The Burnetts putting their all into pulling viewers into “The Bible” 10-Hour History Channel Series From Roma Downey And Mark Burnett

One is best known for playing a kind-hearted angel on a hit television drama. The other is the man behind more than a dozen record-breaking reality shows. But husband and wife Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Voice") say their biggest achievement is yet to come -- and it offers a stark contrast to the primetime roles that have made them sought-after Hollywood stars.

Called "The Bible" and set to premiere Sunday on the History Channel, their new production is a 10-hour scripted miniseries that aims to take viewers on a dramatic, special effects-filled journey through the world's most popular book, from the story of Noah's Ark to the Exodus and the life of Jesus.

"We're trying to tell the story of God's love for his people," said Downey, who plays the role of Mary in the five-episode series.

She and Burnett were inspired after watching "The Ten Commandments," the famed -- but dated -- 1956 film by Cecil B. DeMille that makes its rounds in television reruns during major holidays. "We saw this as an opportunity engage people in new and exciting ways to consider these stories and re-experience them," said Downey, who conceived the project with Burnett nearly four years ago.

Filmed in Morocco and airing over five Sundays through March 31, "The Bible" spans hundreds of years of biblical history, beginning with the sacrifice of Isaac and ending with the meeting between Pontius Pilate and Jesus and Ananias's baptism of St. Paul. In between, viewers will see Samson destroy the pagan Philistine temple, David fight Goliath, the Baptism of Jesus and Christ walking on water, among other scenes.

Roma is seen in the miniseries as well as serving as an executive producer along with her husband. She plays Mary, mother of Jesus, in scenes depicting the final chapters of his life story.

“We have a young actress of course playing Mary during the nativity and the early years of Jesus’ life, and 30 years go by. An early version of the script referred to that as Young Mary and Old Mary and when I stepped into the role, I said, ‘You know, could we have Young Mary and Mother Mary?’” she recalled, laughing.


Part entertainment, part evangelism, "The Bible" is accompanied by a tremendous commercial push, with trailers in movie theaters and ads across A+E Networks channels, including Lifetime. There are also three books based on the series and a DVD study kit.

As Christians who say they believe the Bible is the “living word of God,” Downey and Burnett have partnered with many of the country's biggest churches to promote the production, among them Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House in Dallas and prominent evangelicals, including Jim Daly of Focus on the Family and Sam Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. The series' website includes lesson plans for pastors who want to incorporate the show into Sunday sermons and study groups.

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, the founder of Southern California's Saddleback Church and an adviser to the film, said he will host a webcast on the series on Saturday and plans to use it in the church's weekly study groups. "I have seen probably every film made on the Bible in the last 50 years. This is by far the best one,” Warren said.

Joel Osteen, pastor of Houston's Lakewood church, the country's largest house of worship, screened the series for his 40,000-member congregation in January and is in the midst of a seven-week promotional effort. Saying it showcases the Bible in a “compelling and powerful way,” Osteen told The Huffington Post he believed the show would reach “believers and nonbelievers alike.”“We’ve had scholars and theologians help. We’re not pretending to be biblical experts,” she stressed. “We brought experts in once the scripts were created to take a look at the scripts to make sure we were accurate and true to the Bible, but obviously we’re making a movie, and so we breathed creative expansion into that.”

Roma is hoping the TV event will attract the faithful and those unfamiliar with the Bible alike. “Yes, it’s going to be a faith journey, but it’s also going to be really exciting and dynamic television,” as she put it. The filmmakers were able to bring up-to-the-minute CGI special effects artistry to familiar stories from Noah’s ark and Moses’ parting of the Red Sea to Jesus walking on water — “Genesis to Revelation.”

The intensity of their belief in this project is such that Burnett told Variety, “I am certain that if you took ‘Survivor,’ ‘The Voice,’ ‘Shark Tank,’ ‘The Apprentice’ and all the other shows I’ve done, over the next 25 years more people will see ‘The Bible’ miniseries than all those other projects combined.”

According to Burnett, such a broad impact is part of the series' goal. “The faithful will see the stories of their faith. People who are not faithful will totally enjoy it because it is the greatest story ever told,” he said.

But while the Bible has wide appeal, its depictions can also be controversial. One of the last major Bible film productions, Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" (2004), was heavily criticized for its depiction of Jews and charged with lacking historical accuracy.

Mark Goodacre, a New Testament scholar at Duke University who was one of several academics who consulted on Downey and Burnett's script, said there are bound to be questions of interpretation, accuracy and “what's included and not included” in any Bible adaptation.

“We tried to make sure things held together historically, but in any adaptation that's a compelling drama you have to draw lines and make connections through dialogue, scenes and narrative,” said Goodacre, who noted the series relies on a mix of Biblical translations with dialogue that appeals to modern viewers.

“You don't want people talking King James English, but there are recognizable lines and, of course, iconic places," he said. "But [Downey and Burnett] are also not afraid to provide some linking pieces and do things that are not direct. It's very naturally done.”


Perhaps there was a bit of destiny involved. As Roma also mentioned, “My middle name is Mary. All the girls in my family have the middle name of Mary.”

She also told us that the making of “The Bible” proved to be a great husband-and-wife collaborative experience for her and Mark. They toiled side-by-side in Morocco, in extreme heat and cold, dust storms and more.