T. D. JAKES RELEASES NEW FILM ‘NOT EASILY BROKEN’: Movie from Potters House leader touches on marriage, relationships, family and romance.

“Not Easily Broken," the latest faith-based feature film from Bishop T.D. Jakes, touches upon themes of marriage, relationships, family and romance.
Jakes said he wrote the novel that served as source material, and that the film was directed and adapted by men (Bill Duke and Brian Bird).

Morris Chestnut plays the main character, the story is of a young couple struggling to maintain their connection to one another and God. It's that rare personal drama — with a largely African-American cast — told from a male perspective.

Jakes is among the producers of "Not Easily Broken" and also makes a brief cameo in the movie. It's his second feature film, following 2004's "Woman, Thou Art Loosed," and it's the latest offshoot of what has become a vast multimedia empire.

Jakes, who began his pastorate in 1979 with a small West Virginia church of 10 members, now oversees The Potter's House, which has more than 50,000 active outreach ministries and has been described as one of America's fastest-growing "mega-churches."

As an author he has penned more than 30 books and hosts a weekly Gospel television program. He's a frequent guest of Oprah Winfrey's and is regularly called upon to serve as an on-air commentator for network and cable news shows.

Jakes has a developmental deal with Sony that could produce a number of big-screen and direct-to-video titles, especially if "Not Easily Broken" proves to be a success. "Not Easily Broken," which opened Friday, is the saga of Dave (Chestnut) and Clarice Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) who face a breaking point in their marriage after she is seriously injured in a car crash. The accident brings to the surface divisive problems that have been festering for years, problems caused by a lack of communication, eroding respect for one another and conflicting life priorities.

As an intimate, small-budget movie, "Not Easily Broken" arrives on the scene free of blockbuster aspirations. But the fact that it has found its way into theaters nationwide has Jakes encouraged that Hollywood is finally starting to embrace films with spiritual themes.