‘The Holy Spirit Just Blew In’: Daniel Filmmakers Recall Powerful Moment on Set

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The filmmaking team behind the new Bible movie "Daniel and the Fiery Furnace" believed they were following God’s will in bringing the biblical story to the big screen, but they say one remarkable moment on set served as confirmation of that calling—and a powerful reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence. 

"Daniel and the Fiery Furnace" lands in theaters this weekend, telling the story of Daniel’s captivity from Israel to Babylon, his courage in refusing to compromise God’s law and his God-given interpretation of the king’s dream — culminating in his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace and miraculously surviving.

It stars "Aladdin" actor Mena Massoud in the lead role and "The Chosen" actor Elijah Alexander as King Nebuchadnezzar.

Matthew Kooman and Daniel Kooman, the movie’s writers and directors, say they were filming a major outdoor scene of the prophet Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream when the weather suddenly took a dramatic turn. The scene was filmed in an amphitheater in India.

“There's this oration from the king and then Daniel's giving the dream interpretation, and as he's talking about a Kingdom like no other —an everlasting Kingdom coming — the thunder rolled in, out of nowhere,” Matthew Kooman told Crosswalk Headlines.

“There had been no storms while we're filming, and the wind just picked up and blew everything. The flags were blowing down, all the food tents and everything were blowing around like tumbleweed,” he added.

But because the scene was filmed in a stone structure, the cameras kept rolling. The sudden wind became part of the scene, blowing through the actors’ hair and prompting expressions of surprise on their faces. The Kooman brothers kept the unexpected weather in the final shot because they believed it added something powerful to the moment.

Significantly, they say, the wind picked up just as the actors were speaking words from Scripture.

“The Holy Spirit just blew in like a wind while we were still recording, and we had to keep going because we were capturing this whole big, big shot,” Matthew Kooman said.

“[It was] God's presence just showing up on set and confirmation for everybody that we're part of something bigger.”

"Daniel and the Fiery Furnace" is rated PG-13 for strong violence/bloody images.

Photo Credit: ©EKKL

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.