The Old Stories: Moses (Trailer Analysis and Reaction)

Jon Erwin and Wonder Project, the creators of House of David, just released a trailer for a new Bible mini-series, The Old Stories: Moses, which is set to be released later this Spring. As the titles suggests, The Old Stories: Moses will follow the story of the Book of Exodus, including the exile of Moses (played by Ben Kingsley) to Midian, God's appearance to him the burning bush, his confrontation with Pharaoh (played by O-T Fagbenle), the Ten Plagues, and the escape from Egypt through the Red Sea. All of this will be happening within the House of David Extended Cinematic Universe, with David's father, Jesse (played by Louis Ferreira), and his sister Avva (played by Rada Rae), returning. Below I'll draw a few initial insights from the trailer and the announcement and share my reaction. For more, join us tonight as we discuss The Old Stories: Moses trailer and announcement on YouTube.

Moses (played by Ben Kingsley) confronts Pharaoh (played by O-T Fagbenle) in The Old Stories: Moses from Wonder Project

The Old Stories: Moses Trailer Insights

When does The Old Stories: Moses Begin?

The trailer for TOS: M begins with Moses recounting to Zipporah his encounter with God at the burning bush (Exodus 3). The narrative of the trailer suggests that this is roughly where the series will begin. Although we do get a glimpse of baby Moses being rescued from the Nile by Pharaoh's daughter, this is accompanied by voice-over narration from Pharaoh, which suggests that this moment and other earlier stories in Exodus will be flashbacks.

He Knew My Name

As Moses recounts his encounter with God to Zipporah, he emphasizes how God knew his name. Later, the naming of Moses by Pharaoh's daughter is emphasized. Moses' name and identity appear to be a major topic/theme.

A God Who Needs No Sword

Pharaoh's narration also refers to a sword given to him as a child by the previous Pharaoh, which he used to betray the Egyptians. This suggests Moses' murder of an Egyptian (Exodus 2) will be an important sticking point between him and the new Pharaoh. We get a shot of Moses recovering this sword, which he presumably hid after the murder. Moses explains to Pharaoh that he was foolish (in his use of the sword) and insists that he now comes on behalf of a God who needs no sword and warns Pharaoh that he will suffer a worse fate if he resists. The contrast between relying on human strength/violence (symbolized by a sword) vs. relying on Go appears to be a major topic/theme.

Ben Kingsley as Moses in The Old Stories: Moses from Wonder Project

Moses Turn Around and Save My Boy

We get several shots of the plagues (the Nile turning to blood, locusts, the sky turning dark). But the most captivating is an exchange between Moses and Pharaoh, who orders him to turn around and save his firstborn son, before finally giving in and ordering the Israelites to go (Exodus 12).

Over a Million People

From there, we see a massive caravan of Israelites streaming out of Egypt, while Aaron asks Moses how they can lead over a million people.

Behold the Power of Your God

The trailer ends with Pharaoh leading an army of chariots in pursuit of the Israelites. We get a shot of the Pillar of Cloud and Fire (Exodus 13) and see Moses part the sea with his staff (Exodus 14) as he tells a young boy, "Behold the power of your God."

The House of David Connection

The trailer does not explicitly tie the story/characters of The Old Stories: Moses to House of David. However, the inclusion of Jesse and Avva in the cast list makes it clear that this story will indeed take place in the same story-universe as House of David. Season 1 of House of David already established that Jesse frequently tells stories from the Hebrew Bible to his children. It appears that this will serve as the frame for The Old Stories: Moses. Indeed, this is also implied by the title - Moses' life was already an old story by David's time. It seems likely that Jesse will be retelling this old story to make sense of Saul's persecution of his family. It's not a mistake that Moses' line about not trusting in a sword reflects a key theme of David's own story. In that sense, TOS:M may function as House of David Season 2.5.

The Old Stories: Moses Initial Reaction

This announcement came as a huge surprise to me - and a very exciting one. Ben Kingsley is an amazing actor (he just did an amazing job in Wonder Man), and I'm very excited to see his take on Moses. The visuals look appropriately epic (most likely drawing on AI, which I'm sure will be controversial, but doesn't bother me as much). I continue to be amazed by the pace of output by Jon Erwin and Wonder Project, which is coming out with this so soon on the heals of the back to back seasons of House of David in 2025. In terms of my most hotly anticipated Bible shows/films, this is now neck and neck with The Chosen Season 6 .

What are your reactions to The Old Stories: Moses trailer? Are you bothered by the AI? Are you excited to see Ben Kingsley in the role? How do you think it will connect to House of David? Leave your thoughts below in the comments or join us live tonight on YouTube.