GRAMMY-nominated Bethel Music singer/songwriter Cory Asbury is launching into a new chapter of his career as the true love story behind his hit song “Reckless Love” is set to be the subject of a new feature film.
Reckless Love is set to come to life with writer J. Mills Goodloe (The Mountain Between Us, Everything, Everything), producer DeVon Franklin (Breakthrough, The Star) and executive producer Israel Houghton. A first-look deal has been reportedly inked with Paramount Pictures.
Asbury shared on social media following the announcement,:
“The film is about surrender, about letting go and falling into the reckless love of God,” . “It follows the story of a broken young man who finds God and family at the cost of well… everything. And my wife is the hero, not me.”
“Reckless Love” reigned at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart for 18 weeks in 2018. The song went on to be named “Song of the Year” and “Worship Song of the Year” at the 2018 GMA Dove Awards before being nominated in 2019 for a GRAMMY.
Asbury reflected:
“When DeVon called me in the summer of 2018 to discuss the possibility of making a Reckless Love movie, I had every intention of telling him, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ .
“If you know me, you know how highly I value authenticity and realness, so taking advantage of the success of a song God had freely given me felt a bit exploitative. I didn’t want to ‘milk it’ for all it was worth.
I wanted to protect and preserve its purity at all costs, which in my mind, meant NOT ‘selling out’ to cool opportunities that came my way.”
He continued, “
I was also mindful of the fragility of my relationship with my dad (upon which parts of the initial story were predicated) and I didn’t want to expose him (or myself) in an untimely manner.
As my conversation with Devon went on, he said a phrase that really struck my heart and caused me to see beyond myself… ‘Cory, what if this film is bigger than you and your story? What if it brings healing to your dad and dads all across the world?’
I flew to North Carolina the next day to ask my dad’s permission and we wept together. It was the first step toward healing our relationship. Needless to say, I was listening to what God might want to do through the whole thing.”
Asbury added,
“Fast forward to 2019 — my sabbatical year. The Father was doing such an incredible work of healing in my heart, unraveling years of brokenness and wrong thinking.
In the midst of it, I kept praying for a mouthpiece, a platform, some way to blast the message He was writing in me to the world. I was hoping for a song or a sermon, but He saw something much bigger.
DeVon called to let me know he’d found the perfect writer — J. Mills Goodloe. It all made sense. The film was the vehicle God wanted to use to get the message of His love to the world.”
