By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, December 02, 2025

Grammy-nominated artist Phil Wickham has spent most of his life leading worship rather than playing characters. 

But later this year, the Grammy-nominated artist will step into a storytelling role unlike anything he has ever done before: voicing King David in the animated musical “David,” set for theatrical release Dec. 19.

Produced by Angel Studios and directed by Phil Cunningham of Sunrise Animation Studios, the film adapts the biblical story of the shepherd who rose from obscurity to defeat Goliath, evade King Saul, write the Psalms and eventually rule Israel. Wickham voices adult David, while actor, dancer and singer Brandon Engman voices young David. 

The production has been decades in the making — Cunningham said the concept began nearly 30 years ago — and now arrives amid a reshaping of faith-based entertainment driven by hits like “The Chosen” and the Prime Video series “House of David.”

For Wickham, the 41-year-old singer-songwriter from San Diego, California, whose worship songs fill arenas and sanctuaries weekly, "DAVID" marks a deeply personal assignment.

“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know the story of David and Goliath,” the “What an Awesome God” singer told The Christian Post. “Growing up in a Christian home, that story always captivated me. Then, hearing more about his life, this king and poet and crazy life of highs and lows, it was always captivating to me.”

As he began playing music in adolescence, the artist said David’s influence deepened, particularly his humanity; his honesty with God and his courage to trust and repent despite fear.

“When I started becoming a musician and worship leader around 12, 13, 14, the Psalms became my favorite book in the Bible,” Wickham said. “Just knowing that so many of these Psalms teach us how to talk to God. That we can be honest to God, bear our souls to Him and praise Him.”

“Now, as a songwriter, I hope David’s OK when we meet each other in Heaven,” he quipped. “I’ve just stolen so many of his lyrics. All the ways he talks to God, we still talk to God that way.”

One particular book cemented Wickham’s relationship with the biblical king. At 14, his mother gave him David: A Man of Passion and Destiny by Charles Swindoll, a devotional walk through David’s spiritual life.

“It talked through his journey, our journeys as men, and what it means to be a man after God’s own heart,” Wickham said. “That has been one of my favorite Bible study books of my whole life. ... I read through First and Second Samuel every couple of years. David has just always been a big part of how I’ve learned to relate to God.”

So when the opportunity came to bring the king to life on screen, Wickham saw it as a convergence of childhood dreams and spiritual calling.

“On top of it all, I was such a Disney nerd as a kid,” he said. “I remember buying 'The Lion King' cassette at Disneyland with my own money and bringing it home and singing along. I always had the secret dream to voice an animated character. So the fact that it all came together, voicing a hero of the faith with such an incredible team, it feels unreal.”

"DAVID" is one of the most anticipated faith-based films of 2025; in November, Angel said it saw nearly $3 million in theatrical pre-sales in three weeks, the highest in the company’s history. Angel is also reportedly planning a "DAVID" sing-along event in theaters on Dec. 31, featuring the film’s original score.

During production, Wickham said he recorded to concept art and storyboards, never once viewing finished animation or hearing the completed musical score.

“So the first time I saw almost the whole movie was when I screened it myself a few months ago,” he said. “I didn’t see one scene with my voice or hear one note I sang while we were working. So when I watched the movie, my jaw was dropping the whole time. It’s beautiful and incredible.”

He singled out the film’s depiction of Goliath, whose characterization departs from the typical portrayals of a burly, oversized buffoon. 

“They didn’t make him the bumbling giant,” Wickham said. “They made him refined and intelligent, and that almost makes him scarier. He’s not just massive and loud. He’s calculated.”

Wickham said he believes David remains one of Scripture’s most compelling figures precisely because the Bible presents him without softening his moral failures. His scope, he added, is also extraordinary; David rises from obscurity, defeats Goliath, becomes Saul’s harpist, marries into royalty, lives for years as a fugitive, ascends the throne and later commits adultery and orchestrates murder.

“Other than Jesus, we have more about the life of David than any other character in the Bible,” he said. “We see his struggles, his victories, his failures, we see everything.”

“He was a man of victory and faith and also of sin and failure,” Wickham continued. “So why does God call him a man after His own heart? I think the difference is repentance. He always came back to God. … That’s where I connect with David most — not as a king or a warrior but as someone who still needed to fall on his knees and cry out, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God.’ That’s who I am, too.”

In preparation for recording, Wickham reread David’s full biblical narrative in one sitting, and was struck by how David’s example demonstrates that courage doesn't mean the absence of fear; it means trusting God despite it.

“What really stuck out to me was how human he was,” he said. “We put Bible characters on pedestals, but David was just a man. I don’t think he had no fear. I think he was a boy who had faith in the fear. And that resonates with me.”

“These were men who turned to God and said, ‘Help me.’ They said, ‘What do I do?’ And God moved.”

Wickham, who has been writing worship songs for decades, said he believes "DAVID" arrives during a moment when open faith expression is increasingly welcomed rather than marginalized within entertainment.

“There’s a way more wide-open lane now than when I grew up or even 10 years ago to be open about your faith,” he said. “People are more open than ever now. I think they realize how hopeless the world is and that we need a solution.”

“When people ask me what I do, and I say, ‘I sing about Jesus,’ they lean in,” he added. “People are hungry. Everybody was created to know God. There’s something happening right now where believers aren’t embarrassed or afraid to tell their stories anymore. And our testimony is powerful, ‘This is what Jesus did in my life.’ Nobody can argue with that.”

“David,” and the momentum it’s already created, is a reflection of this shift, he said, adding: “This movie is full of the story of God and how He is with us. It speaks hope and truth into the world. The world doesn’t have enough people talking about hope.”

"DAVID" will be in theaters nationwide on Dec. 19.  For more information, click here 

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/phil-wickham-voicing-king-david-power-of-psalms.html