“Hercules” actor Kevin Sorbo is one of the most well-known faces in the Christian film industry, appearing in a slew of hit films including “Soul Surfer” and “God’s Not Dead.”
Now, he’s teaming up with his wife, Sam Sorbo, and conservative political commentator Sean Hannity for a powerful new film: “Let There Be Light.”
Sam, who co-wrote the script, said the story evolved from one simple question: What if the world’s greatest atheist had something happen to him that challenged his worldview?
“As a Christian, I hold to the view that life is sacred, that God created the earth and all that that entails,” she told The Gospel Herald in an exclusive interview. “What would it be like if somebody who really believed that there was no God or purpose in life discovered somehow that there was? I created this character and sent him on a journey and what developed was the movie.”
Releasing October 27, “Let There be Light” addresses grief, forgiveness, and redemption — themes that resonate with everyone, regardless of race, gender, or age.
“The testimonials that come out of this movie have been really quite amazing,” Kevin told GH. “Women love this movie, and it’s also amazing to see how many men love it, too. It deals with fatherhood and the man’s role in the family, because it’s been on such a destructive path over the past several decades. This movie makes men want to stand up and change their lives. More than anything else, it’s really a love story.”
He added, “We were recently at a promotional event and DC, and I heard a group of 16 year-olds walk by. One teen, he didn’t even see me, turned to his friends and said, ‘That was the best movie I’ve ever seen.’ From a teenager who is in the world of Transformers and Star Wars, that was pretty cool.”
This film, Sam said, is the “antidote” to the “tragic” films Hollywood releases.
“This movie has no genesis in any of that,” she said. “In fact, I think it’s the antidote of what we’re seeing from Hollywood – especially now that we’ve seen the dark underbelly of the industry in recent months.”
Sam pitched “Let There Be Light” to legendary screenwriter Dan Gordon (The Hurricane, Wyatt Earp), and he “couldn’t resist.” Then, “out of nowhere,” TV and radio host Sean Hannity called Kevin and said, “I want to do a movie with you.”
“I’ve known Sean for several years,” Kevin said. “Fox is one of the few outlets you can get on and promote movies that have God or Jesus in them. He’s the one that gave me a call and said he wanted to do something with us. Once he came on board, he was the best executive producer we could’ve asked for because he left us alone, never came on location. It was fantastic to not have someone there controlling the situation and let the people from each department do their job. It made working on this film such a great joy.”
The way the film was made, Sam said, was nothing short of miraculous.
“Films don’t get made this way,” she said. “From start to finish, it took a total of two years to make. That’s unheard of. Most films take an average of five years.”
When asked what they hope audiences take away from “Let There Be Light,” which opens in 300-plus theaters, the Sorbos pointed to one word: Hope.
“There is hope out there,” Kevin said. “A lot of people give up on life, and a lot of that is cultural, and it just feeds more hate and anger and frustration.”
Added Sam, “There is always hope, there is forgiveness, and there is grace. I think this is one of the hardest struggles that we have as human beings is this idea of forgiveness, but that is the ultimate message of Christianity — everyone is redeemable. I believe in hope, I am hopeful, and I hope that this film drives home that truth.”
