Fireproof: When Filmmakers Believe in Miracles

Hollywood Veterans will tell you that if a low-budget movie makes it to theaters, it’s a miracle. But when Alex and Stephen Kendrick say that, they mean it literally. The brothers, ministers at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., are the writers, producers and directors of the surprise hit FIREPROOF. Shot for $500,000 with an all-volunteer cast and donated sets and locations, the drama, about a fire captain trying to rekindle his marriage, opened fourth at the box office, earning $6.8 million. The Kendricks’ 2006 film, the football parable Facing the Giants, proved there’s an audience for overtly Christian movies. This time the brothers cast their first name actor, Kirk Cameron, as fireman Caleb Holt, and tackled a universal subject: marriage. On the brink of divorce, Caleb gets a “love dare” from his dad–40 days of Scripture-based tasks to save his marriage. “We wanted to say, Marriage is a beautiful thing, and it’s worth fighting for,” says Alex Kendrick. Audiences must agree: The Love Dare book inspired by the film is No. 8 on Amazon.