LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legendary athlete Herschel Walker has joined the cast of “One Nation Under God,” a feature film starring Kevin Sorbo, Antonio Sabato Jr., Casper Van Dien, Lois Robbins and Isaak Presley, currently in production in and around Baton Rouge. Written and directed by Lisa Arnold, who co-produced the hugely successful 2014 “God’s Not Dead,” “One Nation Under God” dramatizes the ongoing debate surrounding the First Amendment, freedom of speech and censorship, when a new student at a Louisiana magnet school questions a policy in which the words “under God” are omitted in daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
In the film, Walker will play himself, as an alumni of a school which becomes the center of a debate surrounding the right to free speech. When a magnet school teacher (Sorbo) is confronted by a new student (Presley) who questions the school’s policy toward his First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion, the subject becomes the basis of a debate in a juried showdown with a rival school. Casper Van Dien plays the school’s principal who staunchly defends the policy, and Antonio Sabato Jr. plays a senator who has his eye on the White House, yet whose public comments supporting a place for faith in education get him in political hot water.
“When I learned from executive producer Christian Briggs that this film would bring the ongoing discourse about our basic freedoms to the screen, I did not hesitate to say ‘I’m in,’” Walker said. “We are a country that embraces diversity in our people and our opinions, and we must never lose sight of that. That diversity extends to our opinions as well, and we must always guard that basic right to speak freely. I am pleased to be a part of this true story in which one young man stood up for his rights.”
Executive producer Christian Briggs added, “We are very happy that Herschel has signed on to appear in ‘One Nation Under God,’ and we know that he brings with him not only his talent, but also his commitment to freedom of speech and the power of our First Amendment.”
Former professional football player, bobsledder, sprinter and mixed martial artist, Herschel Walker played college for the University of Georgia, earning consensus All American honors three times and winning the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Walker began his pro career for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL before joining the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL, where he also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Walker first met Donald Trump when the latter purchased the New Jersey Generals in 1984. He appeared in Season Eight of Trump’s “The Celebrity Apprentice,” and was an outspoken supporter of Trump’s presidential run.
“One Nation Under God” is a Suretone Pictures/Film Incito co-production. Nick Thurlow, Jordan Schur, Jarred Coates and Lisa Arnold are producers. Christian Briggs, David Mitchell and Keith Jensen are executive producers.