AI JESUS Premiere, Release Dates and More…
A hazelnut cheers to you all. I see many of you stopped by to join us last week from all over the world. We all love stories and by storytelling we preserve history and entertain. Like the days of the bards who would capture a story with a song. The authors of the books that recorded our stories. And now with our wonderful medium of film and TV we play out those stories like the theatrical stage before it. So again thank you to everyone who has stopped by to join us each week.
With the juggling of personal and professional I’ve been tested in new ways but I feel actually stronger on the other side of it. Before we get into film talk which there is plenty of that, I do like to touch base on life. I’m feeling quite blessed with all I do have and that I’m allowed to do what I love to do. But I do truly feel like I earned it. I sacrificed much building a foundation that many could not see. Now we build upon that foundation year by year telling new stories to entertain and often educate along the way.
In the spirit of the season I’ve watched a handful of TV or film that has that spooky vibe. The new CARRIE Tv series was quite well done. And it makes me want to go back and watch the original film. After I tried BATES MOTEL and two shows in I’m struggling to care. It lasted five seasons so it must get stronger as you go. A Russell Crowe (An actor I admire) Exorcism film fell short for me. I found the movie to drag with dark camera work that was often confusing and…not a strong showing for me. To be fair I don’t find much scary by way of horror films. My favorite is still PSYCHO. I love that Norman is not a seven foot monster with a scary mask.
I’m happy to have thrown my hat back into the horror genre but with comedy added. ROM COMS MUST DIE I think is super original and should get chuckles from any artists watching. The film is streaming now on ROKU, Amazon Prime and more. It will expand onto new platforms starting 10/30/26. IF you have seen this film do leave us a review on Amazon, IMDB, Letterbox or even a video of you. I have had a few great conversations from folks who enjoyed it. I love all the roles in the film but the judges played by Dean Teaster and Melissa Anschutz really tickle me every watch. BESTSELLER, KNIGHT CHILLS, GPS, AMERICAN LIAR, THE 8TH PLAGUE, DEADLY RENOVATIONS, DARKEST NIGHT…I could rattle off another half dozen films or so that fit the genre. So get some hot apple cider and a good blanket (My spell check tried to turn blanket into blunt, maybe not a bad idea either) but have yourself a spooky, fun night.
OTHER FILM UPDATES:
- AI JESUS: The Secret of the Kingdom Chip is easily one of the most intriguing films we’ve done at CDI. Proudly made with our friends at McGraw Multimedia it will arrive on the small screen streaming and DVD on 10/30/26 (PreOrder DVD on Amazon now). But we wanted to celebrate with our cast, crew, sponsors and backers and their friends and families. So in the spirit of the film we are have a big screen premiere on November 18th at 7:00 at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center at 819 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823. The entire screening will benefit NEW HOPE PET RESCUE. What that means is the admission to the show will be what you can donate to this wonderful organization. I’ve got to see how this amazing group of people take some very sad cases of neglect and abandonment, heal them and find forever homes. We have three foster fails here as they also help cats out. Our ‘Old man Fred’ who passed recently was an end of life case that came to us and he had a wonderful last eight months. So the cost of admission is what you can give and 100% of it will go to the New Hope Pet Rescue. We’ll be reaching out to the folks involved with the film but it will be open to any who wish to donate. The hope is that after the event folks will talk about the film to others and even go watch it at home with their extended family and friends. I’m really excited about this because I love animals.
- Weds of this week I’ll be traveling with a small group to TULSA, OK to represent WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS at the Will Rogers Medallion Awards. We are being recognized as a production company, as the supervising producer of an amazing team and as CDI the production company. On our 30th year anniversary this is a great honor. We know we won because they invite only the three winners in each category. At the event we will find out if we won Gold, Silver and Bronze. That might be for each category or all as one. As the screenwriter I am very honored be the results Bronze or Gold. Same with the producing and production company.
- Days after we return 11/3/26 audiences around the world will finally get to return to the world of WILD FAITH with WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS. That movie has already gathered a lot of recognition and had a good run in theaters last year. So for the tens of millions who watched the first one we are proud to bring you the sequel. In the wake of what we expect will be another enjoyed installment we are prepared to go a third time into the world. I’ve written and adjusted eight 44 min shows that take place after the second film. Funds are what kept the series from going before. Or funds that came with too many strings attached. So we made the second feature film instead. We will see if the series finds any traction after the new release. But should the right deal not land we are preparing to do a third feature film. I’m excited to say I’m working on the last act of the third feature film draft. We will see but watch/rewatch the original WILD FAITH and get ready for the sequel.
- I noted I’ve been working on WILD FAITH 3 and I’m also almost done with a first draft of MBF2. I also have been reading and evaluating two scripts for possible production. On the CDI front we are looking at A CHRISTMAS SEANCE, a great who-done-it as a possible 2027 production. And RETURN TO ALGONA the follow up film to SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA our true story WW2 drama. I’ll be working on the last chuck of funding. We’ve been dealing with organizations and product sponsorships first. But we will be opening up the remaining chunk to private investors. We have a good circle of supporters so I expect to get this green lit going into the new year.
- My end of the year will include an end-of-year disbursements of money to our investors. And the end-of-year taxes which we’ve made some good moves to streamline this and direct even more revenue back towards our investors. Many of these good people love being part of this artistic endeavors. Often capturing stories so they will not be lost in time.
- While meeting over the AI JESUS premiere with the McGraws I just might have seen some of the DEVIL’S PASS edit. They are still polishing it up and taking a few beats to ponder a few transitions and moments. They finished a first pass and will start to comb through next week. I don’t envy the job of looking at so many moments and choosing the strongest to weave together. So many things can influence what stays or goes but as an actor I know that if something isn’t working in a moment, cut it. I love the saying, you can’t use what you don’t have but better to have it and not need it. Energy and pacing become a big decision making factor. Moments of a sequence of scenes shot on different days need to flow. As an actor I always ask myself what I just came from and where am I going. What is my energy previous to a moment and after a moment. From the clips I saw we have a very cool story that has some really unique story arcs. I could rave about many of the performances I saw but I will say that the women of Devil’s Pass really kicked ass. In many films the female element can be dressing or an accent to the male heroes but this film has strong lionesses. I look forward to see where it all lands but it is coming together nicely. I know composer and sound designer Dennis Therrian is already experimenting and is ready to get the film around Christmas if not sooner. But I think we will have a moody, action packed film that mixes traditional with something special. Thank you to the McGraws for the hard work they are putting into the edit.
WRAP UP:
This year has been a wild ride to be sure. But what a great time to be alive as a storyteller. As a writer, I’m excited for the ROM COMS MUST DIE, AI JESUS and WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS to release. I did a soft look at literary representation to possibly option/sell off a few scripts either too big of budget or just not an immediately interest. None of the proposed books to script happened this year. We will see about next year. I’m excited that this year audiences get to meet Amos who with his cousin Clem struggle to get their second film made. I once again play Jesus but in a way I never expected. And ole Ben Lily is once again blazing the trail with Hester. And next year people will meet McBride in DEVIL’S PASS. In production, the Will Rogers award is a nice recognition. And I also mentioned that when Golden Globe nominee Mitch Vogel said our set was the most family-feeling since working on BONANZA I took that as a great honor. We had many folks step from secondary to key positions and knock it out of the park. We are preparing to perform just as we do when a larger budget is on the line.
This week starts with a good meeting on Monday over some film work. Tuesday a lunch with my cousin and dad to pick up some venison for the freezer. Venison is my main meat that I eat all year long. I have to pack because on Weds I am off to Oklahoma and I’m looking forward to that. Upon my return we’ll keep promoting the releases and relax into the holidays. I love to look at my goals from Jan 2026 and see where I fell with those. I also start planning my 2027 goals. Today I’m going to blow some leaves and get a few things done on the property. I hope all of you are enjoying your Fall-time. I look forward to reporting to you again next Sunday or maybe Monday pending a late return. Until we meet again be good to one another! Coffee Cheers! DJ
