Netflix believes in Messiah drama

Netflix has ordered Messiah, a religious drama exploring the nature of faith and politics, with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey attached.

Mark Burnett

The series, which was first mooted in March, has been confirmed by the streamer for 2019. Set in the present day, it investigates the reaction to a man who appears in the Middle East and gathers a large group of acolytes by claiming to be the Messiah.

Messiah is created by Michael Petroni (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), who will exec produce alongside husband-and-wife production duo Mark Burnett, president of MGM Television and Digital, and Roma Downey (Ben Hur), president of MGM-owned LightWorkers Media.

Andrew Deane of Industry Entertainment and James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) will also exec produce, with McTeigue in line to direct the series.

“Messiah is a series that will have the audience asking big questions,” said Downey and Burnett. “What if someone showed up in 2018 amid strange occurrences and was thought to be the Messiah? What would society do?”

Netflix’s announcement comes on the heels of its third Italian original series commission, Baby.