‘A.D. The Bible Continues’ on NBC Airs Easter Sunday: Exec Producer Mark Burnett Says ‘This Is an Epic Series!’ (EXCLUSIVE)
For Hollywood power couple Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the executive producers of the NBC primetime series "A.D. The Bible Continues," this is going to be an Easter of "epic" proportions.
The dynamic duo has returned with a series based on the New Testament, which kicks off on Easter Sunday on NBC.
On Tuesday, Latin Post caught up with Burnett, who's known for producing reality TV show hits such as "Survivor," "The Apprentice," "The Voice," "Shark Tank" and "Lucha Underground" etc., to discuss the "A.D. The Bible Continues" during the series' premiere held at The Highline Hotel in New York.
Still reeling from the success of "The Bible," which went on to become "the highest-rated series of 2013 with more than 100 million viewers," Burnett has faith that "A.D. The Bible Continues" will also soar its wings and succeed.
Shot in Morocco, where they found a spectacular piece of land set in a valley, Burnett, who has been sporting a long beard during Lent, gushed over the cinematography of the series.
"It's shot on the best cameras in the world. ... This is like a major, major feature film," he told Latin Post. "It's been great. We've come from the Crucifixion, through the Resurrection to the total acts of the Apostles, the healings, the persecution, the Roman Army, the Ethiopian Army. This is an epic series!"
The set was so convincing that it looked like a real city.
"We got lost in the streets of our own set," he said.
In recent years, the TV and movie-going audiences have reportedly been increasingly receptive to religion-based material, including Burnett and Roma's 2014 feature film, "Son of God."
Two years ago, basing a TV show around the Bible was a hard sell at first, the couple admitted. When Burnett and Downey first pitched the 'Bible-based' television series, the reception wasn't so welcoming and many were skeptical.
"When we brought 'The Bible' series two years ago to the History Channel, I think many people thought we had lost our minds and that no one would watch,'' Downey told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on TODAY.
Yet in a society of people who are glued to their iPhones, there are actually a lot of people yearning for more human interaction and spiritual guidance.
"I think that people are just hungry for hope,'' Downey reiterated. "They're hungry for connection to each other, a connection to God. The Bible is such a wealth of stories. It has all the ingredients. It's exciting, and it's alive."
"A.D. The Bible Continues," which also stars Argentinian actor Juan Pablo di Pace as Jesus, is score for Downey and Burnett who are personally and spiritually invested in the series.
"It's a big success for our faith and realizing how broad the audience is for spirituality, for God,'' Burnett added. "It's the same size audience as the NFL and for any network TV show."
Talk about a spiritual touchdown!
Joking aside, Burnett told Latin Post: "This is the story of the birth of Christianity. This is the birth of Christianity on network television. It doesn't end at the Crucifixion, that's where it begins. ... [T]hat's what the NBC slogan is."
Check out the official trailer for "A.D. The Bible Continues," which premieres on Easter Sunday, April 5 at 9/8 Central.