Mark Burnett and Roma Downey provided additional detail to The Christian Post on the upcoming TV series "The Bible."
Married since 2007, the couple conceived the idea for the series based on Scripture three years ago.
"It's a passion project for Mark and myself." Downey shared. She also explained that casting for "The Bible" would have been impossible without prayer.
"Casting began with prayer," the actress said, noting the challenge and significance of selecting the right actor to fill the role of Jesus in the series.
"We had been scouting locations in Morocco and were 'looking for Jesus,'" the actress quipped. "Six weeks before filming began, we still didn't have Jesus."
Fortunately, Downey and Burnett came across the name of Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado. "He has a gentleness and humanity about him." Burnett said of the actor.
As the producer of major hit shows including "Survivor" and "The Voice," Burnett has first-hand knowledge of how to create compelling television.
"'The Bible' is going to be seen by millions of people, and it looks like a $100 million feature film," said the creator of "The Apprentice." Because of its potential reach accuracy was key and researchers and theologians were consulted on every part of the script.
Beyond Burnett's production pedigree, the series has other indicators of quality.
Hans Zimmer, who has worked on music for films such as "The Dark Knight Rises," provided the musical score for "The Bible."
The series features stars such as "Game of Thrones" actors Sean Bean and Nonso Anozie, while Roma Downey herself portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The 10-hour series will bridge the Old Testament with the New Testament, or as Burnett said, "from Genesis to Revelation" with several in-depth portrayals of Bible stories.
It is the hope of Downey and Burnett that "The Bible" can become a template for learning and added to curriculums the world over.
"A great story that happens to be our faith," concluded Burnett while speaking to CP about the series.
"The Bible" is set to air on The History Channel following its current and final stage of editing, with the last episode in the series airing on Easter Sunday.
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