It seems that the rapture is the favored theme in Hollywood these days. In television, HBO has a series running right now called The Leftovers, starring Justin Theroux, about the aftermath of the disappearance of 80 percent of the world's population. In the film sector, there is the Left Behind movie with Nicolas Cage as the lead star.
In this new action movie thriller, Nicolas Cage plays Rayford Steele, a pilot who tries to save the plane he is flying in, which is thirty thousand feet over the Atlantic, pilotless and damaged, with terrified passengers panicking at every turn. Not only does Steele have to save the plane, he also has to find his daughter, after the sudden, expected, and mysterious disappearance of people from the face of planet earth.
The Left Behind trailer is our first peek into the movie version of the New York Times bestselling novel where the story is based. The books are actually a series of 16 novels that were written by Tim La Haye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with the Christian themes of rapture, end of the world, and pre-tribulation, premillennial themes.
The main conflict in the series occurs between the Tribulation Force, and the Global Community, whose head Nicolae Carpathia is depicted as the Antichrist.
The films have actually been adapted into three action thriller movies already -- Left Behind: The Movie starring Kirk Cameron (2000), Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002), and Left Behind: World At War (2005). This Left Behind movie starring Nicolas Cage is a reboot of sorts.
The co-author of the books, Jerry Jenkins clears up the common misconception of many people regarding the concept of the rapture. In an interview with the Glenn Beck program, Jenkins shares, "People often say, you know, 'Is this a deal where the good people go and the bad people stay?' And I have to say, having been a Christian most of my life, there are some people that will go that are worse than the people who stay."
"It's not about being good or bad, it's about being forgiven," he added. "It's about believers. And that's a sad fact," Jenkins says. Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson, who serves as an executive producer on the movie adds that, "doing some great things can't save you."
In this Left Behind movie Nicolas Cage co-stars with Cassi Thomson, Chad Michael Murray, Lea Thompson, Jordin Sparks, and Quinton Aaron. It is set to hit theaters on October 3.
In the meantime watch the trailer here:
