Netflix Orders Christian Series 'Messiah,' a Present-Day Jesus Drama
Netflix has announced that it has ordered and will be airing the series "Messiah," a present-day drama about Jesus' life produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
The Christian Post previously reported that the series was in the works but according to Deadline, the popular streaming service has given the series the green light.
The series was written by Michael Petroni (ABC's "Miracles") and husband and wife duo, Downey and Burnett, serve as producers of the faith-based series.
According to Deadline, the first 10 episodes of "Messiah" explore "the lines among religion, faith and politics. It chronicles the modern world's reaction to a man who first appears in the Middle East creating a groundswell of followers around Him ... the Messiah. Is He sent from God or is He a dangerous fraud bent on dismantling the world's geopolitical order? The story unfolds from multiple points of view, including a young CIA agent, an Israeli Shin Bet officer, a Latino preacher and his Texan daughter, a Palestinian refugee, and the media, among others."
Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, said: "Messiah promises to be a fascinating series for viewers of every faith, and a thrilling drama filled with multi-layered characters set on a global stage."
The series' writer, Petroni, says the multicultural series, "Jesus the Messiah," will have people asking themselves "is He or isn't He?"
"'Messiah' challenges us to examine what we believe and why," he added.
Downey and Burnett, the popular Hollywood Christian couple behind the Emmy-nominated miniseries "The Bible" that was watched by more than 100 million people in the United States, believe "Messiah" will "change everything."
"'Messiah' is a series that will have the audience asking big questions. What if someone showed up in 2018 amid strange occurrences and was thought to be the Messiah? What would society do? How would the media cover him? Would millions simply quit work? Could government's collapse?" the couple ask.
"Messiah" will be released on Netflix in 2019.