HOUSTON – Intrigue, drama, stories of faith and iconic characters fill the pages of the best-selling book of all time -- the Bible. Executive producers Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey will add a sequel to their 2013 "The Bible" miniseries that aired on The History Channel.
"A.D. The Bible Continues" will pick up where "The Bible" series left off.
"Everyone thought we lost our minds," executive producer Mark Burnett said. "When we said we were making the Bible into a series everybody thought it was a joke and nobody would watch "The Bible" on TV, but 100 million Americans tuned in. We knew we had to continue. We were up against "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" and we were the most-watched cable program that year."
That was back in 2013. Their new series will air prime time on NBC April 5, Easter Sunday.
"I think people are hungry for these stories, hungry for hope, and they are hungry for their connection to God," Downey said. "When you watch on Easter Sunday you will see the crucifixion, but it doesn't end there. You will also see the resurrection of Jesus, and the series of the next 12 weeks will take you on a journey of the disciples through the times that they lived in."
The couple spent months of researching information regarding the biblical context of the New Testament, which included history, culture, the political and economical climate, religion and race. The series was filmed in Morocco on a set that was the largest free-standing set in North Africa.
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Downey, who also plays Mary mother of Jesus in "The Bible" series, said it took prayer to complete the casting for the show.
"There isn't anything in our lives that doesn't begin with prayer and doesn't begin with intention," Downey said. "The intention was to create something beautiful that would touch people's lives and bring them closer to God. We want people to see themselves in this story. The cast had to be racial, diverse."
The couple has been busy. This is not their only project. Both produced the motion picture "The Son of God," and the pair recently produced "The Women of the Bible" for Lifetime. Downey is a classically trained Emmy Award-nominated actress who started on the hit show "Touched by an Angel." Burnett currently has several broadcast series on-air including "The Voice," "The Celebrity Apprentice," and "The Sing Off."
"We just love working together. Roma is not only my wife, she's my best friend, so we get to hang out all the time," Burnett said.
TIES TO HOUSTON
Burnett and Downey promoted the series at Lakewood Church Sunday morning and were met with a standing ovation from the congregation.
"We love coming to Houston. Its like a home coming for us," Downey said.
"These guys are history makers," said Pastor Joel Osteen as he ushered the couple on to the stage. "They are friends of ours and friends in the ministry. They could be doing anything with their influence and their favor but they stepped out in faith and produced "The Bible" series, hoping that people would receive it, and 100 million watched it. 'A.D the Bible Continues' is a story that needs to be told."
"A.D. The Bible Continues" will span 12 weeks on KPRC Channel 2.