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NBC Snares Sequel to ‘The Bible’

Jul 1, 2013  •  Post A Comment

The sequel to History’s wildly successful miniseries "The Bible" will be on NBC, with the broadcast network greenlighting the Mark Burnett project, TheWrap.com reports.

The project is "moving from the minors to the majors: Burnett and NBC are forging a holy alliance to bring the sequel to the peacock," the story reports. "The sequel, which bears the working title ‘A.D.: Beyond the Bible,’ follows the enormously popular 10-part miniseries ‘The Bible,’ which drew a huge audience to History earlier this year and is a likely Emmy contender."

Burnett is already in business with NBC as executive producer of "The Voice."

The focus of the sequel is on the dark days after the betrayal and death of Jesus. NBC describes the project this way: "A perfect storm brews in the Holy Land, fueled by social injustice, Roman military oppression and religious unrest. High priests and the Herod dynasty vie for power. Zealot revolutionaries turn to violence to regain what they believe is their promised land. And in the face of terrible odds and brutal persecution, the small band of Jesus’ disciples stand against the combined might of Rome and their own local authorities.

"In a generation of rebellion, war, famine and carnage, who can they trust? Who should they fear? Will tomorrow bring a violent death? For many, it does … but others survive, and as the storm around them breaks, the fate of Israel, of Rome and of their faith is decided."

NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said the plan to secure the sequel for NBC has been in the works since "The Bible" premiered on History in March.

Said Greenblatt: "I followed the development process of ‘The Bible’ closely with Mark and knew that the story was far from over after Christ’s Crucifixion. In fact, what happened in the aftermath — which is essentially the beginning of Christianity — is utterly fascinating. The day after ‘The Bible’ premiered, I told Mark we were on board with no hesitation for the follow-up miniseries."

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