Filming begins on a brand-new Christmas musical, Carol, in Angola, Indiana this month. The full-length feature film will be a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, along with a diverse array of music. Creator James Tew first wrote Carol as a play in 2013 after seeing how few Christmas movies actually center around the gospel. James reached out to George Johnson, director of “Homeless for the Holidays,” who agreed Carol would be great to adapt into film.
Words and lyrics came to mind, and in 2021 James collaborated with Aaron Scantlen, worship and youth pastor at SonLight Community Church, to add music and demo tracks. “The cool thing about the film is that it’s actually the gospel message,” Aaron Scantlen says. “It’s a fun Christmas movie but it’s also more than that.”
Set Shepherds, an organization from Georgia, partnered with the crew to bring “a spiritual atmosphere to the set,” says James. They lead daily devotions and coordinate meals from local churches. James saw God’s hand at work when Set Shepherds said this was the first production where local churches provided every meal on set. “Everything that’s happening is God moving,” says James. “It’s beyond what I ever imagined.”
The team is actively praying over production and invites everyone to join them. “Pray that the gospel message goes forward,” Aaron says, “through the music we’ve written, the actors, the production. We want God to be center and for the gospel to move forward and change hearts.”
Carol will release in November in time for the Christmas season.
