'Heaven is for Real' movie starts shooting in Canada

CULVER CITY, Calif., July 17 (UPI) -- Production is under way in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the family feature, "Heaven is for Real," starring Greg Kinnear, TriStar Pictures said Wednesday.

Based on Todd Burpo's best-selling, non-fiction book of the same name, the film is being directed by Randall Wallace, whose directing credits include "We Were Soldiers" and "Secretariat." Wallace was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for "Braveheart."

Greg Kinnear plays Burpo and Kelly Reilly his wife Sonja in the story of a real-life couple whose son Colton [played by newcomer Connor Corum] says he experienced heaven during emergency surgery.

"Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence," a synopsis said. "He describes heaven in vivid detail, and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth ... things he couldn't possibly know. Todd is called upon by his congregation to explain the meaning of Colton's revelations, and he and his family are challenged to examine their faith and draw meaning from this remarkable event."

The film is scheduled for theatrical release around Easter 2014.