The Bible, an upcoming television mini-series, produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, will air on The History Channel beginning March 3, 2013. Burnett, producer of “Survivor” and “The Apprentice” considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. Downey, of “Touched by an Angel” fame, explained that the series contains five episodes that focus on the Old Testament and five episodes about the New Testament and “covers a broad account of the best-known and some little-known biblical stories, from the book of Genesis to Revelation.”
Although the book that inspired “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” has been the basis for numerous films, Burnett and Downey, who are married, hope special effects and epic story lines will bring their series “The Bible” to life. The series will be Burnett's first scripted project.
The couple told Fox News that their aim is to retell the stories of the Bible in an appealing way to attract a young audience. “It really is family programming,” Burnett said. “It’s for young. It’s for old. And equally importantly it’s for teenagers,” he told Fox News.
Downey, a practicing Catholic originally from Derry, Northern Ireland, said they wanted to “create a project that glorifies God” and for “a new generation.”
One of the underlying reasons for making the series is to combat the “biblical illiteracy” that they feel plagues the nation.
In an interview with Simon Carswell of The Irish Times, Burnett said the series is meant to both educate and entertain. The couple noted that there are 60 billion copies of the Bible in circulation, but some Christians don’t know its contents.
Churchleaders.com reported that Nancy Dubuc, president of the History Channel, told MovieGuide.com that a group of theologians and scholars were regularly consulted on the accuracy of the project. "This is probably the most important book in mankind, regardless of your beliefs or religious affiliation," Dubuc says. "We spend a lot of time talking about this book, and probably not enough time knowing what’s in it."
“I think people are hungry for hope,” Downey said. “People are hungry for God, and this series presents the Bible in fresh, visual ways, but I think ultimately it will really connect in their hearts.”
The accompanying video provides a trailer for The Bible mini-series.
Click here to read a related article on Biblical Illiteracy.
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