible was illegal?" And it focuses on seven characters who are trying to smuggle the Bible to underground churches in different states in a version of America where the Bible is illegal and Christians are being forced to hand in their copy of God's Word for a new and revised, less offensive version of the Bible. Now I've got to ask you, Josh, because that is an interesting question to ask. Obviously, it's been a decade in the making this question that you sparked this movement to make a movie now. But what was it that made you ask that question initially? I don't really know. I was actually, we had been meeting with some guys on the west side of Indianapolis about creating, possibly creating film and just the whole endeavor, and we needed stories. So I went home and I started brainstorming, and I listened to music when I brainstormed, and my son had just been born. So I don't know if I was just feeling afraid about being a new father or what. But as I was listening to the music, I was listening to "Clear to Loon," and I just heard corn rustling here in Indiana. I saw people running through the corn, I heard gunshots, and I thought, "Well, why are they being chased?" I thought, "Well, what if they were smuggling the Bible?" I'm not really sure why that question sparked, but that's what came out of the brainstorm. So, yeah. Yeah. Well, look. And here we are. You got a film out of it. But I think, obviously, from a faith perspective, an idea was planted for you in that moment. And I think it's interesting to see how God sometimes does that in our lives, and you end up doing something like this. Now, it's also a reality for people around the world. This is a reality in China. It's a reality in North Korea, and plenty of other places. It might sound crazy to people here. This idea that a Bible would be potentially banned. But look, even in Finland right now, you've got a politician up on charges because she shared a Bible verse, a popularized resident. So, this is a very real thing for people around the world. Drew, for you, what was the most unique part of this project once you guys were able to kind of bring it to fruition? I think it was just the fact for me that we were creating something so unique. I mean, I had kind of been observing these two kind of shepherd this project over the years. And just with great anticipation for the day that it would happen, but the one comment that I was constantly hearing from other cast members or other crew members was like, yeah, there's nothing else like this. And that's really encouraging to hear. But we all felt that onset that we were creating something bigger than ourselves. And so it was with that great anticipation that we can get this movie out to the world and they can finally experience the story that we've been passionate about for so long. Yeah, Brett, it's interesting because the storyline feels very end-time-ish, right? Like you think about where are things going to go at the end of days. And of course, we have no idea when that is. Some people think we're there now. You watch the news. You might wonder. Tomorrow is at 500 years from now, but this particular project, was that an intended vibe around the project in light of the subject matter to sort of give a lens into what that might look like? It really wasn't a desire to try to prophesy or compare to the book of Revelation or anything like that. It really, for me, after Josh shared that initial idea with me, I was so convicted to my core because to your point about comparing to persecuted churches in other parts of the world, I've always had a disconnect when I compare my faith to the faith of my persecuted brothers and sisters in other parts of the world because we have freedom here in America. And what I've seen happen over my lifetime is a continual growth of apathy in the Church of America. And so all of a sudden, this desire started building in my heart of what if we took the freedoms that we currently have and made the most of it, and then prepare ourselves so that if persecution did come, we would be willing to stand in the face of that persecution no matter the cost all because it really centers around the question of how much do we treasure the Word of God? Is it absolute truth? Is it absolute authority in our lives? Josh has had a great quote in some of our interviews where he says, "Am I a practicing atheist in my faith? Do I kind of read the Bible but not live it out the way I should?" A Christian atheist, yeah. And I think that those are some of those questions that for years just sat heavy on my heart because I really, I really desire to see the Church wake up here in America. I desire to see people be bold about their faith, be busy about the Word of God in the face of whatever the persecution may or may not look like because the Lord did promise that hardship would come to us. He said, "If they hate you, don't be shocked because they hated me first." And I think that those are some of those core themes that we tried to weave into this thrilling tale of disciples in the moonlight. Well, and look, I will be the one to say this and I'm not going to ask you to comment on it unless you want to. But if you had said, I've been covering these stories for a really long time now, both entertainment stories and also, you know, news stories. And 10 years ago, if you had told people, "Oh, people are going to be arrested in the UK for praying outside of clinics," or a woman who's in parliament in Finland is going to be, you know, brought up on charges for sharing a Bible verse, people would have said, "You're crazy. This will never happen." They did. Right? They did. They did. People. And they said, "That'll never happen. You guys are way out in the left field." And we said, "Okay." And that was going to keep looking away. Yeah, that was a big part of the delay for so many years was where people were just saying cute idea, not worth putting money or time into because this will never happen. And even since we've released our trailers and everybody's hearing about the movie coming out July 17th, there's even been pushback of people saying, "You guys are crazy. The Bible will never be banned in the United States." And they're not paying attention to the little tiny little changes in our culture of trying to redefine what is true. There's going against the Word of God and then whispers of people asking pastors to turn in sermons ahead of time for approval. Bibles being burned in Tennessee on Easter Sunday, like things like this are starting to happen in our culture right now in the United States. But to your point, they're happening on alarming levels in other parts of the world where I even heard a story recently from Voice of the Martyrs where a pastor was found in the streets, asked, "Are you a Christian?" And he said, "Yes." And he was shot right there in the street in front of people. These are things that currently happen in our world. And so it goes back to that question, "Are we ready for that? What would we do if that was our reality?" Yeah. And again, going back to China, I mean, we know that there are reports that the Chinese Communist Party is rewriting the Bible, that they literally are creating their own version of it, one in which Jesus stones the woman caught in adultery. It's so wild, but yet it is happening. And to assume that it wouldn't happen here in light of some of the things you just mentioned is potentially a very dangerous assumption and that apathy you were talking about, that can be a very troubling thing. Now, you just mentioned one of the things that was a challenge. Josh, I'd be curious, what were some of the other challenges? I mean, getting a movie made is a miracle and it took 10 years, right? I mean, any movie getting it made, you guys know this is a miracle. So what were some of the other challenges you guys hit up against? Yeah. All right. How long do you have? [laughter] It's so many. I mean, just, you know, getting funding, that, getting that across the finish line. Well, and we've been, I mean, Brett came to us, what was that, like six months before we green? Yeah. He said, "I think we need to slash our budget in half." And I said, "What?" [laughter] That doesn't make a lot of sense, but we did. And then, and he's attested to this as well, money just started coming in. But then it was just the challenge each, as we went through pre-production, just getting the right people, casting the right people, finding locations. I mean, we had, what, 12, 13 overnight shoots. We had to secure a highway rest stop. We had to find a cornfield that didn't have corn plowed over here in October in Indiana, which is no small thing. So we had challenges across the board, but I think it came out, I don't know, I think it came out better than we hoped. Yeah. That's my opinion. So we had challenges and setbacks that we encountered in every phase of the project was really an opportunity for us to press into a prayer request that goes years back where we wanted the making of this movie, the release of this movie to only be explainable because God did it. And it wasn't something that we were able to muster up our strength to do on our own willpower, but that we could step back and say, "That was the Lord. There's no other way that we could explain it." And to his credit, that has happened every step of the way. Well, I kept the notebook. During production of all the things that I knew that God had done or brought to us, and I stopped when I hit 125 because it just got to be absurd, and I'm just, I'm writing literally every day and I'm like, okay, that, yeah, none of this could be explained without God stepping in and just taking over, basically. That's amazing. Yeah. Drew, for you, when you look at the film, your participation in it, how did it maybe challenge or change your faith as you just journeyed through to completing the project? Sure. So the question that Brett was kind of talking about, this film asks kind of everyone to encounter and to answer is, you know, if this was your reality, how would you respond? I think all three of us had a long time to think about that question, press personally. And I think I'd like to say that that fueled each of our performances in the film. I play a guy named J.J. Smith, he's one of the seven Bible smugglers, and a fun challenge also was, well, maybe not challenged, but a fun opportunity was that I got to play brothers with my real brother, which was fun to bring that built-in chemistry to the big screen. But you know, I, when I was preparing for the role, it was a lot of conversations with these two, and then just kind of like diving into scripture for myself, and really kind of answering that question because it's a tough one. But what I love is that even in the original 12 apostles, they're all so different. They're all so unique. And there's a lot of them that have these doubts and these fears, and they're constantly having to be reminded of who Jesus is. And I think in many ways, that's J.J. in this movie. He's very aware of the danger that they are facing in this story. And he's one of the people that's asking, why are we doing this? I think he's just somebody who's confused in this world that they're living in. He's trying to do his very, very best. But I just think, you know, in a way, it speaks to the larger theme of the film, which is to remember, not remember where you have fallen and that everyone is in need of a savior. And that is a beautiful story that my character gets to kind of contribute to that theme. But for me personally, you know, it's just been a huge growth opportunity. I grew in the making of this movie. And you know, now seeing the finished product, I think it's a wonderful, wonderful tale and a really challenging film to watch because I think everyone's going to have to answer that question when they see it. Yeah. And that's the core of faith, right? What you just described, being able to convey that through a really interesting film like this is pretty amazing. So, for a final question, I'm going to have you all answer it because this is an important one. You know, at the end of the day, you, of course, want people to be entertained and intrigued. But when people finish watching this movie, I'll start with you, Brett, what do you want them thinking, feeling, experiencing? I want them initially to be filled with hope. If we went through this entire experience and just left people with a discouragement, we've not done our job well, I want them to see that there is hope in the Word of God. There is hope in a relationship with Jesus Christ, no matter the cost. So hope would be the main driving motivation, for sure. But I also desire that people immediately following the viewing of this movie would go find their Bible and read it and like treasure it, get into it and see what God has to say. I've sat in way too many small groups and Bible studies where people just don't read their Bible. And it's very, very alarming. One of the earliest video inspirations that Josh and I encountered in the development of this project was seeing these Christians in China who had just received the shipment of smuggled Bibles and they're opening these boxes and they're weeping over the Bibles and kissing the Bibles and it was just this affection for the Word of God that convicted me as someone who has been a follower of Christ for a long time. And so I hope that people will pick up a copy of God's Word and let the Word of God transform them. I love that. And Josh, for you, what would you say? So I mean, that specifically, but what we had several theme verses throughout, and one of them was one that's important to me and it was in Psalm 31. But I trust in you, O Lord, and throughout the production, we have characters who step up and they're faced with the question that we've asked and how do they respond? Do they trust in the Lord throughout that process? And I hope that the audience can see maybe themselves in one or two of these characters and kind of say, okay, if I were in that situation, is that how I would respond? Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn't. The actors that we have, I mean, these two specifically, and then the rest of our cast, they're portrayal of people with real problems, real issues, real doubts, real concerns, through, so the hope is that the audience can maybe see themselves and then walk away and ask these questions, treasure their word, the word of God, but know that the hope is there and that you can trust in the Lord. I love that. And Drew, you get the final word on what you're hoping people take away from this. Well, I mean, I have to echo what they both said. I mean, you guys stole my answer. That's okay. But one thing I would add to it is that, I mean, from a more practical standpoint, in the digital, because I've heard people walk away from the movie because we've done some early screenings and hearing that comment of, "I want to go home and be with my Bible." That's an amazing piece of feedback to hear, but it's an amazing response. It's the response I think we all want and hope for people, but I think also what I really hope is that people see the movie, they have to talk about it to people. They have to share with their friends, "Hey, you have to go see this movie," that they bring their family or their friends back with them and see it again. And I only say it that way because I've heard people say to me just that, that I would watch it five nights in a row, that I have to see it again. And so that's our hope is that it drives more people to kind of see this story play out. Now that's amazing. And I lied because I do have one more question, Brett, for you. And I'm going to put you on the spot here because, you know, look, the movie is coming out. And the last thing anybody wants to hear is, "Will there be a sequel? Because you just want to get the movie out, I would imagine right now." But is the film, and I don't want you to give any spoilers away, but is it possible that there could be potentially a sequel to this film? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'll say this. So it's funny when we did a screening in Orlando at the International Christian Films Festival back in beginning of May, and that was one of the first questions during the Q&A was, "Please tell me there's going to be a sequel to this movie." We do have plans. We have plans. We have a lot of really cool ideas, and not because we're trying to start a franchise or because this is about us. This is, there is so much depth to this world that we've started that I think God can speak powerfully through movies like these. And granted, that will heavily depend on what audiences say in a few weeks at the box office and beyond, but we do have a lot of ideas of how we could continue this story and not just simply to say we want to do sequels, but to create an experience that would allow people to go deeper in their faith, be encouraged and edified in their faith to go live it out in a new and exciting way. Well I love that, and I appreciate you guys taking the time to join us and talk about the film, its disciples in the moonlight, and it's coming to theaters this month. Appreciate your time. Appreciate you, man. Thank you. Thank you. That's all for today's Newsmakers Podcast. Be sure to tune in for the next episode of the show, and also head over to the CBN News YouTube channel and the CBN News channel to watch Newsmakers every week. We'll see you soon. [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
