Roebuck \u2014 whose resume includes roles in TV shows \u201c9-1-1\u201d and \u201cMatlock\u201d and the films \u201cThe Fugitive,\u201d and Rob Zombie\u2019s \u201cThe Munsters\u201d \u2014 will releasei the new movie the same way he has his recent projects.<\/p>\n
That is through A Channel of Peace, the nonprofit production company he launched after \u201cGetting Grace\u201d in 2018. <\/p>\n
Channel of Peace already has shepherded the features “Lucky Louie\u201d and \u201cSaint Nick of Bethlehem.” <\/p>\n
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The cast and crew of “The Hail Mary” pose for a photo at Bethlehem Catholic School on Jan. 9, 2026. <\/p>\n
Ted Neely, Bill George<\/p>\n
On Friday, Roebuck also shared other big news: filming starts this summer on another locally filmed feature, tentatively titled “Men of Granite.” <\/p>\n
Roebuck said the inspiration struck after a friend told him about volunteering as an honor guard at funeral services.<\/p>\n
He will star alongside Bill George, founder of Touchstone Theatre; Joe Estevez, the younger brother of Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez; and Ted Neely, best known for playing Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” <\/p>\n
He is so excited to take part in our movie.<\/p>\n
Actor Danny Roebuck fellow Hollywood star Ted Neely <\/p>\n
\u201cIf anybody could get Jesus back to Bethlehem, it\u2019s me,\u201d Roebuck jokingly said, referring to Neely. <\/p>\n
“He is so excited to take part in our movie, and [Ted] is such a great man.” <\/p>\n
While Roebuck still is working on the plot of “Men of Granite,” he offered glimpses of “The Hail Mary,” which was filmed on locations such as Mary Immaculate Seminary, Dorney Park, Alliance Fire Company\u2019s barroom (with regular bar patrons subbing in as extras) and neighborhood eateries, including Yocco\u2019s Hot Dogs. <\/p>\n
Based on real life<\/p>\n
“Hail Mary” follows a ragtag Catholic school football team led by an unconventional coach \u2014 played by Roebuck \u2014 and a group of nuns, as the team discovers the value of teamwork and faith. <\/p>\n
He calls it \u201ca love letter to the religious sisters\u201d who helped shape generations of local students.<\/p>\n
Roebuck said his humorous on-screen bond with Sister Kathleen (played by Marsha Dietlein from “Return of the Living Dead Part II”) in \u201cThe Hail Mary\u201d draws from real life. <\/p>\n
He said Dietlein’s character was inspired by his first-grade teacher at St. Anne School in Bethlehem \u2014 also named Sister Kathleen \u2014 who Roebuck says left a lasting imprint by teaching him the power of unconditional positive regard.<\/p>\n
That was my first indication of how great these nuns are.<\/p>\n
Danny Roebuck, on producing another faith-based film in the Lehigh Valley <\/p>\n
\u201cIn first grade, I wrote a play and brought it to Sister Kathleen,\u201d Roebuck said. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, Sister Kathleen knew something I did not know \u2014 that I didn\u2019t know how to read or write. But she said, \u2018Danny, we\u2019re going to do your play.’ <\/p>\n
“That was my first indication of how great these nuns are.” <\/p>\n
Sister Kathleen, who Roebuck said passed away right before filming began, eventually left religious life, but he said her spirit guided the screenplay.<\/p>\n
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Marsha Dietlein and Danny Roebuck unveil the official movie poster of “The Hail Mary” at Bethlehem Catholic School on Jan. 9, 2026. <\/p>\n
The movie also shines the light on local students and schools \u2014 Liberty and Freedom high school marching bands and Bethlehem Catholic\u2019s football stadium. <\/p>\n
Roebuck said he was especially proud of bringing together Bethlehem’s rival marching bands. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe [fictitious] Liberty Grenadier band, the Freedom High School Patriot band \u2014 we put the Liberty and Freedom bands together,\u201d he said. \u201cThe district does it every few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movie also makes room for a “Friday Night Lights” nod to his alma mater. <\/p>\n
Thanks to Bethlehem Catholic, Roebuck\u2019s fictional football team shares a field \u2014 and some marquee moments \u2014 with the school’s Golden Hawks. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur fictional team played against the Bethlehem Catholic football team and their cheerleaders,” he said. <\/p>\n
“They’re terrific in the movie, and to have a portion of them performing in the film…that’s forever, folks, forever and ever.” <\/p>\n
More homegrown films to come<\/p>\n
Roebuck said filming in the Lehigh Valley has taken on an unexpected role beyond storytelling \u2014 it has become a way of preserving pieces of the region that quietly vanish.<\/p>\n
It turns out that almost every time we film something in one of our movies, it disappears <\/p>\n
Danny Roebuck on memorializing iconic local people and places <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of places,” he said. “One of the things we do when we make our films here \u2014 and so far, we\u2019ve made ‘Getting Grace’, ‘Lucky Louie,’ ‘The Hail Mary’ and ‘Saint Nick of Bethlehem’ \u2014 it turns out that almost every time we film something in one of our movies, it disappears. But we\u2019ve captured it on film.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to local landmarks that have vanished over the years, including the Fidelity Bank in Bangor, now the HH Bangor Block apartments; Bethlehem\u2019s Martin Tower, demolished in 2019; and Roadside America, the beloved Shartlesville attraction that closed in 2020.<\/p>\n
Roebuck said at least one transformation has a happier ending: Mary Immaculate Seminary, once thought at risk of being lost, \u201cwill eventually turn into a beautiful wedding venue,” he said. <\/p>\n
The actor also announced that Pennsylvania-based Hawk Hill Pictures will distribute “The Hail Mary.” He called it an ideal partner for a story rooted in faith and the Catholic community.<\/p>\n
“Thank you for your support of everything we do, and we’re going to keep doing it here in the Lehigh Valley,” he said.<\/p>\n