Canada's tallest man will star in a new cinematic interpretation of the beloved Biblical story of David and Goliath.
Jerry Sokoloski, who stands at 7'8 and weighs 450 lbs, will play Goliath in the upcoming film titled "David and Goliath," Christian Newswire reports.
"Jerry was a tremendous blessing," says the director Tim Chey. "We didn't want to create a CGI imitation like 'The Incredible Hulk' and so our casting directors set out to find the biggest guy and he's very big."
Finding an actor to play Goliath was difficult for the casting team, as the giant stood at a shocking nine feet tall, according to story documented in 2nd Samuel.
When the team discovered Sokoloski in Toronto, they were elated.
"They flew Jerry to North Africa just to meet with the director and producers," says Michelle Albright, the U.S. Casting Associate. "While there, they decided to cast Jerry and the rest is history."
"Goliath stood at nine feet," adds Chey. "So Jerry was about a foot and four inches shorter than the real thing. He adds an incredible, realistic dimension."
According to the actor's website, he was drafted at an early age to the NBA, and then became a professional wrestler before embarking on his acting career. To prepare for the role Goliath, Sokoloski worked tirelessly with fight coordinators and acting coaches.
The story of David and Goliath is perhaps one of the most iconic in the Bible. The film will document the early life of David, a young Israelite who bravely fought against the evil Philistine giant, Goliath.
The film wrapped principal photography in North Africa and in studios in London, and is currently in post-production in Los Angeles.
Because of the powerful nature of the story, "David and Goliath" is expected to achieve the same kind of box-office success other Bible-themed films have seen this year. "Heaven is For Real" earned 22.5 shortly after its release, "Noah" made an astounding 301.3 million, and Roma Downey's "Son of God" scored $26 million its opening weekend.
While religious-themed films have been produced for decades, 2014 earned the titled "the year of the faith-based film" as box-office expectations for religious audiences are nearing equal footing with their mainstream productions.
"It's no surprise that Hollywood is aiming films at religious crowds in a major way this year," Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com told the Washington Times.
"Religious crowds are underserved, and they have been for a while now," Contrino later told Business Insider. "What you're seeing is a big section of the population that wants movies that speak directly to them with themes they can relate to. So there's no surprise that's there's this rush out."
"David and Goliath" is slated for nationwide release in early 2015.
