Christian Bale becomes drug smuggling preacher in 'The Church of the Living Dangerously'

Christian Bale is gearing up to take on the role of popular pastor turned drug smuggler in New Regency's upcoming biopic titled The Church of the Living Dangerously. Based on the Vanity Fair article, the movie's script will be written by the Oscar winner Charles Randolph. The movie will focus on the troubling childhood of John Lee Bishop and the events that led to his arrest at the Mexican border.

Christian Bale to play John Lee Bishop in 'The Church of the Living Dangerously'

According to a report from Deadline, New Regency acquired the rights to the elaborated Vanity Fair article titled The Church of the Living Dangerously, written by David Kushner published in 2019, to bring it to life on the big screen. With versatile roles with the likes of Patrick Bateman, Bruce Wayne / Batman, Melvin Purvis, Dicky Eklund, Dr Michael Burry, Bale will be seen transforming into a Pastor with serious drug abuse problems. New Regency handed over the task of scripting the movie to The Big Shor fame who also wrote the Fox News and Roger Ailes sexual harassment drama titled Bombshell.

Christian Bale will not only star in the movie but will also play the role of producer along with New Regency, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson of The Gotham Group. The deal also includes life rights to John Lee Bishop and his son, David. Charles Randolph, David Kushner, and Margaret Rile are set to serve as Executive Producers. This would mark the start of another collaboration between Bale and New Regency after the actor recently wrapped up filming a David O Russell untiled.

Who is John Lee Bishop?

After enduring a tough childhood, John Lee Bishop became the pastor at The Living Hope Church in Portland Oregon. The bishop, known for his showmanship during his sermons, once brought a Bengal tiger and several exotic animals to the church. Despite his popularity, the married pastor was found in hot waters several times as once he was caught having an affair with a church employee. 

John Lee and his son, David, soon developed an addiction to pain killers and drinking problems along with the latter's meth and heroin habit. The bishop was also caught encouraging the youth of the church to take drugs with him. His notorious habits eventually led to his arrest at the Mexican border after 20 runs. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. 

IMAGE- AP