The power of Christ has really been compelling audiences this year, with titles like The Chosen breaking viewership records and raking in heaps of cash at the box office. On December 19, just in time to celebrate Christmas, a star-studded cast will bring the story of Jesus’ birth to life in Zero A.D. Today, as part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event, we’re thrilled to be the first to debut the character posters that put the dynamite call sheet behind Alejandro Monteverde’s (Sound of Freedom) latest pairing with Angel Studios into garments that will carry audiences back to Biblical times.
With a lineup that includes the incredibly familiar and famous faces of Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Sam Worthington (the Avatar franchise), Gael García Bernal (Y tu mamá también), Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ), Deva Cassel (The Leopard), and Jamie Ward (Juliet & Romeo), a memorable tale is beginning to take shape through the character close-ups. While each actor is fully covered in clothing of the time, two have undergone even further transformations, as Mendelsohn and Caviezel are nearly unrecognizable as Nahash and Herod, respectively. In the case of Cassel, Ward, and Bernal, their wardrobe went a much more modest route than the rest, while Worthington dazzles in a suit of armor while sitting atop a horse.
What Is ‘Zero A.D.’ About?
Many know the story of Jesus’ birth — a tale that speaks of a holy child being born from a virgin while she and her husband took shelter in a barn amongst oxen and donkeys. Most even know about the shepherds and the wisemen who came to pay homage to the child, but there’s also a darker side to the story that often gets glossed over during the celebrations of Christmas.
That drama and darkness are precisely what Zero A.D. is looking to explore, as it will follow the bloodthirsty pursuit that King Herod (Caviezel) carried out in hopes of cutting down the so-called Messiah before he and his family can flee. Even though we know that Jesus, Mary (Cassel), and Joseph (Ward) make it out of the city safely, the horrors that go down in Bethlehem when Herod’s army gallops into town will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the credits roll. And yes, we certainly didn’t miss the irony that Caviezel, who appeared in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ as the titular religious leader, is now on the other side of the same story just decades before.
Check out the exclusive first look at the character posters for Zero A.D. above and stay tuned to Collider for more to come from our Exclusive Preview event.
via Collider