'The Bible' Miniseries Being Made Into Movie, Says Mark Burnett: 'It's God's Voice'
"The Bible" is one of the most popular miniseries of all time, and it is now being made into a 3-hour movie by producer Mark Burnett. The show is being reconstructed into a new movie that will hopefully be released in the fall of 2013.
"We're cutting a movie version right now, a three-hour version of Jesus and [we have] many, many offers from theaters globally," Burnett told The Hollywood Reporter. The popular series could be released as early as the fall of 2013, which would play off of the high ratings and sales of the DVD.
Burnett also did not rule out the possibility of a second series that expands upon more stories found in the Bible.
"It's never actually stopped, but I do have scripts in my bag that I just received today for what's next," Burnett added. "We feel there is a void, and we're filling that void," he added.
Asked why the show was so popular, Burnett gave full credit to God.
"It's a God voice. It's clearly a calling; clearly, we felt it was something we had to do, and too many things happened to explain it any other way. It's a juggernaut and it's not going to slow down," Burnett said.
He and wife, Roma Downey, who starred on "Touched By An Angel," worked together on the popular miniseries that led up to the Easter holiday. The series beat out such popular shows as "The Walking Dead" for highest ratings and is the "fastest-selling DVD for a miniseries ever," according to Entertainment Weekly.
Burnett has not said whether the original "Bible" cast will star in the upcoming film, but it's likely. After all of the popularity and recognition the series received, the cast may stay with the project until its completion.
"I greatly enjoyed 'The Bible' Miniseries that aired on The History Channel. I did shed some tears in it, too. If they are going to continue with a movie that'd be great. The world (and my country) really needs all the stuff like this [that] it can get," Hollywood Reporter reader Mister E posted.