Bart Millard: ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ is a story of grief, gratitude and redemption

MercyMe frontman Bart Millard still remembers his first interaction with Tim Timmons, a fellow singer who joined the band on a tour that would have life-changing implications for everyone involved.

He was – from Millard’s perspective – annoying, overly happy and a little too bubbly for his taste.

“The first thing he ever said to me was, ‘Hey, I think we’re supposed to be best friends,’” Millard told The Lion, laughing as he reminisced.

“He was like a puppy. And I was like, ‘No, I don’t think so.’”

Soon, though, the two men became good friends, and Timmons’ optimistic outlook as he battled health challenges had a profound impact on Millard, who was facing struggles of his own, including a strained relationship with his teenage son, Sam.

That inspiring story is at the heart of the new faith-based movie I Can Only Imagine 2 (PG), which follows the growing friendship between Timmons and Millard that helped heal a relationship and ultimately led to the release of the hit song Even If. It is the sequel to the 2018 film I Can Only Imagine and is set in the years following that story.

I Can Only Imagine 2 released in theaters Feb. 20. John Michael Finley and Trace Adkins reprise the roles of Millard and MercyMe manager Scott Brickell, respectively, while Dennis Quaid returns for flashback scenes of Millard’s father. Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us, Gilmore Girls) portrays Timmons.

Kingdom Story – the same company behind Jesus Revolution and the Best Christmas Pageant Ever – produced it.

The film opens with Brickell telling MercyMe they have a new bandmate – Timmons – but Millard being far from enthusiastic.

“He has become one of my best friends on the planet,” Millard says today.

Millard told The Lion that the film tells the story not only of MercyMe but also of Timmons – a spotlight Millard believes is overdue. The film recounts Timmons’ well-known daily habit of drawing a Sharpie “X” on his wrist each morning – a celebration of another day of life and a reminder to worship Christ. Timmons once battled terminal cancer.

“There’s a lot of people in the world that are these huge rays of sunshine that never get the attention they deserve,” Millard said. “I’m willing to tell some of the hard parts of my life to be able to expose some of the amazing heart that Tim has and what he did for my family, for my life.”

The film has multiple messages for the audience, the MercyMe singer said.

“I think the overall theme has been learning how to hold grief and gratitude at the same time – and realizing that the same God who’s present when everything is going incredibly well is the same God who’s present when things are going incredibly poorly,” Millard said.

“… I was fortunate enough to have another man, Tim, in my life, to kind of help bridge that relationship with Sam and show me things that I couldn’t see. It’s in some ways a buddy movie, in some ways a father-son movie. But it’s a story of redemption. I couldn’t tell the story if my son and I weren’t in an amazingly healthy place now. And so it’s fun to look back knowing where we are now.”