'The Bible' sequel? Network TV gets in on the biblical drama.

'The Bible' sequel? The popular miniseries on the History channel, will get a sequel airing on NBC, the studio announced Monday. NBC says it will work with 'The Bible' producer Mark Burnett and his actress-wife, Roma Downey on the sequel.

|
Casey Crawford / The History Channel / AP / File
This publicity still released by the History channel shows Roma Downey as Mary in a scene from 'The Bible.' NBC says it will air a sequel to the hit cable miniseries 'The Bible.' The network announced Monday, July 1, 2013, that it will join with producer Mark Burnett and his actress-wife, Roma Downey, on the sequel.

NBC says it will air a sequel to the hit cable miniseries "The Bible."

The network said Monday that it will join with producer Mark Burnett and his actress-wife, Roma Downey, on the sequel. Mr. Burnett and Ms. Downey produced "The Bible" for the History channel.

The Bible mini-series which aired in March drew a big audience, at least 12 million viewers on Sunday nights. And it surprised critics and TV execs. As The Christian Science Monitor reported:

"The runaway success of the Judeo-Christian-themed show reveals an appetite for religious programming that is consistently overlooked in Hollywood.

“We often forget that Christians are still the largest special interest group in America,” says Hollywood producer and Christian media advocate Phil Cooke.

“Whenever they rally behind a movie, TV series, product, or cause, something big happens,” he adds, pointing to the now landmark message sent by Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ.” Within months, he notes, “nearly every studio in Hollywood had opened a faith-based division,” hoping to capitalize on that market."

"

Downey starred in "Touched by an Angel" and also played Jesus's mother, Mary, in the miniseries that aired earlier this year.

NBC says the sequel has the working title "A.D.: Beyond the Bible" and will open in the days following the crucifixion of Jesus.

Casting and an air date haven't been announced.

Burnett's producing credits include the NBC series "The Voice" and "Celebrity Apprentice."

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to  'The Bible' sequel? Network TV gets in on the biblical drama.
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0701/The-Bible-sequel-Network-TV-gets-in-on-the-biblical-drama
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe