Hot off the success of Amazon Prime Video’sReacher,Alan Ritchsonwill star alongsideHilary Swank(Boys Don’t Cry,Million Dollar Baby) inOrdinary Angels, a film based on an inspiring true story. PerDeadline, Swank will star as a struggling hairdresser who rallies an entire Kentucky town to support a widowed father (Ritchson) and his severely ill daughter.Jon Gunn(The Unbreakable Boy,Do You Believe?) will direct the film.
Lionsgate will distributeOrdinary Angels, which is set up at Kingdom Story Company, a studio that is not a stranger to these kinds of stories. Aside from the upcomingThe Unbreakable Boy, the studio has also overseen the recentAmerican Underdog, which told the incredible story of NFL legendKurt Warner. Last year also saw the release of their documentaryThe Jesus Music, which cataloged the history of contemporary Christian music.The Erwin Brothers, frequent collaborators of the studio and directors ofAmerican Underdog, will produceOrdinary Angels.
ProducerKevin Downessaid the following about the story, as well as working with Swank and Ritchson to bring it to life:
“Kingdom Story Company endeavors to bring inspiring true stories to life on screen. ‘Ordinary Angels’ spotlights one family’s seemingly insurmountable struggles and the everyday people who helped them in remarkable ways. Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson bring to life this heroic example of how one person can change a family and how that changes a community and gives rise, quite literally, to life and to hope.”
Related:Alan Ritchson on ‘Reacher,’ Connecting to His Character, and the Possible Story Approach to Season 2
Ritchson is now seen by most audiences currently as the new face of Jack Reacher, with asecond seasonof the action series recently being ordered by Amazon. Fans will also recognize him as the eponymous Thad Castle fromBlue Mountain State, a role he reprised in the 2016 film sequel. He starred briefly inTitansas Hank Hall/Hawk, though his stint there ended as he committed toReacher.
Two-time Academy Award winner Swank will perhaps bring a more dramatic side out of Ritchson. She most recently starred in the Netflix drama seriesAway, as well asDeon Taylor’s thrillerFataleand the divisive satireThe Hunt. Her award-winning work inMillion Dollar BabyandBoys Don’t Cryis what most audiences will recognize her for, though she’s certainly proved her versatility and skill in acting beyond those roles. Namely, she starred in the ensemble of FX’s criminally underrated seriesTrust, in which she portrayed the distraught and determined motherGail Getty.
