The 10-hour, five-part docudrama, which premieres March 3 on the History Channel, will span the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, presenting some of its best-known stories, including Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, Daniel in the lions’ den and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
Former Touched By an Angel star Roma Downey, Burnett’s wife and fellow executive producer, heads a large international cast in the role of Mother Mary.
Keith David, an Emmy winner for voice-over performances, will narrate with a musical score by Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
History Channel isn’t the first to try the formidable task of cramming thousands of pages of religious text and hundreds of years of Jewish and Christian history into a single epic. Way back in 1966, 20th Century Fox distributed The Bible: In The Beginning. Part of a larger trend in religious-themed epics (including The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston), the film was intended to be the first in a series. It chronicled the Genesis stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and Abraham. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the building of the Tower of Babel were also included.
