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‘Valiant One’ Brings Inspiring Military Tale to the Screen

‘Valiant One’ Brings Inspiring Military Tale to the Screen

Last updated on: January 20, 2025 at 10:00 pm by DeWayne Hamby

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‘Valiant One’ Brings Inspiring Military Tale to the Screen 2025-01-20T22:00:08-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Producers Steve Barnett and Alan Powell, whose Monarch Media productions previously released the faith musicals “A Week Away” and “Journey to Bethlehem,” are bringing an emotionally impactful military story to the big screen with their new film “Valiant One.”

‘Valiant One’ image courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment.

The film, starring Chase Stokes (“Outer Banks”) and Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) was inspired by a chance encounter Barnett had at his high school reunion.

“I bumped into a person I knew in high school,” he said. “We weren’t friends, but we were friendly,” Barnett said. That person was Todd, a former classmate who had become a Navy SEAL.”

Todd shared a harrowing story with Barnett about a routine mission that nearly turned deadly. “He was escorting Raytheon techs to Patriot missile installations along the South Korean DMZ border,” Barnett explained. “They hit really bad weather, and the helicopter ride home was the most concerned he had ever been for his life. They were upside down, rain was flying in the door, and they were just spinning out of control.”

The near-death experience struck a chord with Barnett, who makes his directorial debut after serving as producer for such films as “300” and “The Spiderwick Chronicles.” “I said, ‘Well, wow, dude, what would have happened if you guys crashed in the DMZ or even in North Korea?'” Barnett recalled. “He’s like, ‘Well, we’re Navy SEALs. We’d get ourselves out.’ But he said, ‘If the Navy SEALs, the two that were escorting the rest of these guys, passed away, they died in the crash and leaving just the, the sort of non-combat, cerebral soldiers there to assist and completely inexperienced combat soldiers, they’d be in trouble.'”

That scenario became the basis for “Valiant One.” Barnett as director and producer and Powell as co-producer were drawn to the story’s themes of sacrifice and finding inner strength.

“Ultimately, this is a movie about somebody who starts really selfish, and at the by the end of the movie, is willing to sacrifice themselves for other people,” Powell said. “And if that’s not a theme of our faith, I’m not really sure what is. The entire faith is built on that sacrifice that Christ made for us.”

The production team was committed to authenticity in portraying the military culture, including the use of prayer and choice language. “There’s two things in the culture of the military. One is prayer, Big time, big time, faith in the military and language. They curse the military,” Barnett explained. “We didn’t want to make a movie that didn’t feel real.”

Casting the right actors was crucial, and Barnett praised the ensemble’s chemistry. “That group was so tight knit and so friendly and had so much fun. I think their performances really benefited from the environment that we were in and the dynamic that they had as people,” he said.

While “Valiant One” marks a departure from Barnett and Powell’s previous musical films, they see thematic connections, including sacrifice and redemption.

Barnett and Powell are also excited to return to musicals with an upcoming TV series based on “A Week Away,” which they will write and direct themselves.

“We’re going to film it at the camp so, and, you know, kind of open that story back up,” Powell said. “It’s important to us, and we hope that the continuation of the story is as impactful as the original film was for people.”

“Valiant One” directed by Steve Barnett and co-produced by Barnett and Alan Powell, will release January 31 from Briarcliff Entertainment.

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DEWAYNE HAMBY has covered faith-based music, movies, television, books, and the retail industry for more than 30 years. He is the host of the “Reel Faith with DeWayne Hamby” podcast, a film member of the Critics Choice Association and the author of the book Gratitude Adjustment*. Connect with him at on* Facebook, X, YouTube or InstaGram.

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