Tuesday, December 17, 2013

NBC Greenlights Production of 12-Episode Miniseries 'A.D.'

Last July, NBC announced they had landed the rights to a sequel series to History's miniseries The Bible to be crafted by creators Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. Now today, the network has official greenlit production on the 12-hour miniseries A.D. from LightWorkers Media and executive producers Burnett, Downey and Richard Bedser.




A.D. will tell the story of what happened to the Catholic religion after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Simon Block will write the script. A director and cast will be announced at a later date. The miniseries will likely air on NBC in spring 2015.

"Last year when Mark Burnett was launching The Bible on cable, I told him, without hesitation, that if he wanted to tell more of the story, we'd love to do it at NBC," said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. "We are firmly in the 'event' business and nothing has more event potential that A.D. as it continues immediately after the The Bible ended. The heft of a broadcast network, combined with the promotional arms of NBCUniversal and Comcast, will push this miniseries to a mass audience. We value our relationship with Mark and Roma and know that no one could bring this story to life better than them."

"You might think the story is over at the Crucifixion, but as most of the world knows, that was only the beginning," added Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment. "Everyone's lives were completely altered in an instant and the immediate aftermath of Christ's death had an impact on his disciples, his mother Mary, and key political and religious leaders of the time. In the first episode alone you see the last moments of the Crucifixion, Judas taking his own life after betraying Christ, Peter denying Jesus three times, and then the miracle of the Resurrection. We feel so fortunate to be in the hands of Mark and Roma, who have proven that the greatest story ever told is still just that."

"We are so thrilled to be all systems go with NBC on A.D., our follow-up to The Bible," said Downey and Burnett. "It is the story that changed the world. Millions have died for it and billions live by it. We know that an enormous community will be counting the days until A.D. premieres. We look forward to making this an epic global television event."