TriStar Pictures' 'HEAVEN IS FOR REAL' begins production.

CULVER CITY, Calif., July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Production is underway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on the family feature, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL for TriStar Pictures.  Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, the film brings to the screen the true story of a small-town Pastor who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience.

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is directed by Randall Wallace, the Oscar®-nominated creative force behind the epic storytelling of such critical and box-office hits as "Braveheart," "We Were Soldiers," "Pearl Harbor" and "Secretariat".  The screenplay is by Christopher Parker and Randall Wallace, based on the book by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent.  The film is produced by Joe Roth ("Alice In Wonderland," "OZ: The Great And Powerful," "Snow White And The Huntsman"), and TD Jakes ("Jumping The Broom," "Not Easily Broken," "Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The 7^th Day").

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL stars Academy Award® nominee and Emmy award winning actor Greg Kinnear ("As Good As It Gets," "Little Miss Sunshine") as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly ("Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," "Flight") as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) experiences Heaven during emergency surgery.  Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence. He describes Heaven in vivid detail, and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth ... things he couldn't possibly know.  Todd is called upon by his congregation to explain the meaning of Colton's revelations, and he and his family are challenged to examine their faith and draw meaning from this remarkable event.

In his feature film debut, Connor Corum portrays Colton Burpo, whose incredible story has inspired millions.  Also co-starring are Emmy® Award winner Margo Martindale ("Justified," "August: Osage County") who portrays Nancy Rawling, and Academy Award® nominee Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways," "We Bought A Zoo") as the Burpo family's stalwart friend, Jay Olson.

The film's executive producers are Sue Baden-Powell ("Elysium," "Dr. Dolittle"), Sam Mercer ("Snow White And The Huntsman," "The Sixth Sense"), and Derrick Williams ("Jumping The Broom," "Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The 7th Day").

The talented behind-the-scenes team includes Academy Award® winning director of photography Dean Semler ACS ASC ("Mad Max: The Road Warrior," "Apocolypto"), production designer Arv Greywal ("Cosmopolis," "Lars and the Real Girl"), two-time BAFTA Award winning editor John Wright A.C.E. ("Apocolypto," "Speed") and costume designer Michael T. Boyd ("Secretariat," "We Were Soldiers").

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is scheduled for release at Easter 2014.

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SOURCE Sony Pictures