I think there's should be a decent big budget Hollywood movie on the life of Joseph Smith (The non-sanitised, non Church approved story). Not to make the church attractive - quite the opposite- i think it was draw more peopel away from the church (or at least ask the intelligent, provoking questions).

C'mon, think about it: a bullshit story told by a 14 year old, "gold plates" nobody ever truly touched with their hands or saw with their own eyes, myth making storytelling, American frontier pioneerism, peep stones into a hat, money digging, masonry, plural marriage, Militia, Smith's ability at organising/ building projects (going into incredibly significant debt), jail, murder, arson... all built upon a quest for sex and power with delusions of self-appointed divine authority. How could Hollywood not make a film about this?

'The book of Mormon' Broadway musical was a very clever and popular piss-take and has done quite well. Gets alot of Mormon history and theology quite correct, allthewhile thumbing it's nose at the whole org.

This wouldn't need to be a satire film, or even anti-Mormon, it could just try to depict the REAL story from historical accounts and that in and of itself shows Mormonism's a crock.

Who would be a good Joseph Smith? Maybe Christian Bale ?

I'm still convinced the church is kicking itself for not making a JS movie with Jimmy Stewart back in the '40's or '50's; what a perfect advertisement for the church. I mean seriously, all they had up to that point was Vincent Price!

If William Fichtner was few years younger I still say he's dead ringer for JS.

Get Vince Gilligan for the job, who created "Breaking Bad."

Now, whom to play JS?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2016 10:21PM by caffiend.

Yes a younger William Fitchner would really look the part, wouldn't he?

Good choice.

I would like to see the Coen brothers direct

The only way such a movie could appeal to a large enough audience if the general theme would be JS sexual escapades.

Child pornography would be a real problem, but the humor of Lady Chatterley's Lover might help.

Then it would be as popular as "Fifty Shades of Gray", i.e. late night fodder on a pay channel.

I want to see a movie about that cocksucker lying about his polygamy to the public. I want to see the unauthorized bank, the land swindles, the fake visions, the local wars, and the asshole Joseph Smith taking flying lessons out the second story window at Carthage.

Old mother Lucy went up to Joseph
And asked if could she join in
Joseph allowed her to charge for the mummies
She threw them out the window
The window, the second story window
Joseph allowed her to charge for the mummies
She threw them out the window

Or what about Bradley Cooper? He could pass for JS, sort of similar look.

The church would pull out all the stops and call in all their PR contacts if anyone tried to make an honest movie about their history. They would mobilize to prevent any negative portrayal.


If a movie could be made....
I vote Will Ferrell as JS and those dumb and dumber guys as the Whitmer bothers.

They didn't stop the Broadway show, "The Book of Mormon."

And Scientology, with their tentacles in and around Hollywood, can't stop "Going Clear."

If there's money to be made, somebody will bankroll it and somebody will produce it. It all depends on the script. Speaking of which, the term "character in decline" comes to mind.

That's true. Good point.

I wonder if they would put up more resistance if something was marketed as a historical drama.

With the BoM Musical, they can laugh it off like a good sport and imply it is just comedic interpretation.

And how about Jeff Bridges as Brigham Young?

http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-2seh/true-grit/gallery/jeff-bridges-as-marshal-reuben-j-cogburn-1044815.html

"You can call me The Prophet, or El Propheterino if, you know, you're not in to the whole brevity thing."

I predict the movie WILL BE MADE and made within the next three years.

I am more surprised there has not been a movie about the Hoffman bombings. It has all the ingredients for a movie.

It does.

It would probably take too long to set the historical backstory and few even understand it.