Mary Aloe – Aloe Entertainment: Mary Mother of Christ Finds its Joseph

After a global search, Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and director James Foley have found “Joseph”. With over 900 established and unknown actors vying for the coveted role, Diogo Morgado has been cast as Joseph in MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST. He joins an all-star cast including Camilla Belle (10,000 B.C. and Push) as Mary, Academy Award winner Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface, you don't know jack, HBO) as King Herod, Golden Globe winner Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia and Venus) as Symeon, and Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Legends of the Fall) as Elizabeth.

The film’s award winning director James Foley (Confidence, Glengarry Glen Ross and Perfect Stranger) says of Morgado, “We saw a huge amount of young actors and a couple were great. We thought we finished our search when a tape appeared with this incredible guy. A major future star walked in the room and I met him, read him and knew we had found THE one.”

Though unknown for the most part to U.S. audiences, Morgado is one of the most recognizable actors in Portugal. Now in his 20’s, since his first professional screen engagement 15 years ago, Morgado has constantly been working in Film and television. This year, Morgado appears in critically praised performances in Star Crossed—Amor em Jogo and A Vida Privada de Salazar, playing the title character Oliveira Salazar, the Prime Minister and dictator of Portugal who was highly influential in shaping modern Portugal. MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST is Morgado’s first crossover to a U.S. Production.

From the writer and technical adviser of The Passion of the Christ, this is an action drama, youth oriented, faith based biopic that chronicles the epic journey of a young Mary and Joseph, their escape from the tyranny of King Herod’s reign and their preparation of young Jesus for his destiny.

MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST is produced by Mary Aloe through Aloe Entertainment (Battle In Seattle, Tortured, When a Man Falls in the Forest and While She Was Out) with producing partner Dune Films (Babel, Hidalgo and Prince of Persia). Mauricio Sanchez, Mike Dolan and James Volk are executive producers. Casting was coordinated by Carla Hool (Apocalypto, Man on Fire and Quantum of Solace). Currently in pre-production, the film is scheduled to begin principal photography in the first week of May 2010. The film will be domestically distributed by the studio with an anticipated 2011 release in a guaranteed minimum of 2,000 theaters. Morgado is represented in the U.S. by Adam Park of The Park Noack Agency.

Mary Aloe is Proud Mary Entertainment - Aloe Entertainment Website

Mary Aloe is Proud Mary Entertainment - Aloe Entertainment and Team Complete Bond Scouting for MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST

Ouarzazate, Morocco - Bond scouting was accomplished for the film, MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST. The director, line producer, production designer,and producer Mary Aloe, along with the Dune Film team, got most of the coverage – hot, beautiful, and absolutely stunning.

Mary Aloe told us, "It will be interesting to film a Christian movie in a Muslim world. The film crew is A+ (Babel, Prince of Persia, Hidalgo, Alexander, The Mummy, and Gladiator). The people are absolutely warm and embracing. The varying colors of the blues, the reds, and the custom dress of the indigenous people pop against the putty golden sand and the orange hues of buildings built over two thousand years ago. With more stars than we knew were in the Heavens, it is truly God’s hands that have created this country, this land, and the foundations of these marvelous historical sites."

The producer and president of Aloe Entertainment continued, " What a blessing Morocco will be for MARY MOTHER OF CHRIST. The movie is a part of Mary’s life that we have never seen before; at age 8, 15 and 19. Our Mary and Joseph are both young, during a time that has been left to interpretation in the New Testament."

The film is an action, faith-based, youth-oriented, drama, and iconic character-driven biopic that captures each audience to make it an assured box office success. Gabriel and Lucifer, played by the same actor, will both entice and inspire the young Mary and Joseph. Under the terror of Herod’s reign, and against all odds, they survive. As we touch on the birth of Jesus, we see them survive as young parents in one of the most treacherous times in history. Joseph, who will be depicted at ages 10, 17 and 21, will be her childhood companion and confidante – a true soul mate – who willingly, lovingly, and courageously undertakes his role as protector and guide for Mary and her child. Throughout the film, Mary and Joseph, with the help of Gabriel, will face, head-on, the obstacles ingeniously devised by Lucifer as he plays on the greed and ambition of other people to endanger them.