'Unplanned' Movie, Climbing DVD Charts, Is Surrounded by Miracles during Production and After

Josh Shepherd : Sep 12, 2019
The Stream

Filmmakers share some of the incidents they are calling "miraculous."

[Stream.org] Climbing to number six on national sales charts upon release this past week, Unplanned keeps proving its critics wrong. The independent biopic bested big-budget titles from Fox and Warner Bros. (Image: Actress Ashley Bratcher (right) portrays Abby Johnson (left) in the dramatic biopic 'Unplanned' /Believe Pictures /Pureflix /via The Stream)

"Last week, Unplanned was the number one best-selling drama, and in the top ten movies overall, so naturally we're very pleased," said co-directors Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman in a statement via e-mail.

"We believed all along that there was a lot of pent-up demand out there for the DVD, and now consumer reaction has confirmed that."

For a few hours on release date, the biopic was also number one at top online retailer Amazon. Author of the book Unplanned, upon which the film is based, former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson sees the movie as a tool of healing and encouragement.

"This is only the beginning of the positive and lasting impact the movie will make," said Johnson via e-mail. "Unplanned has already offered healing to numerous women and families who have had abortions or worked in the abortion industry"...

In Tornado Alley, Storms Inexplicably Subside

The production of Unplanned reflected an ecumenical ethos rarely seen among US Believers. While the directors are Roman Catholics, lead producers Daryl Lefever and Chris Jones are charismatic evangelicals.

"You have two evangelicals and two Catholics shepherding this whole project," said Solomon. "We knew from the beginning that it was a God thing that the four of us were brought together."

Their spiritual emphasis led to an unusual decision during filming last summer in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They invited a five-person prayer team on-set for the duration, led by evangelical Christian leader Lorraine Varela and her husband Gabriel. She later authored a companion devotional book entitled Planned from the Start.

"They'd go department to department and pray over literally everyone," said Lefever. "They'd pray over the actors in the makeup and hair trailer. They'd walk around the set reading Scripture."

One item constantly on the prayer list concerned extreme weather. "Because it was during what is normally tornado season, we were worried about tornadoes disrupting our shooting schedule," said Lefever. "We credit those prayers for keeping storms and tornadoes away."

In news reports last year, the National Weather Service described April and May as a "tornado drought" for Oklahoma. During the 31-day film shoot, only one EF2 twister was recorded statewide—over 190 miles away from movie sets.

Last year, Oklahoma reported no deaths from tornadoes for the first time since 2006... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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