A new series about the life of King David that will air on Amazon Prime Video has filled its cast of biblical figures.
Egyptian-American actor Michael Iskander will play the lead role of David in “House of David,” according to Variety magazine. The outlet reports Ali Suliman will play King Saul, Stephen Lang will play Samuel, Goliath is played by Martyn Ford, and Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer will play Ahinoam of Jezreel, one of David’s wives.
The series is the first undertaking birthed out of The WONDER Project, a faith-based, values-driven movie studio co-founded by Jesus Revolution-Director Jon Erwin and former Netflix executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten.
“I believe entertainment sits upstream from culture. And today, the world needs a way to find common ground again,” Hoogstraten told Deadline recently. “Here at The WONDER Project, our goal is to flood the world with hope.”
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“I am convinced we can make a difference by telling stories that restore hope in things worth believing in – family, community, God, and America,” she added. “We will do this at scale for a global audience that seeks faith and values-driven entertainment. And we will give the audience a brand they can call their own.”
“‘House of David’ is our telling of a 3,000-year-old hero’s journey, and it all starts with our David, Michael Iskander,” Erwin told Variety. “Finding Michael and getting to work with him has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Our entire cast is incredible, and I can’t wait for a global audience to get to know them the way I do.”
The “House of David” is Erwin’s idea and is the first project for Prime Video after entering into an agreement with Amazon MGM Studios.
“With House of David being the first project under this new deal, we’re setting the stage for a series of compelling, values-driven movies, and TV shows,” said Erwin. “This is a milestone for The WONDER Project, and we’re thrilled to be working with a company that understands and supports our mission and our audience in such a groundbreaking way.”
According to a synopsis given to the Hollywood Reporter, the series “follows the once-mighty King Saul as he falls victim to his own pride. A prophet prepares to overthrow him — anointing the outcast shepherd boy David as a second king. As Saul’s fury grows, David navigates love, violence, and politics in the court of the very man he’s destined to replace. Two kings. One Kingdom. The outcome is war.”
“The Chosen” creator Dallas Jenkins is a large shareholder and special advisor for the studio.
“When we met with Jon, Kelly, and Dallas, their clear and passionate vision for The Wonder Project and their ambition to nurture universal stories of love, triumph, and spirituality moved us,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “We are very excited about the scope, scale, and storytelling involved with ‘House of David’ and look forward to sharing this epic and many others with our global Prime Video customers.”
The production of the biblical drama series is currently underway in Greece.
