In the years since I Can Only Imagine became a surprise box-office phenomenon—grossing over $83 million on a $7 million budget—director Andrew Erwin wondered if the story of MercyMe frontman Bart Millard was truly finished. The 2018 film captured the redemptive power of the band’s signature hit and the healing between a son and his dying father. But as Erwin reveals in an exclusive conversation with AMFM Magazine, sometimes the most powerful stories demand an encore.
“We were skeptics, just like a lot of people probably were,” Erwin admits. “But when you watch it, it totally catches you off guard. It finishes that story for Bart in a way that breaks it first, and then heals it in a much more nuanced and satisfying manner.”
I Can Only Imagine 2 picks up after the breakout success of “I Can Only Imagine.” Bart (John Michael Finley) is living the dream—sold-out arenas, devoted fans, a thriving career—but his unresolved past threatens the family he’s built, particularly his fragile relationship with his son Sam (Sammy Dell). A hopeful newcomer, Tim Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia), joins the band for their biggest tour yet, bringing unexpected friendship and forcing Bart to confront his demons before fame costs him everything that matters. The film, based on the true story behind MercyMe’s other massive hit “Even If,” explores faith, family, and finding God in the fire. Directed by Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle, and written by McCorkle, it reunites much of the original cast, including Dennis Quaid as Bart’s father Arthur, alongside Sophie Skelton, Arielle Kebbel, Sammy Dell, and Trace Adkins.
Produced by Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Cindy Bond, Bart Millard, Daryl Lefever, and Joshua Walsh, with executive producers including Tony Young, Bernie Stern, Brent McCorkle, Scott Brickell, and Dylan Bond, the Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company release delivers emotional symmetry. As Erwin explains, the first film was a son’s journey toward his father, ending in hope. This chapter reverses the dynamic: a father fighting to reach his son, culminating in gratitude.
Magic at Red Rocks and Reunion Moments
Filming at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre provided some of the production’s most memorable days. With 8,000 extras filling the sacred space for the climactic performance of “Even If,” reality blurred with cinema.
“The audience standing to their feet during the big crescendo wasn’t prompted—it wasn’t scripted,” Erwin recalls with visible emotion. “They chose to do that. I got chills. That was what the moment needed to be. You don’t really direct 8,000 people—they kind of tell you what they want to do.”
Another profound on-set moment came on the final day of shooting, reuniting Quaid and Finley around a campfire barrel for Arthur’s return. “It was like no time had passed at all,” Erwin says. “This time warp, this time loop that gave you a moment back that you thought was finished. I got teary-eyed.”
The film doesn’t shy away from raw truth. Erwin shares a powerful unscripted moment during the recreation of Arthur smashing a plate over teenage Bart’s head—a real-life event. After Bart storms out, Quaid, still in character, looks at the broken pieces in shame and begins picking them up. “I looked over at Bart, and he was sobbing,” Erwin remembers. “He said, ‘I never considered the shame my dad must have felt after I left the room.’” These instances of “emotional archaeology,” as Erwin calls them, define the Kingdom Story Company approach: welcoming collaboration without surrendering creative control, painting accurate yet artistic portraits of living people.
Stewardship, Hope, and the Punk Rock of Gratitude
Erwin views filmmaking as stewardship—“What stories are really worth giving two years of my life for?” He and his collaborators seek narratives that intersect cultural needs with deeply personal resonance. In an era where hope can feel countercultural, he sees it as “punk rock.”
“People of faith had given up their seat at the table,” he reflects, noting the rich historical intersection of faith and arts from the Renaissance to classic Hollywood epics. “Then a group started earning their right to be heard—not to take anything away from anybody else, but to be representative.” Erwin is proud to be part of that movement, telling fully realized stories that offer what audiences crave: hope with teeth.
For I Can Only Imagine 2, the takeaway is layered. For some, it’s pure entertainment and a well-told story. For others, especially people of faith, it resonates on a spiritual level. “It’s very much about waking up every day with the gratitude that God gave me one more day I wasn’t promised,” Erwin says. “Gratitude is something that will change your life if you let it.”
That message arrives at the perfect time. As Bart navigates fame, family fractures, and an unlikely friendship with Tim—a cut-up with hidden gravity—viewers are invited to examine their own relationships and sources of gratitude amid life’s fires.
A Story Worth Telling Twice
With its blend of music, redemption, and hard-won wisdom, I Can Only Imagine 2 feels both inevitable and essential. It doesn’t just revisit a beloved world—it completes it. As Erwin puts it, sequels should have something meaningful to finish. This one does.
Some stories deserve an encore. This one earns it.
Interview conducted by Paul Salfen for AMFM Magazine. I Can Only Imagine 2 is in theaters now.
