I went back to the tenets of Christianity as a moral and ethical way to live. Then about 10 years ago, he got married and started a family, milestones that he says drew him back to his roots.
Godfrey grew up in a devout Christian home in east Tennessee where he went to church “four times a week.” After going away to college and getting involved in the film industry, he drifted away from the faith. “It was kind of a dream come true,” he said. Why was this particular film so attractive to Godfrey that he would quit his job, start a brand new company and begin a whirlwind production and promotion schedule? They embraced it instantly and wanted it for this Christmas, an almost unheard of deadline in a business where films can take years from start to finish. Godfrey got that call from Bowen in December 2005, left his job in March 2006 and was on a plane the next day to Italy, where the film was shot.īowen had shown the script to New Line Cinema (The Lord of the Rings) in February. “I'd had a great run with my old company and made a bunch of movies for my old boss and had growingly felt that it's either time to make the movies that will define you or just work for him forever.” Godfrey recalls, “Six months later called and said, ‘Well, here it is-you want to quit your job to do it?' It was God knocking me on the head, going, ‘Alright, this is your chance.' Bowen mentioned it to Godfrey, who said half-joking that he'd quit his job to produce the movie. Soon, he learned of Rich's plan to write a screenplay on the birth of Christ. “Write what's important to you,” he told him. One of his clients was writer Mike Rich, an award-winning screenwriter (The Rookie, Radio, Miracle) and devoted believer.īowen had encouraged Rich to explore writing a biblical story. Mike Rich wrote the screenplay for The Nativity Story.īowen had been a talent agent with United Artists Agency.