During the Grand Ole Opry show on Wednesday night (March 5), country star Clay Walker announced the development of a Randy Travis biopic film, titled Forever And Ever, Amen, alongside Travis and his wife Mary. The movie will begin production this summer, with an expected release date in 2026.
Clay Walker And Randy Travis Announced The Biopic From The Grand Ole Opry Stage
Randy Travis made two appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage that evening, starting with an introduction from his mentee, James Dupré, who performed “Where That Came From.” The second half of the emotional rendition switched to Travis’ recorded vocals as he walked on stage with his wife. Almost 12 years ago, Travis suffered a debilitating stroke, but he is able to release original music like “Where That Came From” with the help of artificial intelligence.
At the end of the night, Clay Walker brought Travis back on stage for the film announcement and a special performance of “Forever and Ever, Amen,” where Travis himself sang the final “Amen.”
“This is a dream come true,” Walker told the crowd. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time. A lot of times these things never come to fruition, but the good Lord’s had his hand in this, and we’re going to make the best movie about this man’s life.” Walker will serve as an Executive Producer of the film, along with Randy and Mary Travis.
“We’ve been approached many times through the years about doing a movie… but the timing or team has never felt quite as good as it feels right now,” said Randy Travis in a statement. “With Clay on our side, and the creative direction he and the producers have, I feel good about telling my story through this medium.”
Forever And Ever, Amen Biopic Producer And Team
The film’s creative team includes veteran film producer Eric Groth (Ethan Hawke’s “Wildcat”) and writer/director Andrew Hyatt (“Paul, Apostle of Christ” from Sony Pictures) of Sacred Arthouse and Zach Dasher and Korie Robertson of Tread Lively, the team behind the record-breaking film “The Blind” and upcoming series “Duck Dynasty: The Revival.”
Casting will be led by Anne McCarthy, Kellie Roy, and Morgan Robbins at Engine Casting.
Who Will Play Randy Travis?
Casting for the film is underway, looking for actors to play Travis during different ages of his life. Clay Walker will portray Travis in his 40s and 50s, while casting is seeking young actors to play Travis around 9-12 years old, and another in his 20s.
During a press conference following the announcement, Walker shared how his experience as an entertainer will help him bring Travis’ story to life. “I don’t claim to be a great actor, but I understand what you take to the stage with you and what you take behind the scenes with people that you work with: a manager, a wife, an ex-wife, and some of the things that you might do behind the scenes that you’re not so proud of too. And it is just all part of it, but excited about being able to really enhance and shine light on the lights that this icon has lived.” He added, “I’ve been studying a lot of live performances by Randy and some of his interviews. There’s certain mannerisms that he has and I want to be sure and nail those.”
The production team is exploring how Travis’ music will be included, but Walker wants Travis’ voice to shine. “Everybody is focused on giving to Randy to that legacy, not propping ourselves up,” said Walker.
Why The biopic Is Being Developed?
On a flight about five years ago, Clay Walker met writer/director Andrew Hyatt (“Paul, Apostle of Christ” from Sony Pictures) and struck up a conversation.
“I asked him if he would ever think about doing a film about someone’s life, and he goes, like, who? I said, Randy Travis. And he goes, I’ve not thought about it. Then we continued the conversation and a year or two later, I introduced Mary and Randy to him via phone because I just thought, what a life this guy, what a career he’s had,” said Walker.
“My hope and my expectation for the film is going to just keep going generation after generation, people knowing that voice, that awesome voice, but beyond that, this awesome spirit,” says Walker. “You’ve just never seen a person that has this much of a spirit. He’s a champion. This guy has fought Goliath and won.”
Travis is a Country Music Hall of Fame member with 23 #1 worldwide hits, seven Grammy Awards, 11 ACM Awards, 10 American Music Awards, and five CMA Awards. The film’s titular song “Forever and Ever, Amen” earned CMA awards as Single and Album of the Year when it debuted in 1987 and went on to be certified quintuple platinum.
