Christian filmmaker Andrew Erwin presented the proposition of I Can Only Imagine 2 to lead actor J. Michael Finley in a mock-threatening manner.

“I said, ‘man, there's two ways this goes down: either you say yes to doing the movie, or I drive to New Jersey, kidnap you, and you say yes to the movie,' ” recounted Erwin with a chuckle. “He laughed and said, ‘okay, I’m in.’ ”

Undoubtedly, the 47-year-old creative is downright bullish about the potential of this sequel hitting theatres on Feb. 20.

Advertisement

Erwin’s fervent confidence is acutely notable because he was originally “a skeptic” about deepening the narrative of Bart Millard (portrayed by Finley), the lead singer and frontman of the popular Christian rock band MercyMe.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native believed the original film, released in 2018, told a complete story.

Stirred by the power of discovering Christ, Millard’s once physically and verbally abusive father, Arthur (Dennis Quaid), sought a redeemed relationship with his son. Cathartically, Millard forgave his father, and they went on to develop a deep bond, rooted in faith, before Arthur died of cancer. Reflecting on his father inspired Millard to write “I Can Only Imagine,” which soon became the best-selling Christian single of all time.

Faith-filled moviegoers embraced the biographical drama. With over $86 million in ticket sales, I Can Only Imagine became the third-highest-grossing film in the Christian genre.

Erwin credits Cindy Bond, the founding producer of I Can Only Imagine, for never giving up on the notion that there was more cinematic ground to explore with Millard. One of his creative partners, Brent McCorkle, and eventually Millard himself, joined in to pitch a film centred around MercyMe’s “Even If,” the group’s biggest song outside of “I Can Only Imagine.”

“I said, ‘I’ll listen to it, but I don’t want to go back to this world if it’s a gimmick,’ ” said Erwin.

By the end of listening to “Even If,” which Millard wrote about the heartbreak he feels some days over his son Sam’s lifelong battle with diabetes, Erwin was in tears.

He became a believer in this new creative vision.

“This was about Bart as a father towards his son and not knowing how to be the father that he never had,” said Erwin. “In the midst of that, he asked some difficult questions. This new character, Tim Timmons, comes along and imparts this idea of gratitude to Bart, and it leads to the writing of this iconic song."

Advertisement

Now, Erwin has come to consider I Can Only Imagine 2 “as a better movie than the first.”

In many respects, the sequel did “feel like the band getting back together” as many cast and crew members from the original participated in the production. Finley, Trace Adkins as MercyMe manager Scott Brickell and Quaid, “in a way you don’t expect,” are a few of the returning faces in front of the camera.

Milo Ventimiglia, a three-time Emmy nominee for the popular drama series This is Us, plays Christian artist Timmons. Sammy Dell portrays Millard’s son Sam and Sophie Skelton is Millard’s wife Shannon.

A notable difference behind the camera is Erwin sharing a co-director credit with McCorkle, an editor, second-unit director and one of the writers on the original — he is the sole writer this time — rather than his younger brother Jon. In 2023, McCorkle and Jon co-directed Jesus Revolution, which grossed $54 million domestically.

“When he came up with the idea for this, I said, ‘listen, man, if you want to direct this one solo, I'll produce it for you. You've earned it, but I'm invested in this story. I'd love to finish the journey. What if we directed it together?’ He said, ‘oh, that would be a dream.’ ”

I Can Only Imagine 2’s 2026 arrival in theatres is significant for two very different reasons.

For one, this year marks the 25th anniversary of “I Can Only Imagine” hitting radio airwaves as a Christian single, one that achieved crossover success on the pop and adult contemporary charts.

Secondly, this is the first major faith-based film of the year after a banner 2025. The Biblically inspired animated films King of Kings and David grossed $80.6 million and $78 million (to date), respectively, at the box office.

A potent case could be made that I Can Only Imagine sparked the apparent renaissance in Christian filmmaking eight years ago.

Erwin views the term renaissance as apt. He said that for many years Christians “gave up our seat” at the cultural table and “there was an atrophying of the muscle memory of knowing how to tell great stories.”

He credits Mel Gibson’s 2004 worldwide hit The Passion of the Christ ($612 million worldwide gross) for first inspiring a group of storytellers who have found “their voice collectively at once.”

Advertisement

The Erwin brothers, the Kendrick Brothers triumvirate of Shannon, Alex and Stephen, Dallas Jenkins, Alejandro Monteverde and Devon Franklin are among the figures delivering impactful movies and shows connecting with the historically underserved faith-based audience.

To learn more about I Can Only Imagine 2, visit kingdomstorycompany.com.