Episode Details

Jon Erwin has been dreaming about the story of George Washington for over a decade. He read approximately 30 books, brought in historians obsessed with the subject, and set out not to photograph history but to paint an accurate portrait of a young man raging against an unfair world who decided to build a better one. Young Washington finished third at the box office over the Fourth of July weekend, making it the only film about American history in theaters on the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding — and the only modern theatrical film about George Washington in decades.

The origin story of America, a love letter to a nation still worth believing in, and why your movie ticket is your vote: Jon shares what drew him to Washington's story, how the film captures a young man denied entry into a colonial class system and the fury that forged him into the father of a different kind of country, and why he believes so many of America's current problems trace back to a generation that no longer knows its own origin story. He also previews his next film, 1776, which will bring Washington back as the central figure of an ensemble story about the moment the largest amphibious fleet ever assembled in the history of the world hit the immovable object that was George Washington.

Highlights

• Why Young Washington finishing third on the Fourth of July weekend was not a surprise to Jon but a statement from Middle America
• How nearly 30 books and years of research shaped a film he originally fell in love with long before he planned to make it
• The moment that defines Young Washington — a young man denied entry into a colonial class system who decides to build a fairer one
• Why America replaced the word subjects with citizens in the Declaration of Independence and what that still means today
• Why Jon believes this film belongs to everyone, left and right, because Washington is the first founding father for all Americans
• The staggering fact that Young Washington is the only modern theatrical film about George Washington in decades
• A preview of 1776, the next chapter in Washington's story, featuring an ensemble cast and the largest amphibious fleet ever assembled
• Why Jon believes America's story needs to be retold through film and why he hopes other filmmakers follow where Young Washington led

Resources / Links / CTA

• Young Washington film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32104007
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonerwinofficial
• Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
• Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.