Regent University Brings Hollywood to Virginia with New Film

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The world of faith films continues to grow with an exciting romantic comedy being released this fall.

The movie, called "In-Lawfully Yours," stars some familiar names like Corbin Bernsen, Marilu Henner, and Chelsey Crisp.

Studio 5 talks with the cast:

But there is another exciting story behind this Hollywood film. It's a first from Regent University's film school.

"I was the instigator, a producer and I played a small role in it," Bernsen explained.

This was a passion project for Bernsen, who partnered with Regent University's film school to bring "In-Lawfully Yours" to life.

Watch the trailer below:

"I have been very blessed to have a wonderful career," Bernsen told CBN News. "But one of the things I take great pleasure in is sharing what we do with people who want to do what we do, make movies."

"What really drew me to the project was creating something where students could truly get involved and I could on a very personal level have this relationship with this entity, Regent University, to see if we could pull it off and make a movie," Bernsen explained.

They more than pulled it off. Regent students worked alongside Hollywood heavyweights to shoot the film in Virginia and a Regent film professor even wrote the script.

"You know you leave Los Angeles, you go somewhere new and you don't know what it is going to be like. It is a different experience, and it was very exciting to go to Virginia Beach and have so many students on set because there was this general sense of excitement and joy in filming the movie," actress Chelsey Crisp said.

Moviegoers may recognize Crisp for her role in the hit ABC television series "Fresh Off the Boat." She plays the leading role, Jessie, in "In-Lawfully Yours."

"Sometimes you get something where the role just speaks to you. You know exactly what to do with it. It is like putting on a pair a comfortable jeans and that is what Jesse is like for me," Crisp said.

Crisp joined fellow cast members at a private screening of the film in Dallas.

"You feel good when you walk out of the theater having seen it," Mitch Land, dean of Regent University School of Communication and Arts, said.

Land has seen his students earn more than 400 film awards, including two student Academy Awards. But this is the school's first Hollywood feature film.

"I think the Lord just put it on our hearts, but He put it on Dr. (Pat) Robertson's heart at the same time. This would not happen without Dr. Robertson's approval and support. This really is a tribute to vision," Land told CBN News.

"And one thing that Dr. Robertson said that inspired me so much, was 'Mitch, don't you think the curriculum ought to be connected to movie projects?' It just sounded like music to my...yes," he said.