{"id":399,"date":"2015-03-09T18:17:32","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T00:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/watchinggod\/?p=399"},"modified":"2015-03-09T18:17:32","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T00:17:32","slug":"mark-burnett-and-roma-downey-talk-a-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/watchinggod\/2015\/03\/mark-burnett-and-roma-downey-talk-a-d\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Burnett and Roma Downey Talk A.D."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"A.D.-e1417191292929\"<\/a>What\u2019s a great way to make a hit movie or miniseries? Base it on a bestselling book. It worked pretty well for Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen and even Christian Grey.<\/p>\n

But the Bible? Even with the might of Hollywood heavyweight Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank<\/em>) and his wife, actress Roma Downey (Touched By an Angel<\/em>) behind it, it\u2019s not an easy sell. A lot of folks thought that this entertainment power couple lost their marbles when they pitched a miniseries based on the Bible, Burnett admits. It took some astronomical numbers, courtesy The Bible<\/em> miniseries on the History channel, to convert the doubters. So when Burnett and Downey announced they wanted to do another faith-based miniseries, the question wasn\u2019t \u201creally?\u201d but \u201cHow much do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n

NBC\u2019s A.D.<\/em> is a sequel of sorts to Burnett and Downey\u2019s Bible<\/em> (even though, being mainly based on the book of Acts and all, it\u2019s still technically part of the original story). The miniseries begins its 12-episode run on April 5 (Easter Sunday).<\/p>\n

I had a chance to snag a sneak peak last week, when Burnett and Downey came to Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs for a visit. The first episode revisits the Good Friday\/Easter story and delves a little more deeply into the socio-political climate of the day.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to give much away, but here are a few little tidbits I gleaned from Burnett, Downey and the first episode.<\/p>\n

The world was a violent place, and it shows.<\/strong> Jesus\u2019 crucifixion is, Burnett admits, \u201chard to watch, but we\u2019re not going to pull punches with that.\u201d And it\u2019s not like sensitive viewers can necessarily breathe easy afterwards, either\u2014not with some martyrdoms in the original script.<\/p>\n

\"AD2\"<\/a>Burnett doesn\u2019t see this as niche programming.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s as broad as the nightly news,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s as broad as the NFL. It\u2019s Christianity.\u201d Most Americans, after all, identify as Christian, and that makes us a pretty huge demographic\u2014even though Burnett suggests that we often seem like a fringe group, what with our bewildering array of denominations (and not an insignificant amount of infighting). And he believes it\u2019s only right that a show based on the Bible should air on a broadcast network like NBC, designed to reach the broadest possible audience.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t follow the Bible exactly.<\/strong> We get an in-depth look at some characters the Bible barely mentions. We\u2019re treated to extra-biblical context and the occasional supposition. And sometimes, A.D.<\/em> slightly tweaks a bit of the Scripture itself.<\/p>\n

Downey and Burnett are aware that some Christians are going to have trouble with the liberties they take\u2014even though they\u2019re pretty minor when compared to Noah<\/em> or Exodus: Gods and Kings.<\/em> They\u2019re prepared for the inevitable crit. But the two see the series as an entry point to the Bible\u2014and a funnel to the local church. \u201cIt\u2019s the job of the church to untie the fishing knots\u201d presented by the miniseries.<\/p>\n

Be ready for more A.D.<\/em><\/strong> next year.<\/strong> This miniseries takes viewers only through the first 10 chapters of Acts, which means almost two-thirds of the book have yet to be explored, to say nothing of the myriad of letters and the holy dreamscape of Revelations. And while there are no guarantees in the world of broadcast television, Burnett says that NBC has already expressed some interest in a second season.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like that. Sure, as a Christian, the Easter story is incredibly important, and it makes sense that A.D.<\/em> would revisit it again. But it\u2019s also very, very familiar to most of us. It\u2019s the stuff that comes after\u2014the struggles of the early Church\u2014where the narrative feels fresh and tense. How did a bunch of fishermen and one turncoat Pharisee help turn Christianity from a tiny loathed cult to a force to be reckoned with in the Roman Empire? That sounds like a pretty interesting tale.\u00a0The Bible may be a bestseller, but not everyone who has the Good Book is that familiar with what\u2019s actually inside. And that might make A.D.<\/em> feel pretty fresh.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s a great way to make a hit movie or miniseries? Base it on a bestselling book. It worked pretty well for Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen and even Christian Grey. But the Bible? Even with the might of Hollywood heavyweight Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank) and his wife, actress Roma Downey (Touched […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2036,"featured_media":401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[154,44,35,155],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television","tag-a-d","tag-bible","tag-christian-movies","tag-miniseries"],"yoast_head":"\nMark Burnett and Roma Downey Talk A.D.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What\u2019s a great way to make a hit movie or miniseries? Base it on a bestselling book. 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