It’s likely that you’ve never been able to escape the omnipresence of the powerful and uplifting song “I Can Only Imagine” from Oklahoma City band MercyMe, which launched a double-platinum album.
The story of lead singer Bart Millard, who lost his father to cancer, and inspired the hit song is the basis of a film by the same name that was shot all over Oklahoma and features Dennis Quaid and Cloris Leachman.
Quaid plays Millard’s late father while film newcomer and Broadway veteran J. Michael Finley stars as Bart Millard. Finley spent two months in Bricktown during filming and got engaged, according to The Oklahoman. Country singer Trace Adkins plays the band’s manager. Millard was on set during the shoot, including alongside Finley when he recorded songs for the film in Del City’s Castle Row Studios.
“He’s only been encouraging, helpful and supportive,” Finley told The Oklahoman. “It’s an honor to tell his story. I hope that it does him justice.”
Filming locations included the Centennial Rodeo Opry, Oklahoma City Farmers Public Market and a farm in Yukon, according to The Oklahoman.
The faith-based film will debut in March 2018 with a premiere in Oklahoma City, where the film has a ton of interest. The Oklahoman reports that 13,000 people responded for the call to be extras for a scene in the movie’s climax that needed a crowd of a thousand people.
