Driven by Faith: Alex & Stephen Kendrick Reimagine 'Flywheel' for a New Generation

Alex Kendrick and Mario Bregieira in 'Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul' | Photo image courtesy Affirm Films
Brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, best known for award-winning faith-based movies like Fireproof, War Room, and most recently The Forge, are entering an exciting new season with a re-imagined version of their 2003 release, Flywheel.

That movie, shot on a remarkably thin $20,000 shoestring budget, is getting a remarkable new life as Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul. Releasing in theaters nationwide this Friday to domestic English-speaking audiences, the story was brought to life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Portuguese-speaking actors and a local crew.

The idea for a more international flair in how the movie should be presented came after the Kendricks spent a season in prayer, seeking God’s direction for their next cinematic project. They strongly believed that God was urging them to revisit the earlier film and reintroduce its powerful message for a new generation. Their hope is that this fresh vision for Flywheel will inspire audiences in new ways, especially throughout South America.

I recently sat down with highly engaging and personable Kendrick Brothers to discuss why prayer is so critically important for any movie they make, the significance of making and releasing this film to South American audiences, and how its core theme of transformation through surrender to Jesus Christ is universal.

As you do with all of your movies, the themes and concepts are always birthed in a season of concentrated prayer. Way back when you originally made Flywheel, what did God reveal to you about Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul?

Alex Kendrick: We made the first Flywheel in 2003, and it was intended for our community around Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. But God had bigger plans. It was not an impressive production, though the story worked really well. But the DVD came out and just blew up. It sold over a million copies, has been put in different languages around the world, and many of our fans say that's one of their favorite stories of all the movies that we've made. So, we've wanted to remake it with better quality all of these years. People have asked us, are you ever going to remake Flywheel? We've wanted to, but as you know, the Lord has said, no, you're going to do Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, Overcomer, and The Forge. You're going to do these first, on these different themes of walking with Christ. And then two years ago, we were invited to go down to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and do a boot camp, a training time, for about 75 young Christian filmmakers down there who want to make feature films for the Lord in Brazil. Not many films are made down there.

And so we went down there, took them through a week of training, and they asked us, “Would you be open to shooting a movie with us down here?” And so we thought, wow, is this an opportunity to shoot Flywheel? So we prayed about it, we took some time, prayed about it, and the Lord started opening doors. Even Sony said, ‘We'll fund it and release it’. And so we were like, wow! Because we were thinking, wait a minute, this is Portuguese in another country with a cast and crew we haven't worked with before. Why such favors so quickly? And churches jumped on board. People started helping us. So, we shot Flywheel. We call it Ignition of the Soul, because it's a new version of Flywheel.

It has the same heart story as the beginning, but we updated it to modern day. It's being released in Portuguese all over Brazil, and in other countries that speak Portuguese. And then it's being dubbed into English and released in America. Also, we have a Spanish version as well for Central and South America. We're just excited about what the Lord's doing, and finally allowing us to remake our very first film.

Why is it so significant and important to release a film like this to Brazilian and South American audiences right now, at this moment? Why is it so crucial?

Stephen Kendrick: I think the messages of Lordship are timeless. I think the message of integrity is timeless. You know, our whole operating system of humanity is built upon trust. Businesses are built on trust. Marriages are built on trust. Communication and relationships, finances, are all built upon trust. The Bible says, let God be true in all men liars. We need the Lord to transform our hearts so that we can be people of integrity, and I'm so grateful that the Cross of Christ not only paid for our sins so that we can have forgiveness, but the Holy Spirit then comes inside of us when we place our faith in Christ. And He begins to change us into the image of Christ from within, which we all desperately need. And so, when people in Brazil see this movie, they're going to be watching it through the context of the evangelical churches that are exploding right now in Brazil. The worship is vibrant, pastors are praying together, and church planting is rapidly going on. That's one of the reasons they loved The Forge so much. It’s because the discipleship message in that movie is the right target zone. It’s exactly where they are right now.

It's also important, though, that Christian leaders in these megachurches that are forming in Brazil, and then in some of these poor communities, that Christian leaders walk in integrity. Jesus showed up in the cities, and He confronted the hypocrisy in the spiritual leaders while He's pointing people back into a relationship with Him. This movie does both.

What is the same about this new Flywheel movie and what is different this time around?

Alex Kendrick: It’s been more than 20 years since the original Flywheel, we've modernized it, so when you see it, it feels like today, with all the social media and technology aspects, even some of the modern-day technology that we now use. We've upgraded all of that in the movie, and then it's set in beautiful Rio. We have upgraded the car too.

And then for us, shooting in another country in another language was our first time doing that. But watching God at work, that when He was working beyond what we're capable of doing ourselves, that was just awesome. Watching His favor go before you, with churches jumping on board, people walking up at the oddest time, saying, “Do you need this? Do you need that?” And yes, we were about to start looking for that. And then, bam, there it is, placed in front of you. So, the Lord showed up in so many ways. We had two of our crew members get saved, who were helping us. It was just incredible.

It was a lot of hard work, but when we finished putting it together, we saw the Lord's fingerprints all over it. We are so grateful the Lord made us wait this long to remake it, because it was obvious He was all over it. And then, even in the pre-screenings, we've already had salvations in showings that we're doing. We're very, very grateful.

For me, the central message of the film is transformation through surrender. Why do you think that's a message people need today?

Alex Kendrick: Because Jesus can't just be Savior, and let's make a difference in this world. He is Savior, and He's Lord. And when He is Lord, and He's in the driver's seat, we are not controlling our own lives. If we're going to bear fruit in the manner that the Lord wants us to, it means depending on Him, walking with Him, living in obedience to Him, stepping in faith with Him. That is how He is pleased and glorified, and He gets the glory for that. That again is something that Christians have to embrace and say. It's beyond just logic and math. We have to say, Lord, if You're in charge, You're calling me to do something, I have to trust You and step out in faith. And so that is something that all of us need to be growing in our maturity and our walk with Christ. And you'll watch the main character, Noah Silva, do that in this movie. How he says, ‘Okay, I recognize my own sin, I have to get that right with the Lord and ask for forgiveness. I need to trust Jesus as my Savior, but now I have to learn to walk with Jesus as Lord. He is the boss.”

And that means walking in integrity, and surrendering things I need to get out of my life that are a deterrent to my witness. I have to be right with my wife, right with my children, and right in my witness as a businessman. To watch him struggle with all that, people are going to relate to it. They're going to say, ‘Wow, I know exactly how he's feeling right now, and what he's going through.’ But hopefully by the end of the film, they're actually walking out thinking, ‘Lord, help me make steps of faith in my own life.’ Not to be lukewarm, not to be easy, but Lord, help me take bold steps of faith in my own life so that you are pleased.

Final question for you. In the making of this new movie, what valuable lessons has God taught you along the way in regard to your craft as Christ-based filmmakers? Did this experience reinforce your faith and outlook toward what you do?

Stephen Kendrick: Absolutely. I think our faith grows with every film. To believe God for $20,000 in 2003 was a big deal for us. When we went to Rio, we got on an airplane by faith. We didn't know the language, didn't know the laws, didn't know the locations, had never made a movie there, didn’t know where we would get the equipment, the crew, or who the actors were going to be. We're going because we had a retreat in prayer with our wives, and the Lord said, “I'm in this.” I was surprised. The Lord said, “I'm in this, let's move forward.” We were going by faith with the understanding that God can supply anything in any amount, to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

We see that in Scripture, and He has proven faithful in America on the previous movies to bump the budgets up and continue providing. To go to Brazil was like Indiana Jones stepping off the cliff into the dark, and we found out the Lord was there waiting. He'd already laid the tracks in front of the moving train. And He would send the translators in the room right when we needed them for that moment or that meeting. We had a prayer meeting with pastors, and a guy walks up at that meeting saying, “My family's been in the car business for 60 years. If you need a car lot, you can have mine.” And then we did it. Guess where we shot the movie? We usually do 13 casting sessions for an American film. For this movie, we did one. This is because the first two people that walked in the door to audition, we cast as the leads, and God had already been preparing them.

We just want people to encounter God at a much deeper, more intimate level as they align appropriately with His Lordship. Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. It says in Colossians 1 that we've been created for Him, and that He is. That He may be first in everything. You see it in Noah Silva's life in the movie. He not only bows his knees, his heart, and calls on Jesus as Lord. Then, he starts translating that into his marriage, because Jesus created marriage, and it should be for His glory. He translates that into his finances, his relationships, everything gets blessed when Christ becomes the Lord over it.

****

To Learn More About Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul and Where to See It, Please Visit FlywheelIgnitionoftheSoulMovie.com.

WATCH A TRAILER FOR FLYWHEEL: IGNITION OF THE SOUL: