After the ratings for The Bible convinced producers that maybe this Christianity thing has legs, a new miniseries is already in the works based on its breakout character, Jesus. The Hollywood Reporter says that Brian Bird and Michael Landon Jr., son of earthly appointed angel Michael Landon, are readying their own Jesus Of Nazareth, a six-hour, $20 million show that will share with the world a story that it’s never heard before, unless you count millennia’s worth of gospels, church sermons, missions, the occasional crusade, and various videos hosted by Kirk Cameron. However, Landon says their version will be different in that is “made for the skeptic,” whose reluctance thus far to embrace Jesus as their savior won’t preclude them from giving a six-hour TV show about him a chance to change their mind, apparently.
The filmmakers do still plan to be somewhat faithful, citing as their inspiration Franco Zeffirelli’s hit 1977 miniseries of the same name in addition to “our favorite book of all time,” Ellen DeGeneres’ Seriously…. I’m Kidding the Bible. (But not explicitly The Bible.) Still, they're committed to “helping skeptics see Christ in a different way than they’ve ever seen him before,” except for all those other places and right now on The History Channel. For example, perhaps Jesus Of Nazareth will finally get into the recording of 1975’s classic Hair Of The Dog, a controversial era too long overlooked by the clergy.