Robert Redford May Play Oral Roberts in 'Come Sunday'

Robert Redford is known for his unabashed progressive streak, not any religious affiliation.

That makes the following casting news intriguing given Redford’s penchant for politically charged projects.

The veteran actor and Sundance Film Festival founder is considering the role of Oral Roberts in the upcoming film Come Sunday.

The film, which will be financed and produced by Endgame Entertainment (Looper), chronicles the true story of Carlton Pearson, a renowned evangelical minister in Tulsa, Okla., who stirs up controversy with his revelation that there is no hell. He loses everything and must rebuild his church and his family and find his own personal faith. Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace) is in talks to take on the starring role of Pearson.

Roberts, an early pioneer of TV evangelism who reached millions of followers worldwide over more than six decades, served as Pearson’s mentor.

Redford earned draves for his singular performance in last year’s All Is Lost, and he flexed his superhero savvy with a smaller role in the recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His more politically charged films of late, however, have made little noise at the box office. Both The Company You Keep and The Conspirator failed to draw a crowd.

Roberts, who died in 2009, was born into poverty and became one of the most prominent televangelists of the 20th century. He made headlines in 1986 when he asked his followers to donate a total of $8 million or he God would call him home.