By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, October 07, 2025

When John O’Leary burned 100% of his body, losing his fingers at just 9 years old, he could’ve easily given up. Doctors gave him a 1% chance of survival. His family could’ve surrendered to despair. 

But instead, through prayer, the quiet strength of his father, and a community that refused to let him go, O’Leary chose hope.

That choice, to live and believe that God still had purpose in the ashes, became the foundation for “Soul on Fire,” the new film from AFFIRM Films and director Sean McNamara (“Soul Surfer,” “Reagan”). Opening nationwide Oct. 10, the film tells O’Leary’s true story of resilience, faith and the ordinary heroes who changed the course of his life.

"Soul on Fire" stars Joel Courtney (“Jesus Revolution”) as a young O’Leary and John Corbett (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) as his father, Dennis (Denny), with William H. Macy and DeVon Franklin rounding out the cast. Shot in St. Louis, where O’Leary still lives, “Soul on Fire” is based on his bestselling book, which highlights that choosing life and hope is not a feeling, but a daily decision.

“Choosing life is a choice,” Courtney told The Christian Post. “John talks a lot about the victor or the victim life that he could have chosen, which Denny told him about. You don't get to choose the path you walk, but you get to choose how you walk it. And I think that is something that John chooses every single day. He chooses every day to love, to live. That's huge for him, and stepping out into the world and sharing his heart and his story, once he started his speaking engagements, was just it was an inflection point in his life.”

Filmed in many of the real-life places where O’Leary’s story unfolded, the film follows his life, from his childhood accident to his college years, where he hid behind a mask of confidence and hid his pain through partying, concealing the deep trauma he carried.

Courtney, a Christian himself, said his preparation for the film required an understanding of the internal battle between shame and grace.

“He was that fun, party-boy guy, ‘I’m fine, nothing to see here,’” Courtney said. “But deep down, he was hiding himself from the world. Putting myself in those circumstances, trying to understand what that feels like, to live with those kinds of scars and still show up, that was the hardest part.”

Ultimately, it was the love of his best friend and now his wife, Beth, as well as the unwavering support and prayers of his family, that changed the trajectory of O’Leary’s path. Today, he’s a bestselling author, father of four and motivational speaker who uses his platform to challenge others to find their God-given purpose. 

O’Leary told CP he wanted the film to be primarily about the heroes around him who gave him the will to live despite his injuries. DeVon Franklin stars as nurse Roy, the real-life nurse who pushed O’Leary, both physically and emotionally, to walk again.

“Nurse Roy had the point of view that either you deal with this pain right now or you deal with the pain of never being able to walk again,” Franklin told CP. “Scripture says to love your neighbor as yourself; that is one of the commandments. When you look at nurse Roy and all of those in service, they sometimes will even sacrifice their well-being for the well-being of others. For nurse Roy, I tapped into what our faith is about: love, being of service, community and care.”

Corbett stars as O’Leary’s father, who plays a central role in the film, instilling in his son the confidence and will to live despite his circumstances. The 64-year-old actor told CP that what drew him in was the spirit of the story and the man behind it.

“John O’Leary sent me a little video message,” Corbett said. “He had this big smile on his face, saying how much he’d love me to play his dad, how much fun we’d have filming in St. Louis. I’d worked with Sean McNamara before, 20 years ago, on a Hilary Duff movie. So I didn’t even need to read the script; I was already in. And then they told me William H. Macy was in it, and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m definitely in.’”

“There’s a line of guys who would’ve loved to play Denny,” he said. “I’m just honored I got to do it.”

For Courtney, “Soul on Fire,” like “Jesus Revolution,” marked an opportunity to tell a story that inspires viewers to find the courage to choose hope, even when it seems impossible.

“As a Christian, I always love telling stories of faith,” he said. “Stories where people are really going through it, but they choose love, they choose to lean on God, to be led. That’s always meaningful for me. I don’t only do Christian films, but when one like this comes along, it’s special. It’s personal.”

Franklin noted that stories like O’Leary’s can serve as a “catalyst” for a much-needed movement of compassion and community.

“The thing about John is that he had so many heroes around him that helped him become who he otherwise may have never been. As he becomes this voice of motivation, he then uses what he's been given to give that gift to others,” Franklin said.

“It really is a movie of deep, deep compassion,” he added. “My hope and prayer is that families go to the theater and that's what they walk out with. We may not have anyone in our family who's gone through what John has gone through, but we do know people who may be suffering or maybe hurting.

"I'm hoping and praying that the movie motivates people to meet the needs of those who may not be able to do for themselves what you have the ability to do. I think we’ve got to get back to that, and I believe ‘Soul and Fire’ can be a catalyst for that.”

“Soul on Fire” opens nationwide Oct. 10.