It was only a matter of time before William P. Young’s phenomenal bestselling novel The Shack found itself on the silver screen. Now, nearly ten years since its original publication, that film adaptation is finally making its way into theaters. And the first trailer, if nothing else, proves that it’s going to be a visual spectacle worth gazing upon.
Like the book, The Shack follows Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington), a devout husband/father struck with tragedy and left searching for answers in a world where everything, including his faith, is put into question. One cold day in the midst of his despair, however, he receives a mysterious letter, delivered by someone without footprints in the snow, saying he should visit a shack in the middle of rural Oregon. Doing as he’s told, he’s met by three strangers, including one referred to as Papa (Octavia Spencer), and soon discovers something that will impact his life and the way he perceives it, forever.
Admittedly, the plot does sound rather similar to this month’s Collateral Beauty, which might serve as a problem for Lionsgate’s marketing team. Nevertheless, the book’s astounding success, matched only by its heavy spirituality, should work in its favor. Radha Mitchell, Grahame Green, Avraham Aviv Alush and Tim McGraw round out the supporting cast.
Directed by Stuart Hazeldine (2009’s overlooked Exam), it’s hard to tell if this is just going to be cheesy mush or something a little more meaningful, but it sure does look nice. That much is for certain. Hopefully, its story is equally as magnetizing as its visuals. We’ll find out for certain if that’s the case when The Shack hits theaters on March 3rd, 2017.
