Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey released a sneak preview of "Son of God" movie to students at the Liberty University Convocation on Monday, a film that was created using the extra footage from their epic mini-series, "The Bible."
Roma Downey is a producer and an actress, best known for her role in "Touched by an Angel." Her husband, Mark Burnett, has won five Emmy Awards and is credited for creating several reality television shows, such as "The Apprentice," "Survivor," "The Voice," and "Shark Tank." "We have a big platform with what we do for a living," Burnett told Liberty University students - "We have a chance to say a lot about the love of Jesus and our love for Him."
After much prayer and support from leaders in the Christian community, the two produced the mini-series, "The Bible," which has had over 100 million viewers since airing on The History Channel in 2013. The producers are excited to release "Son of God" theatrically, as it has been ten years since a film about the life of Jesus Christ has been in theatres. "There is a whole generation of young people who have not had an opportunity to go to the theatre and see the life of our Savior on the big screen," Downey says.
After filming "The Bible," the couple realized that they had shot enough extra footage to produce a movie about the life of Christ. "When we were shooting in Morocco and filming the story of Jesus, we knew then that we had something very, very special," Downey said in a video about the film - "Something that deserved to be seen in a shared experience."
"Son of God" is scheduled to be released in three languages, and is set to debut in theatres on February 28. The film will be one of several Biblically-based movies to be released in 2014.
Liberty University reports that Burnett and Downey announced a competition for creating the best movie trailer for "Son of God." Anyone can enter the contest, and submissions should be "mock political campaign ads." The winner will be awarded a trip to Hollywood and will get to spend some time with Burnett and Downey.
Downey says she hopes that the film will serve to propagate the Gospel. The producer's website gives resources to help Christians share the movie with others. "The opportunity with a movie like this, that is so clearly about the Lord Jesus - you cannot help but be humbled and feeling so special because of the love that comes off the screen," she says.
