Cast and crew of \u201cThe Hail Mary\u201d reunited Jan. 9 for a homecoming-style press conference at the Bethlehem Catholic High School auditorium, greeted by the school\u2019s marching band and varsity cheerleaders.<\/p>\n
WAEB-790\u2019s Bobby Gunther Walsh opened the event and introduced Bethlehem native and Becahi graduate Daniel Roebuck, who stars in and wrote and produced the film.<\/p>\n
Roebuck announced red-carpet premieres Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, 3 p.m. at Bethlehem Catholic High School, and 7 p.m. at the Roxy Theatre in Northampton. Trans-Bridge Lines will transport the cast, with Yocco\u2019s Hot Dogs and Markee Wealth Management serving as sponsors. A commemorative program will be available.<\/p>\n
The film opens theatrically Feb. 27 at the Boyertown State Theatre, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas and the Roxy. Roebuck hinted at additional venues, saying the movie \u201cwill be going somewhere else that brings me joy,\u201d though a Shankweiler\u2019s Drive-In showing is not yet confirmed.<\/p>\n
Roebuck also unveiled the movie poster featuring himself, Sister Kathy, football players and a stadium crowd. A veteran actor with 292 IMDb credits, Roebuck has appeared in films such as \u201cThe Fugitive,\u201d \u201cFinal Destination\u201d and \u201cThe Munsters,\u201d and TV series including \u201cMatlock,\u201d \u201cLost\u201d and \u201cGlee.\u201d More recently, he has focused on faith-based films through A Channel of Peace productions.<\/p>\n
Visibly emotional, Roebuck thanked the cast and crew, recalling filming that began in summer 2021. \u201cIt\u2019s like we\u2019ve come back from war. They all grew up,\u201d he said of the student actors. He also remembered Alice Freeh of Center Valley, a longtime Bethlehem Catholic theater director who died in November 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did so much here at Beca,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hawk Hill Pictures partnered with A Channel of Peace on the project. \u201cWe don\u2019t just make movies. We teach people how to make movies,\u201d Roebuck noted.<\/p>\n
The title references the long-odds football play, a metaphor for the film\u2019s story. In the movie, Jake (Roebuck) is persuaded by Sister Kathy (Marsha Dietlein) to organize troubled boys into a football team. Sister Kathy hopes not just to build a team, but to save Jake, a \u201clost soul who needs redemption.\u201d As she says in the trailer, \u201cI wanted to win a soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
The audience viewed the trailer, which showcases local bands, the Bethlehem Catholic football team and cheerleaders, and the Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Cast members discussed filming challenges, including overnight football scenes. \u201cThe Liberty High School football team would leave the field about 9 p.m. and then we\u2019d move on \u2026 until the sun came out,\u201d Roebuck said.<\/p>\n
Actor Joey Draper of Lower Macungie Township recalled having to pause filming when trains passed at 3 a.m. Roebuck also shared lighter moments, noting that a scene scripted for rain was filmed during an actual downpour. When told he must have \u201can \u2018in\u2019 with Jesus,\u201d he joked, \u201cI named the film after his Mother!\u201d<\/p>\n
Roebuck called the movie a tribute to religious sisters, recalling his own encouragement from Sister Kathleen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis movie is my love letter to religious sisters,\u201d he said. \u201cThe heart of the church is the nuns.\u201d<\/p>\n
A montage highlighted Lehigh Valley locations used in filming, many of which have since changed or disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce films are made, they are forever,\u201d Roebuck said.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the premiere are available by texting T23134 to 49514 for a link or at runsignup.com\/TicketEvent\/TheHailMaryMoviePremiere.<\/p>\n
Marsha Dietlein (Sister Kathy), Daniel Roebuck (Jake), \u201cThe Hail Mary.\u201d CONTRIBUTED PHOTO<\/p>\n
PRESS PHOTOS BY LISA DRAPERDaniel Roebuck and Marsha Dietlein at \u201cThe Hail Mary\u201d Jan. 9 press conference at Bethlehem Catholic High School.<\/p>\n
Left to right: Marsha Dietlein (Sister Kathy), Joey Draper (Schoolboy), Francine Bianco Tax (Sister Francine) at Jan. 9 press conference for \u201cThe Hail Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cast and crew of \u201cThe Hail Mary\u201d reunited Jan. 9 for a homecoming-style press conference at the Bethlehem…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":{"0":"post-86768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}